Body and Soul (1947)

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writer:

Abraham Polonsky (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Sport

Tagline:

The story of a guy that women go for!

Plot:

Charley Davis wins an amateur boxing match and is taken on by promoter Quinn. Charley's mother doesn't want him to fight...

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Cult Favorite | Social Worker | Boxing Film

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

John Garfield	...	Charlie Davis
Lilli Palmer	...	Peg Born
Hazel Brooks	...	Alice
Anne Revere	...	Anna Davis
William Conrad	...	Quinn
Joseph Pevney	...	Shorty Polaski
Lloyd Gough	...	Roberts (as Lloyd Goff)
Canada Lee	...	Ben Chaplin
Art Smith	...	David Davis
James Burke	...	Arnold
Virginia Gregg	...	Irma
Peter Virgo	...	Drummer, Roberts' Bodyguard
Joe Devlin	...	Prince
Shimen Ruskin	...	Shimen, the Grocer (as Shimen Rushkin)

Also Known As:

An Affair of the Heart

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12435) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16

Company:

Enterprise Productions

Trivia:

The poem quoted by Peg Born (Lilli Palmer) is "The Tiger" by William Blake, an English poet and artist.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Charley Davis's fiancee, Peg, leaves him a note and misspells his name, "Charlie."

Quotes:

Charlie Davis: Get yourself a new boy. I retire.
Roberts: What makes you think you can get away with this?
Charlie Davis: What are you gonna do? Kill me? Everybody dies.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Odd Couple: I Do, I Don't (#1.7)" (1970)

Soundtrack:

Body and Soul

The Best Film of its Genre

When considering the factors that contributed to making this movie one of truly great cinema classics, such as the story, the direction, the dialogue, the pathos, the conflicts, the supporting cast, the one factor that most directly contributed to making this movie great was that of it's star, John Garfield. Here, Garfield plays Charlie Davis, a brooding, moody, cynical, angry young man traumatized by his father's untimely and violent death and determined to literally fight his way out of poverty, no matter what it takes. Yet, Charlie Davis is likable, for despite the hardened exterior, he is still fundamentally a good man who is struggling to do what is right despite the pressure to cave in to those who merely want to use him. And although Charlie weakens, he never breaks, and when put to the test, his basic honesty and strength shine through, which makes him a hero and which transforms this movie from just another boxing movie into a true cinematic classic.