The Champ (1979)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Frances Marion (story)
Walter Newman (writer)

Release Date:

4 April 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

The most poignant love-triangle of all - a father, his son, and the woman who came between them.

Plot:

Billy Flynn, an ex box champion, is now horse trainer in Hialeah. He makes just enough money to raise his little boy T.J...

Plot Keywords:

Champion | Tragedy | Ring | Father Son Relationship | Horse Racing

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Jon Voight	...	Billy
Faye Dunaway	...	Annie
Rick Schroder	...	T.J. (as Ricky Schroder)
Jack Warden	...	Jackie
Arthur Hill	...	Mike
Strother Martin	...	Riley
Joan Blondell	...	Dolly Kenyon
Mary Jo Catlett	...	Josie
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Georgie (as Elisha Cook)
Stefan Gierasch	...	Charlie Goodman
Allan Miller	...	Whitey
Joe Tornatore	...	Hesh
Shirlee Kong	...	Donna Mae
Jeff Blum	...	Jeffie
Dana Elcar	...	Hoffmaster

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:All (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film was originally intended for Ryan and Griffin O'Neal.

Quotes:

Doctor: [Champ has just died] I'm sorry.
T.J.: [Georgie and Jackie start to cry, TJ is shocked] No! Champ! No! Champ. Is he out? Is he out? What's the matter, Champ? Champ, wake up! Wake up! Wake - wake up!
[kisses his head]
T.J.: Champ, wake up, Champ! Hey, don't sleep now. We got to go home. Got to go home, Champ.
[Georgie collapses into sobs]
T.J.: Georgie. Don't cry. Georgie.
[TJ goes to the doctor]
T.J.: Mister, help me. Wake him up! Wake him!
Doctor: We're all real sorry.
T.J.: Please, wake him up!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Super Secret Movie Rules: Tear Jerkers (2004) (TV)

an emotional masterpiece

Unlike many of the critics who saw this movie and hated it, obviously these so called "film critics" must be jaded wanna be filmmakers who never made it, and have not truly found the meaning of film-making to date. Sorry for them. This motion picture is what makes cinema so great. It is the extremely emotional content and story, not the mere technicalities or flaws that makes this movie great. I saw this film 25 years ago and I remember a theaters completely in tears. I saw this movie again just recently on HBO and as hard as you tried, it was impossible to hold back tears, specially at the end. I don't know who these movie critics are nor where they come from, but they certainly have much to learn from this film.