Champion

While traveling to California in a cargo wagon, the clandestine Michael "Midge" Kelly (Kirk Douglas) and his crippled brother Connie Kelly (Arthur Kennedy) are robbed and thrown off the train. They hitchhike and get a lift from the famous boxer Johnny Dunne (John Daheim), who is traveling with his mistress Grace Diamond (Marilyn Maxwell) to Kansas City for a fight. They explain that they have bought a share in a restaurant. In Kansas City, Midge gets in trouble while seeking a job and is invited to fight box for 35 dollars. He takes a beat and the promoter pays only 10 dollars to him, but the trainer Tommy Haley (Paul Stewart) invites Midge to go to his gym in Los Angeles to be trained in box. When the brothers arrive at the restaurant, they learn that they have been cheated in the business and the owner Lew Bryce (Harry Shannon) hires them to work in the restaurant waiting table and washing dishes. Soon Midge seduces Lew's daughter Emma Bryce (Ruth Roman) and when her father finds their affair, Emma with Midge are forced to get married to each other. However Midge decides to flee to seek out Tommy and leaves Emma alone after the wedding. He learns how to fight with Tommy and defeats several fighters. When he is scheduled to fight Johnny Dunne, the organized crime orders him to lose the fight. However Midge defeats Dunne and is black-listed and can not fight any more. But Grace convinces him to leave Tommy and be managed by Jerome Harris (Luis Van Rooten), who is connected to the crime world. Now Midge begins a successful career betraying his friends and stepping on women, including Harris' wife Palmer Harris (Lola Albright). How far will he go to make money and be champion? "Champion" is an awarded film-noir based on the story of an ambitious boxer that is capable to betray friend to climb in his career reaching fame and money. The direction and performances are excellent with good choreography in the fights, and the film was awarded in Film Editing category (Oscar) and Best Cinematography (Golden Globe). In addition, it achieved several nominations. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "O Invencível" ("The Invincible")

Douglas must have felt this film was his big chance at a starring role. His intensity is bruising and as riveting as Cagney in 'White Heat' or Pacino in 'Scarface'. Imagine what Kirk Douglas would have done with the part of Gordon Gekko in 'Wall Street'! I was disappointed that the character Midge Kelly was never convincing as a skilled boxer. He never slips a single punch, never shows any footwork, never shows any combinations. In the training sequences you see him skip roping expertly with speed & timing, but whenever he gets in the ring he just walks straight toward his opponent with no bobbing or weaving, taking 2 or 3 hits to deliver 1. In a real fight he would have been taken out in the first round. I noticed that early in the movie before Midge becomes a boxer, he gets in the ring out of desperation for some quick money and gets beaten badly. The boxer who skillfully beats him to a pulp looks very much like Courtland Shepard, who played boxer Tony Zale vs Paul Newman's Rocky Graziano in 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' Unfortunately, this boxer-actor, who actually has a spoken line, is never credited.

spoilers 1949's "Champion" explores this idea, and does it with a straightforward economy of style typical of the noir style. I'm not sure if I'd go all the way and label it noir - like Robert Wise's "The Set-Up" it feels like too much of a boxing film for me to do that, but it does come awfully close. There are echoes of Howard Hawks' "Scarface" in "Champion", what with a lower class boy coming to power through violence and force of will. However, Kirk Douglas does it through reputable, official violence. On the other hand, although Midge Kelley distances himself from his family, Tony Camonte keeps his family close - the difference that it makes is that in the end, when both larger than life figures are near the end, Tony Camonte has his sister fighting by his side, whereas Midge has no one and nothing but madness. The Director, Mark Robson, manages to make Midge's slow removal into being an asshole and a money-centered jerk convincing. You can't tell at first, but all the clues are there. It's a natural development, and really it is quite amazing to think back that this man, who does these awful things, started out so charming and sincere. All in all, well-done. The cinematography is great, too.

During the three years just following World War II, Kirk Douglas had completed seven feature films. He already had caught the attention of key motion picture executives, such as producer Hal Wallis. Success was gradually coming Douglas' way. But, with "Champion", like a sudden knockout punch, Douglas instantly achieved his lofty aim. In this low-budget film gem, populated by outstanding character portrayals, Kirk Douglas' performance as boxer Midge Kelly is the bravura centerpiece. Though the multi-textured character of Kelly, as created by Ring Lardner in his short story, lends itself to a strong performance, it is Douglas who lifts the character into the stratosphere. At age 33, and having been a wrestler while attending New York's St. Lawrence University a decade earlier, Douglas still possessed the phyical tools for this role. His work in the fight and training scenes are accurate and strongly believeable. But it is his performance as Midge Kelly the individual that is stunningly riveting. During "Champion", Douglas becomes the character until it is virtually impossible to separate actor and role. He eagerly assimilates Kelly's various nuances and attitudes. Passion has always been a Kirk Douglas hallmark. Never has he been so powerfully passionate as in this performance. Contemporary audiences may like to compare the screen work of son, Michael, with that of his father. But after seeing Kirk Douglas' unforgettable performance in "Champion", comparisons fade. In his biography, "Ragman's Son," Douglas tells of watching a screening of "Champion" in the home of a studio mogul who had invited numerous people unknown to the actor...who himself was unknown to the guests. After the screening, Douglas relates, the guests---as one---turned back toward him with overwhelmed expressions. They now had a startled new knowledge of the young actor whose presence at the back of the room they only vaguely had acknowledged. Joining Douglas, with excellent performances of their own, were Paul Stewart, Marilyn Maxwell, Luis Van Ruten, Ruth Roman, John Day, Arthur Kennedy and Lola Albright. Each was highly believeable. Even if Carl Foreman's adaptation of Lardner's story was sometimes predictable, the combination of Douglas' volatile performance, and the high-calibre work of the supporting actors make "Champion" a mini-masterpiece.

This is a great movie. I rented it from the video store and expected an average boxing film, but instead I got a masterpiece. This movie is better than any boxing movie I've ever seen. The character is also very well constructed. Kirk Douglas really looks like he knows what he's doing in the training and boxing scenes. His acting in this is great and he doesn't overact. He is one of my all time favorite actors. Arthur Kennedy, another favorite of mine, is very good in this movie. Like in the part were he's yelling at Kirk Douglas telling him how his blood's gone cold. He tells Douglas he's worse than a murderer, he's a grave robber. Midge Kelly does do a lot of wrong in this picture. He starts out as an o.k. guy and when he becomes a famous prizefighter and then champ he really changes. The money and fame goes to his head. He gets mixed up with a blonde too and steps on people to get to the top. He even gets rid of his manager Tommy, wonderfully played by Paul Stewart. He is always good in his supporting roles. The ones that come to mind are; The Bad and the Beautiful, King Creole and The Joe Louis Story. The actresses are good in this movie too and I think all three of them go good with Kirk Douglas. John Day is good as Johnny Dunne. He's always playing some tough guy or boxer. In Abbott and Costello Meet The Invisible Man he played fighter Rocky Hanlon. In Jailhouse Rock he played a tough guy that gets in to a brawl with Elvis Presley. In the Captain America serial he fist fights with Captain America. My favorite parts in the movie are the opening scene when the fight announcer is introducing us to the champion. The announcer is played by Sam Balter. Balter seems to always be playing an announcer or commentator. In Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man he plays the commentator for the fight. Sam Balter was a great choice for Champion. As you see Kirk Douglas walking into view you can tell just by looking at him that he's a champion. My second favorite part is the thrilling climax. I love every boxing scene in the movie too. If you want to see one of the greatest movies ever made see this movie.

A selfish boxer (Kirk Douglas in the title role playing one of his earliest characters as main star) alienates the people around him , his captivating wife (Ruth Roman as the victimized spouse), his loving brother (a restrained Arthur Kennedy) ,trainer (a moderate Paul Stewart) and other women (Marilyn Maxwell, Lola Albright). This interesting movie based on a screenplay by prestigious Carl Foreman is a noir drama about boxing world with an ambitious starring well personified by Kirk Douglas. The violent boxing images shocked audiences of the 40s and still retains quite power nowadays. It's a grueling boxing tale with tough realism full of face-blistering, punch, knocks until ¨Raging Bull¨ surpassed it years later. Top-notch acting by Kirk Douglas as merciless, ruthless boxer in his usual hard-driving style and winning a deservedly best actor Academy Award nomination. Dark cinematography in black and white plenty of of lights and shades by Franz Planer. Atmospheric musical score by the classic Dimitri Tiomkin. The motion picture is well realized by Mark Robson. In the early 40s Robson was much involved with the low-budget terror unit in charge of producer Val Lewton , for whom made ¨Seventh victim¨, ¨The ghost ship¨, and ¨Island of the dead¨. In the late 1940s Robson joined Stanley Kramer's independent company and directed his biggest commercial hit to date with ¨The champion¨. Years later Robson made another good film about corruption in boxing world titled ¨The harder they fall¨ with Humphrey Bogart. In the late 1960s, his work did decline . His last movie was a jinx one titled ¨Avalancha express¨. Robson and his main star, Robert Shaw, died suddenly from heart attacks. Rating : Above average, well worth seeing. This is certainly one of the best movies ever made about boxing world

I liked this movie for many reasons--the acting, the writing and probably most of all because it strips away the clichés of most boxing films and exposes it for the ugly sport that it is. While there were several exceptional anti-boxing films (REQUIUM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, THE HARDER THEY FALL and THE SET-UP), this one is the most dramatic, unflinching in its violence and features the most amoral and dislikable lead you'll ever find. Kirk Douglas was just great as the smooth-talking but totally self-absorbed boxer who was "the Champion". While in some films his larger than life persona might not work so well, Douglas' talents were exactly what this film needed and this film rightfully made him famous. In addition to his acting, I really think the next biggest star of the film were the makeup artists who managed to make Douglas look as if he'd been pulverized. Following his final bout, in particular, he appears to have had his face beaten to a pulp--and it's not easy to achieve that sort of look. The third star was the unflinching and exceptional script--it didn't pull any punches and gives a wonderful portrait of a horrible person who makes it to the top of his game by walking on everyone who he comes across. This great film is best described as a Film Noir boxing film and is strongly recommended (unless you have a weak stomach). In addition, all the above mentioned movies would be excellent viewing. Unlike GOLDEN BOY and KID GALLAHAD, these films de-glamorize a sick and dangerous "sport" and seek to deconstruct the clichéd image of the boxing hero.

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Moviecut—Champion

Kirk Douglas plays Midge Kelley, a talented boxer who uses everyone around him for his own gain. This may be Douglas' finest effort on film. The editing won an Oscar and rightfully so. This might be the finest movie involving boxing ever produced. Available in color but see the original black and white version. Listen for Polly Bergen's voice as a radio/juke box singer.