Body and Soul (1947) User Reviews (60)

Down but not out

[MOscarbradley · 7/10 · 27 January 2008]

This boxing picture deals with the seedier side of the business; (is there any other?). It helps that it was written by Abraham Polonsky whose script is suitably cynical and hard-boiled. John Garfield is the pugnacious fighter easily swayed by the prospects of easy money and not adverse to taking a dive. It's a fine, hard-nosed performance. Garfield was always at his best in roles that required him to battle with his conscience.

The whole movie is well cast. The under-rated Lilli Palmer is fine as the 'nice' girl who loves him as is Hazel Brooks as the 'bad' girl who seduces him while the villains are ably taken care of by Lloyd Gough and William Conrad. Best of all there is Anne Revere as Garfield's mother. (Did Revere play everybody's mother movies?). It's another of her no-nonsense roles. Revere was one tough cookie who kept her heart of gold well-hidden. The climatic fight scene is very well staged and Robert Parrish and Frances Lyon's editing won the Oscar while James Wong Howe's cinematography adds considerably to the realism.

Great '40s film starring John Garfield

[blanche-2 · 9/10 · 22 April 2008]

John Garfield is a fighter taken over "Body and Soul" in this 1947 Faustian drama about a man who becomes too heady with success and too greedy, eventually signing on with a crooked fight promoter. Garfield is supported here by Lilli Palmer, Anne Revere, Hazel Brooks, William Conrad, Canada Lee and Lloyd Gough.

American filmmakers love boxing movies, and why not? It's a one on one brutal action sport that has inherent in it good drama because of what is at stake for people who most likely came from nothing and used their fists on the street. "Body and Soul" is no different in this regard, but it's one of the best of its kind. It also boasts an unusual and exceptionally talented cast.

The film is loaded with conflict for Charlie Davis (Garfield) - his mother (Revere) doesn't want him to fight; he's in love with Peg (Palmer) and wants to marry her but is talked into delaying it when he signs on with a new and corrupt promoter, Roberts (Gough). This will be the first of Charlie's concessions and unfortunately not the last. He fights Ben (Lee), but isn't told that the man has a blood clot and he needs to coast through only a few rounds. Instead, he pulverizes Ben, causing further brain damage, and takes him on as a trainer out of guilt. Then he's seduced by a money-hungry babe named Alice (Brooks). And on and on, until Roberts bets against him and orders him to take a dive in the championship fight he's been waiting for. (With all the films done about taking dives, anyone who bets on a fight is nuts.) Something about this movie - maybe it's the theme song, which is one of my favorites - swept me away. It's one of Garfield' most colorful performances, and the beautiful, classy Palmer is a perfect juxtaposition not only to the streetwise Charlie but the trashy Alice.

The truly transcendent role and performance is essayed by Canada Lee, a wonderful actor who died too young and had too few opportunities in film. His performance as the volatile, ill Ben was Oscar-worthy. Like Ben Carter in "Crash Dive," the fact that Lee is black does not enter into the script at all, and he is treated as an equal.

For all the rotten stereotyping done in films at that time, there were a few scripts that defied it. Lee was blacklisted and died in 1952 (the same year that John Garfield died), at 45, almost literally of a broken heart. He left a legacy of five films and some wonderful stage work, including Orson Welles' all-black Macbeth. Cast members Garfield, Lee, Anne Revere, Lloyd Gough, Art Smith, Shimen Ruskin, scriptwriter Abraham Polonsky and producer Bob Roberts would all find themselves blacklisted, and director Rossen would be threatened but admit to being a Communist and name names.

Magnificently photographed in black and white by James Wong Howe and with top direction, "Body and Soul" is an example of how wonderful film can be.

More A Human Interest Story Than A Boxing Tale

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 9 October 2005]

I looked at this as simply a good story, a solid drama that happened to have the sport of boxing figure into it. "Boxing movies." if people insist on labeling this under that category, were particularly popular around the time of this film. Many of them had similar stories about a good guy being told to take a dive or else. Yes, that was in here, too, but it wasn't anywhere near the central part of the story. This film was more of an earlier "Raging Bull"-type tale in that it concentrated on the friends, family, freeloaders, criminals and women surrounding the main male character.

This was more of a story about a decent man who gets carried away with success and with the power and money that goes with it. As good as the lead actor, John Garfield, was in here - and he was good - I was more intrigued with the supporting characters.

Lilly Palmer looked and sounded the part of a refined sweet, pretty French girl (whatever that means) and was a good contrast to the uneducated and quick tempered brute (Garfield). As in so many stories, she wasn't fully appreciated by her man until the end. Anne Revere, as Garfield's mom (she seemed to always play the lead character's mother in 1940s films) was fascinating as she always was and kudos to Joseph Peveny as "Shorty" and Lloyd Gough a "Roberts." Both added a lot to the film. Wlliam Conrad and Hazel Brooks added some great film noir-- type dialog, berating each other once in a while.

These actors, and the photography of James Wong Howe, make this a cut above most if not all the so-called "boxing films."

I Fell For You, Body And Soul

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 28 July 2008]

Body and Soul was the first of several free lance productions that John Garfield did after his contract with Warner Brothers was concluded. He certainly didn't take any artistic chances because the role of Charlie Davis, the Jewish middleweight boxing champion from the Lower East Side of New York was something Garfield could identify with. He'd played a fighter in his second film, They Made Me A Criminal to great acclaim. And he'd appeared in the original production of Golden Boy though not in the lead. He'd be doing that on stage at the time of his demise in 1952.

But while Body and Soul didn't blaze any artistic trails for Garfield, it did give him a great role that earned him a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Garfield lost to Ronald Colman that year in A Double Life.

Garfield has the feel for the heart and soul of Davis because that was his background. Another reviewer suggested that the Davis character is based on the famous lightweight champion Benny Leonard who would have been a hero to a Jewish kid like Julius Garfinkle growing up first on the Lower East Side and then in the Bronx. Leonard also died around the time Body and Soul was being made and movie audiences would have known that and the film would have a special poignancy for them.

The story is told in flashback as Charlie Davis dozes off in the training room before a defense of his middleweight crown. He's in a depression about the death of someone named Ben.

Ben turns out to be Canada Lee former champion himself who was Garfield's trainer. We see how Garfield who at first listened to his mother Anne Revere not to fight, but then when father Art Smith dies, economics forces him into the ring. Garfield gets involved with two women, artist Lilli Palmer and nightclub singer Hazel Brooks.

He also gets involved with a manager who eventually turns on him in William Conrad and a sleazy promoter in Lloyd Gough. If you're a fan of boxing films I think you can figure out where this will all end up.

But the ride is a good one. Besides Garfield's nomination, Body and Soul got another Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay by Abraham Polonsky. And it won the Oscar that year for Best Film Editing. That's for the great work in that department during that final boxing match.

For fans of John Garfield, Body and Soul is a must. Besides all that there's that great Johnny Green-Edward Heyman song from the Thirties that got a revival because of this film.

The Best Film of its Genre

[PWNYCNY · 10/10 · 27 July 2005]

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.

A great showcase for Canada Lee

[glimmer207 · 22 December 2002]

One especially noteworthy aspect of this movie is the character of Ben Chaplin, played by the criminally underappreciated African American actor Canada Lee. A trademark of Lee's few but memorable screen roles is how his characters transcend the racial stereotypes of the day (see also his role in "Lifeboat"). Where Chaplin is black, his race is never mentioned, and is never even made an issue. There's no assumption of deferrence to the white characters. He is treated as an equal, which, especially for 1947, is an amazing breakthrough.

The other strengths of the movie, particularly Garfield's performance and James Wong Howe's cinematography, have been duly mentioned in other posts.

Not a knockout but delivers a solid punch.

[Hermit C-2 · 7/10 · 30 November 1999]

This movie is the spiritual ancestor of so many later boxing film, including the great 'Raging Bull,' but its story is too by-the-numbers for it to be a true classic, in my opinion. It's still an effective movie, however. Similar observations could be made about its star, John Garfield, as well. For a fight film, not that much action takes place inside the ring. This is not inappropriate, since the focus is on Charley Davis' (Garfield) struggles outside the arena, both to win the woman he loves and against the mobster who wants to control him. The last fight sequence, however, is handled particularly well. Director Robert Rossen and cinematographer James Wong Howe can be thanked for that.

Garfield is utterly magnetic!

[jem132 · 9/10 · 26 January 2008]

Great film, and was any Hollywood actor in the 1940's more magnetic than John Garfield? It is the boxing movie on which all other boxing movies have drawn elements from ever since- the poor kid made good by his talent for boxing yet who is exploited by corrupt fight managers and his own material greed, the faithful girlfriend/wife out of the ring, the scenes showing the lure of riches and the moral decay it brings.

The film opens with Garfield waking from a troubled dream, calling out for "Ben!". In the middle of the night he rushes to his mother's (Ann Revere) apartment where his faithful girlfriend Lilli Palmer burst into tears upon seeing him. Revere tells Garfield to go. We soon find out, through flashback, just what has happened to Garfield and his body has been used at the expense of his soul.

While the film may seem formulaic now...let's remember it started the boxing formula! Great performances all round. Garfield is intense and charismatic, Palmer is sympathetic and warm yet also keenly intelligent and aware and Canada Lee gets a striking role as Ben, the role being a major move forward for the portrayal of African-Americans on-screen. The film is well-written (Polonsky would make the excellent Force Of Evil with Garfield in the following year) and contains many memorable scenes, and the editing in that final fight scene is top-notch. Compulsive and compulsory viewing.

Keep Your Left Up

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 2 December 2002]

Spoilers. "Body and Soul" is highly thought of by a lot of writers whose opinions I respect, but it hasn't been seen very often on TV and I was looking forward to viewing it for the first time. John Garfield, a man of some principle in real life, has never impressed me as a first-rate actor although you can't help admiring a kid who grew up in a tough working-class New York neighborhood and made it. He seems to specialize in being shot through glass windows trying to woo some good-looking babe. Such scenes occur in "Destination Tokyo," "The Postman Always Rings Twice," and here too.

He plays an uncultured kid from a poor family in New York. His kindly father dies when thugs bomb the speakeasy next door to his candy shop. Mom is destitute, and Garfield takes up pro boxing for the money. He meets Lili Palmer, a beautiful and appealing if lightweight actress, and takes her home to meet his Mamma. There follows one of those rather familiar scenes in which the Jewish mamma grills the Shiksa over the dinner table, as in "Lenny," "No Way to Treat a Lady," and so forth. You can gather the plot isn't what could be called novel, but it engages one's interest nonetheless.

Garfield proves to be a good fighter and soon begins his rise to the top, assisted by his boyhood friend, Shorty, who is sensitive, good humored, and has a charming smile. Garfield then begins to drown in an excess of tsuris.

He is taken over by corrupt gamblers, the equivalent of George C. Scott in "The Hustler." Shorty objects. There is an argument and a fight and Shorty is run over accidentally on purpose. Lili Palmer realizes how corrupt he is becoming and gives him a choice: the fight game or her.

The next thing we know, Garfield is cavorting with some cover girl who has a penchant for mink. ("After mink, comes sable.") Garfield unwittingly bashes in the head of a crippled fighter (Canada Lee)the way the Argentinian Firpo does in "The Harder They Fall." Garfield agrees to throw a tough fight to make a lot of money so he can quit the ring and marry Lili. The supporting cast is pretty good, especially William Conrad with his impressive baritone. Anne Revere, who specializes in rigidity, whether good or bad, is unusually expressive. Garfield's final fight is murderous. Does he actually throw it? I will leave you burning with curiosity.

The direction by Robert Rosson is adequate but he got better with time. Abraham Polonsky's script is okay too. Maybe some of these now-familiar scenes weren't quite as familiar in 1947 as they've since become. Polonsky, Revere, and Garfield all got into trouble during the McCarthy period, and it's hard to see why. If this is an example of communist propaganda you've got to have second sight to find it. Yes, Garfield's family is poor. (Is that what propaganda is?) Whose family wasn't poor during the depression? The streets and furnishings are pretty seedy, but more realistic after all than the white telephones and deco apartments of Fred and Ginger wearing tuxedos and ballroom gowns.

"Body and Soul" compares only vaguely to "Golden Boy," I gather, not having seen the latter, but it invites comparison with "Champion," which appeared a year or two later. "Champion" is probably the better film, even if it follows an almost identical formula. There isn't anything here as subtle as Douglas returning to his estranged wife, striking a match for her, and seeing her glance up at him in wary, furtive, and wholly unconscious invitation while she puffs from the flame.

At the same time this film uses some nice symbolism. In his New York apartment, his first expensive digs, Garfield has a secret revolving wall. One side is bedecked with flowers and hung with a portrait of the virtuous Lili. The other side is a bar "with a sink and everything!" and it has "anything you want, bourbon, everything, like a candy store." It's practically Dr. Jeykll's flowers and Mr. Hyde's bar.

"Body and Soul" is definitely worth seeing, partly because it's pretty good and partly for its historic value.

Blood, Sweat, and Soul in the Grandfather of the Boxing Genre...

[Don-102 · 10/10 · 22 June 1999]

If Jake LaMotta, the real life raging bull, ever went to the movies, he must have seen BODY AND SOUL a hundred times. It practically predicts the course of his career and the world of sports cinema, specifically boxing films. Robert Rossen's 1947 black and white boiler is clearly an influence on ROCKY and RAGING BULL, along with countless other rags-to-riches sports stories with a hint of corruption. John Garfield, an actor I feel serves an audience more with his mere screen presence than his acting skills, is stunning as "Charley Davis", the kid from New York who wants a shot at the title.

Notice Garfield's prudent girlfriend. Remind you of Adrian? (ROCKY) How about the mob boss who wants 50 percent of Garfield's winnings? Remind you of Nicholas Colasanto from RAGING BULL? Of course. BODY AND SOUL is the altar of origin from which these films worshiped. Garfield dabbled in boxing off-screen until his untimely death in 1952 and appears like LaMotta, or De Niro, in many scenes. His temper can fly quickly and without warning. CHAMPION with Kirk Douglas and SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME with Paul Newman have taken some licks from this sensational film that roared like most of the best films of the 1940's.

Boxing is the ultimate sport to depict in film because such interesting character studies can come out of them. A boxer is, for the most part, alone. Other sport films seem to suffer because more has to be captured and the sport itself is usually portrayed poorly and unrealistic. Boxing takes place in a small ring, as does the life of most boxers (or so it seems). Director Robert Rossen is also a master at creating pictures where a flawed main character creates his own suffering and pain and has a fundamental misunderstanding of women. Just see Broderick Crawford in ALL THE KING'S MEN or Paul Newman in THE HUSTLER.

No fight scene captures your attention until the pivotal final championship defense by "Charley Davis". Will he throw it for the easy bucks or win it for pride and the adulation of his simple New York roots? It is very unapparent and hard to see coming. The authenticity of the climactic fight is made all the more powerful with its newsreel look and in-your-face photography and makeup. Credit cinematographer James Wong Howe for the realistic look and credit the blood and sweat of Garfield, writer Abraham Polonsky, and director Rossen to bring such a captivating story of corruption and glory to the screen.

Fine performances

[sdave7596 · 7/10 · 18 November 2008]

"Body and Soul" released by United Artists in 1947, was apparently made after actor John Garfield got out of his Warner Brothers contract. He had made many films with them, but wanted to be more independent. In this film, Garfield plays Charley Davis, a lower middle class New Yorker with a talent for boxing. Not unlike many boxers, certainly of that time period, using your fists for sport was a way out of your meager background. While I have never been a big fan of John Garfield and did not consider him a top notch actor of the golden age of Hollywood, this part does seem made for him. Garfield is quite good here, playing the conflicted Charley with skill and credibility. There are actually few real boxing scenes in the film, except for the end, and that is why labeling this as a 'boxing movie' seems a bit deceptive. There are capable supporting players, including the lovely Lili Palmer, who loves Charley. Robert Conrad and Lloyd Gough ably play the tough guy thugs who want Charley to sell his soul for money. A notable performance by African-American actor Canada Lee is striking - considering this is 1947 and is treated as an equal by the white actors. Garfield was known for his politically liberal views, and perhaps this is why he later ended up as an enemy of the Communist witch hunters in Washington. Garfield's untimely death at age 39 was a shock to many - his funeral was mobbed by thousands. Perhaps this elevated his image above the work he left behind in film - but still, this film and a handful of others are quite good.

A gripping drama with great interpretation and splendid boxing scenes make this a must-see

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 18 October 2021]

A vintage tale of corruption in boxing world with a fine message and nice production design. A kind young boxer called Charlie Davis (John Garfield) living in poor conditions attempts to carry out a boxing career . As Garfield is a Jewish boxer whose mother (Anne Revere) wants him to quit the ring and get an education. Instead, he rises quickly to the world championship , thanks in part to a mobster protector . Along the way , he becomes involved with an unethical gangster promoter (Lloyd Gough) and falls in love for a good girl (Lilli Palmer) and a bad girl (Hazel Brooks) . Depicting the triumphs and misfortunes in the seedy world of the professional boxing . It details the story of a fighter who'll do anything to get to the top and does , with tragic results . As the good boxer with a certain ambition has to fight against nasty people , cheats and corruption in politics .

One of the best boxing movies ever , and almost impressionistic in its development , as it contains a thoughtful and thought-provoking approach . A classic Forties' boxing film that defines deeply the genre . Resulting in a well made , grim and stunning drama , adequately photographed by James Wong Howe , evocative musical score by Hugo Friedhofer , magnetically interpreted and dynamically directed . This is an allegorical work that covers everything from the importance of honor personal to fight for life . It displays stark realism with appropriate boxing combats and intense drama including top-notch performance. John Garfield gives his best acting , he has a perfect character as the pugilist starring who becomes involved with crime and corruption in his quest to box his way out his ghetto environment . Being accompanied by a very fine cast , such as : Lilli Palmer , Hazel Brooks , Anne Revere , William Conrad , Joseph Pevney , Lloyd Gough and special mention mention for Canada Lee as an injured boxer with cerebral damage. Although many of whose participants were to fall foul of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee within the ensuing few years . The picture had many imitators but few peers . Remade in 1981 by George Bowers with Leon Isaac Kennedy , Peter Lawford, Muhammad Ali , Perry Lang .

This 1947 gem was competently directed by Robert Rossen and attractive script by the black-listed Abraham Polonsky . This is a great film by a stunning filmmaker , Robert Rossen , who delivers an exciting rematch that artfully milks it for all it's worth. Rossen was a pretty good film writer by writing a lot of interesting and notorious storylines for prestigious directors and he also made a few important pictures , such as : ¨Lilith¨, ¨They came to Cordura¨, ¨Island in the sun¨, ¨Alexander Magno¨ , ¨Mambo¨, ¨The Brave Bulls¨ , ¨All the King's Men¨, ¨Johnny O'Clock¨. Rating : 7.5/10. Better than average . Worthwhile watching .

He could've had the whole world. So he leaned over sideways and grabbed you.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 26 May 2019]

Body and Soul is directed by Robert Rossen and written by Abraham Polonsky. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad. Music is by Hugo Friedhofer and cinematography by James Wong Howe.

A talented boxer's career begins to spiral out of control when financial hunger, matters of the heart and a shady promoter begin to take a hold.

Viewing it now, Body and Soul looks to be chock full of boxing movie clichés, which of course wasn't the case back in the 40s. Such as it is with the year of release, it has been honourably inserted into the film noir pantheon. If that's worthy - and many of the noir bible writers seem to think so - is up to the individual viewer to decide, what is apparent though is this is a fine piece of film making regardless of genre or style assignment.

Charlie Davis' (Garfield in a worthy Oscar Nominated performance) descent down a crooked path is certainly noir in plot terms, and it makes for riveting viewing. The screenplay for the time is very choice and worthy, focusing as it does on corruption and violence within the sporting world. The look of the pic is that of realism, Rossen and Howe mixing elegiac beauty with fluent fight sequences (of which there aren't actually many), the monochrome sharp as a left hook.

There's no sentimentality on show, this is stripped bare to show the dark that lurks beneath the cheering crowds and sensational advertisement posters. Pic pulses with the beat of the street, the sweat is from those trying to make a living, all while anti capitalism seeps from every frame. The finale drives home a point - consistent with Rossen in general - and even though pic has a very stage bound core, the craft from all involved ensures it never hurts the dramatic worth. 7.5/10

Let's Beat Each Other's Brains Out

[gumby_x2 · 4/10 · 26 March 2009]

Why anyone would pay good money to watch a boxing movie is beyond me. Why anyone would pay money to watch any sports movie is also beyond me. Sports movies, especially boxing movies, have very little to say beyond, "Look how much punishment I can take and look how big a dope I am for even stepping in the ring!" "Body and Soul" has all the common clichés that one would expect from a rope-a-dope film: 1) the boxer with a low I.Q; 2) the disapproving mother; 3) the smart girlfriend that likes the boxer for God-knows-whatever reasons; 4) the crooked boxing promoter; 5) the death of a fighter that should know better; 6) athletes knowingly submitting to a crooked system; 7) managers manipulating fighters for their own benefit. This movie tries to tackle too much territory. If you watch it, prepare for you brain to take a "slugging" and come away from it punch drunk.

Gritty, Memorable & Very Influential

[seymourblack-1 · 8/10 · 25 November 2011]

"Body And Soul" is widely recognised as the first boxing movie to focus sharply on the corrupt nature of the fight game and the unethical practices of the people who run it. The ways in which a fighter gets exploited by gangsters and gambling interests are depicted very convincingly and the negative effects that sudden success can have on a young boxer are also portrayed in a style which is both powerful and authentic.

The events that take place during the fighter's rise from obscurity to world championship level involve a great deal of intrigue, intensity and drama and no doubt, this is exactly what inspired so many other filmmakers to produce similar types of movies which frequently featured many of the same situations that are seen in "Body And Soul".

Charley Davis (John Garfield) is a fighter from New York's lower East Side who's determined to escape the impoverished circumstances that he and his mother find themselves in after his father is accidentally killed when the speakeasy next to his candy store is bombed. Ignoring his mother's wishes, Charley decides to pursue a career in boxing.

Charley's best friend Shorty Polaski (Joseph Pevney)had become his manager after convincing local trainer Quinn (William Conrad) to take Charley on and soon after, Quinn arranges a series of fights in which Charley is so successful that he attracts the attention of a gangster called Roberts (Lloyd Gough) who's the most powerful figure in the boxing business in New York. Roberts promises Charley a title fight but the cost is high as Roberts demands a 50% cut of Charley's earnings and the effective sidelining of Shorty.

Roberts arranges a fixed fight for Charley against the ageing middleweight champion Ben Chaplin (Canada Lee) who has a blood clot on his brain. Charley is told nothing about his opponent's condition and after a punishing contest during which Ben takes a large number of blows to the head, his manager understandably feels double crossed by Roberts.

Shorty is appalled when he discovers the circumstances surrounding the fight and after telling Charley what he knows, resigns. Tragically, he then gets beaten up by one of Roberts' henchmen and still groggy after his beating, staggers into the street where he gets run down and killed by a car.

Peg (Lilli Palmer) had been Charley's loyal girlfriend since his earliest involvement in the fight game but after seeing what had happened to Shorty and becoming concerned about Roberts' activities, decided that she could no longer continue their relationship unless Charley decided to give up boxing. Predictably, Charley refused and then broke off their engagement.

As Charley's success in the ring continues, he gambles heavily, becomes increasingly indebted to Roberts and starts seeing an acquisitive nightclub singer called Alice (Hazel Brooks). After an extended period as the champ, Charley is scheduled to fight a young contender in a fixed match which he's instructed to lose and to use his payment of $60,000 to bet against himself. How he deals with this situation proves to have significant consequences, not only for him, but also for Ben (who becomes his trainer) and Peg who starts to see a future for them together if Charley does finally give up boxing.

The boxing sequences in "Body And Soul" were expertly filmed with hand held cameras being used to augment the work of the main camera crew and Francis D Lyon and Robert Parrish's contributions were recognised when they won the Oscar for "Best Film Editing". John Garfield's performance won him an Oscar nomination for "Best Actor" and Abraham Polonsky also received an Oscar nomination for his marvellous screenplay.

John Garfield gives a top class performance as the naive fighter who's seduced by the promise of wealth into a corrupt business where, in order to hit the big time, he has to make a Faustian deal which costs him his lifelong friendship with Shorty and damages his relationships with Peg and his mother. Lilli Palmer is excellent as the warm hearted Peg who's more intelligent than Charley and also has higher ethical standards. The supporting performances are also very good with Canada Lee making a particularly strong impression.

A Memorable Soul ***'1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 25 January 2006]

John Garfield delivers a worthy Oscar nominated performance in the story of "Body and Soul."

Poor and from a tough neighborhood, Garfield sees boxing as a way out of his current existence.

As usual, veteran pro, Anne Revere, was called upon to play Garfield's mom. This terrific Oscar winning actress (1944 for National Velvet, in a supporting role) played just about everyone's mom in Hollywood during the 1940s. "Mom" to Gregory Peck in "Gentleman's Agreement," Linda Darnell's mother in "Forever Amber,"Montgomery Clift's mom in "A Place in the Sun" and Jennifer Jones'mother in "The Song of Bernadette." To me, Miss Revere, who was a descendant from Paul Revere, delivers a memorable line in the movie. To paraphrase, she states: "I want you to be respected. I want you to be a teacher." Sure, in 1947, the teaching profession was looked up to-to use a pun, it was revered.

Unfortunately, this great line has been overshadowed by the line, "Everybody dies." Must we always be true to life?

A hard-nosed, gripping film dealing not only with human emotions, but the fighting ring as well along with its corruption. A film exhibiting one wallop of a punch.

The way films used to be!

[shirlr-1 · 22 January 2002]

Great flick. I loved it for two reasons: simplicity and realism - about life and about professional sports. Its a clearly drawn sketch of a guy like Charley. Garfield is at his best. He is totally credible. Everything is clear: Peg is all good - all giving. Alice the vamp is one hundred percent evil. So is the promoter, Roberts. A subtle contrast versus these black and whites is Garfield's character because he is flawed. He changes moral coloring as the plot progressives. They stay the same. We know the good guys and girls right away. No moral obscurity here. Clearly an old-fashioned movie - this is the way they used to be. No car chases, no mega-explosions, and no moral relativity either. And there's a plot, too. We need more of these.

Body and Soul

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 8 January 2023]

I always thought that John Garfield was one of the most under-rated of actors; he made some great films - and this is one of them. He is the down at heel, amateur boxer "Charley" who lives with his decent and upstanding mother "Anna" (Anne Revere) pretty much hand to mouth. When he wins an amateur bout, promoter "Quinn" (William Conrad) picks him up and starts him earning a little from his fights. Accompanied by his friend "Shorty" (Joseph Pevney) and his gal "Peg" (Lilli Palmer) he starts to attract attention, and when the big time looms he agrees a deal with "Roberts" (Lloyd Goff) and suddenly finds that his standards of morality and decency start to become compromised. His new found mentor is ruthless and his friends are gradually marginalised or ignored. Can a tragedy very close those to home open his eyes? This is a great story of grit and determination, of love, loyalty and manipulation and Robert Rossen keeps the pace moving really well. The cast is small, and the story tightly woven around some strong characters and a moral many can easily understand - money being the root of all evil, however well intentioned the earning of it. It's well scored and the production is photographed cleverly, at times intimately, making for a superior tale well worth watching.

The usual tale, told well

[Tetsel · 8/10 · 24 November 1999]

In many ways, 'Body and Soul' is a very typical Hollywood story. It has the 'local boy makes it big', the 'vamp and the virgin', the 'corrupt businessmen' and of course the final moral fight. However, James Wong Howe's brilliant cinematography and John Garfield's solid acting lift this movie above the norm. Every emotion is heart-felt, and the tension at the end is perfectly presented. One of the best boxing movies.

Garfield is a cool cat – a tiger – as he claws his way to the top!

[RJBurke1942 · 7/10 · 23 January 2008]

There are fight movies - and then there are movies that fight back...

I'd seen Golden Boy (1939), The Setup (1949), Champion (1949), The Harder They Fall (1956), and much later, Rocky (1976), followed by Raging Bull (1980) – and all of them only a few years after each was released (except Golden Boy). Somehow, however, I'd missed Body and Soul all these years. I missed it so many times on TV I lost count...

Well, now that I caught it on late night TV, finally, I can say unequivocally I liked all the above better, except for Golden Boy and Rocky.

The story and film, however, are still top notch and stand the test of time, in my opinion. Not because it's a good movie about the fight business – which it is – but because it is, of them all, the only one that uses the story as a blatant metaphor for the sham of the American Dream (although Bogie's effort in The Harder They Fall touches upon that idea).

The story is straight-forward: Garfield does Garfield playing Davis, the amateur boxer who gains the eye of a professional coach, Quinn (William Conrad) who gradually brings his protégé along to the professional circuit and thence under the influence of those who control the business, notably the sleazy Roberts (Lloyd Goff). Thereafter, Davis is but a mere puppet for the Mob: doing his thing in the ring and making only 50% for his efforts.

Naturally, Davis's girl, Peg (Lili Palmer), his buddy, Shorty (Joseph Pevney), his mother Anna (Anne Revere) and others all try to dissuade Davis from staying in the business which is rotten to the core, as everyone knows. But he makes it to the top: Champion of the World! And, he's got all the trappings of success: fast cars, fast women, fast booze, fast times – the sweet life, or so he thinks. So why give up what he's worked so hard to achieve? As Davis moans to Peg, who's urging him to retire, "But I'm the Champ!". And Peg replies, "No, Roberts is the Champ..." She could have said, "No, you're the Chump!" but that might have been a bit too much self-reflective angst for audiences of that day...

Nevertheless, throughout the story, Davis is made to look like a prize chump as he keeps ignoring how he's being treated by the Roberts of the world, all of who are bleeding him white (no pun intended) – and, in the finale, to the point of forcing Davis to take a dive in his last bout and retire rich. Does he do it or does he redeem his honor? I'll let you see the movie...

Garfield does a solid job in the role of Davis, but I was more impressed with Pevney's role as Shorty: as Davis's alter ego, he does an admirable turn without being maudlin or sanctimonious. The direction from Robert Rossen and filming from James Wong Howe are very good, as is the editing from Robert Parrish, as you would expect anyway.

I'm glad I got around to this one, as I do recommend it. But, I still prefer Champion as my all time favorite.

Boxing clever

[Lejink · 8/10 · 12 October 2018]

I'm a fan of John Garfield so put him in a combination film noir / fight game movie, two of my favourite genres and it's hard to see how a feature like this could fail with me. Fact is, it's a great movie anyway, possibly the best ever depicting boxing and has such a lot going for it.

Firstly there's the superb black and white photography by James Wong Howe, then the direction by Robert Rossen, where he proves himself as adept at filming the melodramatic scenes revolving around Garfield's Charley Smith character's rocky road to fame and fortune as the realistic scraps in the ring that got him there plus of course Garfield himself in great form as the ambitious young fighter willing to pay any price to get to the top.

There are some noticeable supporting roles too, like Lloyd Gough as the unscrupulous promoter with whom Charley strikes his Mephistophelean deal, Lilli Palmer as his bright-eyed artist fiancée who tries to keep her man on the right track and especially Canada Lee as the seen-it-all black boxing champion Ben Chaplin who knows full well the pitfalls that Charley will face as he heads up the ranks.

But it's Garfield's live-wire performance which sparks the film and keeps it alight, the viewer rooting for him even when he makes the wrong call, as he frequently does.

Really this is a two-fisted knockout of a film, which I would urge anyone to see no matter their thoughts on the subject of whether boxing is an acceptable sport in a civilised society.

About more than the sport itself

[JamesHitchcock · 7/10 · 3 September 2010]

Charley Davis, a young working-class Jewish New Yorker, takes up a career in boxing, a sport for which he proves to have a talent. After a series of victories he rises steadily through the ranks and is eventually rewarded with a shot at the championship. He wins, but success, and the wealth that comes with it, lead to deterioration in his character. He becomes estranged from his mother and his girlfriend Peg, finds himself a mistress, and becomes involved with a shady promoter named Roberts, who has links with the underworld. Roberts arranges for Charley to defend his title against a challenger named Jack Marlowe, but then orders him to throw the fight; the promising but less experienced Marlowe is the underdog so Roberts and his cronies stand to make a lot of money by betting on him.

"Body and Soul" has a lot in common with "Champion", another boxing film from the late forties, which tells a broadly similar story. That film too dealt with the rise of a boxing champion who goes off the rails, becomes alienated from his loved ones and allows himself to be drawn into the web of gambling-inspired corruption which afflicted the sport at this period. In both films the hero sees his final fight as a chance to regain his lost self-respect. "Champion" was made two years later, so it was no doubt heavily indebted to the earlier movie.

Of the two films I would prefer "Champion"; John Garfield certainly gives a good performance here as Charley, but Kirk Douglas gives a truly great one, one of the best of his career, in the later film. The ending of "Champion" also has a tragic power greater than the more optimistic conclusion of "Body and Soul". Some of the minor characters here are less good; I felt that the German-born British actress Lilli Palmer was miscast as Peg, who is supposed to be an all-American girl-next-door type, and the rather contrived explanation of her accent by reference to a European education was not convincing. ("Devotion", a biopic of the Bronte sisters from around this period, used a similar device to explain why Charlotte's British husband Arthur Nicholls was speaking with a heavy German accent).

Nevertheless, there are some interesting things about this movie. There is a genuinely tragic character in Ben Chaplin, Charley's predecessor as champion and later his friend, who is forced by Roberts to fight when medically unfit to do so, and suffers the consequences. Chaplin is played by the black actor Canada Lee, and this was a surprisingly major role for a black character at a time when Hollywood operated an unofficial colour bar and black actors were generally confined to minor roles. The dramatic fight sequences, especially during Charley's final bout with Marlowe, are well done; they are said to have influenced the fight scenes in Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull".

Like a number of other boxing pictures, including "Champion" and "Raging Bull", "Body and Soul" is about more than the sport itself. It is also a parable about the power of money and success to corrupt and a human story about a man's struggle to retain his integrity in the face of temptation. As such it works very well- taut, fast-paced and well put together. 7/10

A boxing film with soul

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 16 May 2023]

1947's 'Body and Soul' had a lot going for it. Had heard nothing but good things about it from trusted fellow reviewers. The cast is an immensely talented one. Have seen some of Robert Rossen's films and have liked them generally, with 'The Hustler' being a masterpiece. When done well, morality tales can be very touching and inspirational. There have been many great character study films. While boxing is not my favourite sport, it has been portrayed very powerfully on film many times.

'Body and Soul' is a near masterpiece in my view. A fine example of how to do morality tales and character studies, and a high point of John Garfield, Lilli Palmer and Rossen's careers. 'Raging Bull' still gets my vote as the best film about boxing, but 'Body and Soul' is right up there as one of the best and is much more than just a boxing film. A fine example of how to do a film centered around sports or people in a sport profession and their lives and do so with soul.

Admittedly the story is quite typical and where it's all going to go is not in doubt.

That however was not a massive issue though, because everything else in 'Body and Soul' is so well done and often exceptionally. Garfield was never better than he was here, here he gives a superb performance full of intensity and heart-wrenching soul. His character is also fascinating and complex, a flawed one with uncertain ethics that is also easy to root for. Palmer is also stunning and poignant in her role, one of her best and there is a lot of heart in her chemistry with Garfield. Anne Revere, Lloyd Goff and William Conrad are without fault and neither is Rossen's taut yet sympathetic direction that was only bettered perhaps in 'The Hustler'.

It is an extremely well made film, with deservedly Oscar-winning editing and even better the ground-breaking in the ring cinematography, the use of hand held camera (on roller skates might this reviewer add!) masterly and one of the few times where that camera technique was properly successfully done. The boxing sequences are sensationally choreographed and there is not one ounce of holding back, the cinematography being a major reason as to why the scenes come off so well.

Furthermore, the script is thought probing and emotionally charged, while not sounding rambling or laying on the morality too thick. As well as unyielding in what it says about corruption and the presence of violence, which is actually what the film is more about. The story may be typical but more than makes up for it with the tight pacing and the depth of the storytelling, there is real heart and soul that is intense, moving and inspiring. The music fits very well and makes clever use of the title song that repeats throughout the film in some shape or form without feeling too repetitive.

Concluding, truly wonderful. 9/10.

All I know since yesterday is everything has changed.

[bombersflyup · 7/10 · 4 August 2019]

Body and Soul is a good film, despite the weak lead character.

Charley Davis is a dope and a loose cannon. The dialogue and other good performances are wasted on him, he may as well have been deaf because he didn't hear a thing. Every other role's well handled and Lilli Palmer's entirely captivating. The standout moment is at his mother's place with Peg there. When he tells them that his last fight's fixed for him to go the distance and he asks for the money back off Peg that she has banked, to bet on the fight and she says they have enough and he says everything they have is because of him and she says she doesn't want anything from him anymore so to speak. The problem is he gets her back not of his own doing, he sees he's been duped during the fight and now decides to win.

Not a Good Film. But if you have absolutely nothing else to do ...

[thespeos · 5/10 · 4 July 2022]

Good film means you don't know the story. If you watch the film, then subsequent viewings deliver reduced entertainment, you learn something, or perhaps both. But the first viewing should at least provide mystery at the outset, and eventually some message (s) when its over.

This film doesn't deliver either: there's no mystery and there's a very thin message. It's not horrible, but I can't recommend it either.

Here's my breakdown:

STORY: For a 1940's era film about a boxer this is mediocre, poor at worst.

When a film has to recycle scenes to provide the viewer with answers to mystery it (supposedly) created, then it signals a lazy director, writer, or both.

The worst part of this story is not its plot (which is painfully simplistic), it's the horrid piecemeal approach to story writing (and perhaps a half-baked director). I kept asking myself what the purpose of a prior scene was in relation to the film as a whole, and the prior scene in particular. That's a bad sign when I have to pause and ask "Where am I?" (Yeah, you might be a turd and suggest I'm high. But being high makes for poor film reviews, so no, I'm not.)

Point is ... this should have been a 20-30 minute docu-drama on boxing and ... what? I have no idea.

Note: The story gets a major "thumbs up" for including a black actor taking on a (somewhat) meaningful role.

ACTING: The acting here is adequate, but wow ... there was (practically) no character development, no context setting, and the acting is as predictable as the sun setting. Everyone, including Garfield, contributed nothing to the world of acting here.

I love classics, and especially because it relied almost entirely on acting skill. But this (and may like it) are no better than contemporary tripe where actors don't act anymore - they just nod their heads and act like themselves.

I don't like to be so harsh, but I just dislike mediocre film.

ENTERTAINMENT: Low

TEMPO: OK, but the choppy, meandering structure was just awful

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Not great, but love the era of American history it portrays

MUSIC / SOUND: (Today I'm adding this category. Yes, this should have been added before, but I've just been tucking it in other sections.) When a film runs music the whole time - it's going to be a mediocre film. This, I've found, is accurate about 99% of the time.

Guess what? Yup, the music just kept on coming ...

DIRECTING / WRITING: Director: Rossen was a very capable director, but he was a writer first. Equally important, this was only his 2nd (out of 10) films, and frankly, he should have tightened it up even if the writing was poor.

Writers: As suspected, the problem here was the writing. This was Polonsky's 2nd film, and shortly after he wrote for TV instead.

My experience is that writers who don't write feature-length stories well shift to TV, which just underscores that that's where they should have began, not ended.

Is it a good film? No, but it's not a complete waste

Should you watch this once? No. But if you have absolutely nothing else to do, and you just love boxing, then ... maybe.

Rating: 5.0.