"Body and Soul" (1947), directed by Robert Rossen and starring John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad, is an influential film noir boxing film that has fight scenes that brought a sense of realism previously missing from the genre and doubtless inspired Martin Scorsese when he made the classic "Raging Bull" (1980).The screenplay is by the great Abraham Polonsky, who would make his directorial debut a year later with the brilliant noir, "Force of Evil", also featuring John Garfield. The script might seem to step into some fairly obvious footprints these days, but this pioneering drama, one has to remember, created those prints in the first place. Charlie Davis (Garfield), a poor Jewish kid living in New York, fights to the very top, with the help of his manager Quinn (Conrad, introduced in a brilliant scene in a pool room) and the slimy Roberts (Lloyd Gough), but in doing so, he sells his "body and soul" and abandons his mother, childhood friend and girlfriend.The direction is by Rossen, who would go on to make the classics "All the King's Men" (1949) and "The Hustler (1961), makes an excellent film here, coaxing a brilliant performance from Garfield and splendid high contrast photography by James Wong Howe. The editing too, by Francis Lyon and Robert Parrish (who would also become a film director) is razor sharp and won the Oscar that year. A classic that stands up today as well as it ever did.

Like the man said if you're gonna steal steal from the best and Abraham Polonsky surely took this to heart when he lifted Golden Boy right out of Cliff Odets' typewriter and added just enough spin to get away with it. What is all the more remarkable are the blatant 'clues'. Garfield, a fellow alumnus with Odets of the Group Theatre actually had a minor role in the original production of Golden Boy - a plot, lest we forget, involving a gifted violinist who takes up prizefighting - more than this Garfield's previous movie role was Humoresque in which he played - yeah, you got it - a gifted violinist corrupted by money. Unlike Joe Bonaparte, Garfield's Charlie Davis is not in conflict with his artistic gifts (he has none) but is hooked on money and all it can buy or, if you want to get fancy, he is fighting his better nature as well as his opponents in the ring. Just because it owes so much to Odets doesn't make it a bad movie but Odets is there in every frame because Polonsky has opted to write about a world familiar to Odets and employs sub-Odets dialogue. In a strong supporting cast, Lloyd Gough, William Conrad, Lilli Palmer, Joseph Pevney and the great Ann Revere only lightweight Hazel Scott is superfluous. By now, of course, Garfield could play characters like this in his sleep but nevertheless this is a fine example of late forties film-making.

A boxer fights his way to the top while dealing with corruption. Garfield has perhaps the best role of his career, as he marvelously conveys the toughness, confidence, and compassion of his character. Palmer is equally good as his girlfriend, a practical woman who stands by her man. Revere made a career out of playing understanding mothers, and here she is Garfield's mother. In a sad coincidence, Lee, who plays a rival boxer, had an untimely death of a heart attack in May 1952, two weeks before Garfield died young of a heart attack. Rossen does a good job of creating a gritty, film noir atmosphere in what is generally regarded as one of the best boxing films.

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.