{"id":38875,"date":"2017-07-21T14:53:54","date_gmt":"2017-07-21T21:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38875"},"modified":"2021-01-30T14:17:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T21:17:27","slug":"set-up-the-1949","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38875","title":{"rendered":"Set-Up, The (1949)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see, Bill? You&#8217;ll always be just one punch away.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Poster-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-38879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Poster-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn aging boxer (Robert Ryan) whose wife (Audrey Totter) desperately wants him to quit decides to give his all in a final match against a corrupt young upstart (Hal Baylor) &#8212; not knowing that his own manager (George Tobias) has taken money from a gangster (Alan Baxter) in return for Stoker (Ryan) throwing the fight.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Audrey Totter Films<\/li>\n<li>Boxing<\/li>\n<li>Corruption<\/li>\n<li>Has-Beens<\/li>\n<li>Robert Ryan Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Wise Films<\/li>\n<li>Underdogs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, this &#8220;low-budget gem&#8221; &#8212; based on a 1928 poem by by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Joseph_Moncure_March\">Joseph Moncure March<\/a> &#8212; &#8220;unforgettably portrays the sad, sleazy world of run-of-the-mill and over-the-hill boxers&#8221;, with the milieu director Robert Wise creates &#8212; &#8220;Stoker&#8217;s cheap hotel room, the carnival-like street scene, the dingy, overcrowded dressing room, the hostile arena&#8221; &#8212; emerging as both &#8220;atmospheric and believable&#8221;. Peary notes that &#8220;director Robert Wise matches the 72 minutes of screen time to real time, building tension and authenticity&#8221;; particularly effective is a ~2 minute tracking shot near the beginning of the film, in which the camera pans from a blind spectator (Archie Leonard) to a woman (Helen Brown) falsely claiming a queasy stomach over the fight (&#8220;Last time I kept my hands over my eyes the whole time!&#8221;) to a pair of wisecracking bettors who laughingly note that Stoker Thompson (Ryan) has been around since one of them was a kid &#8212; and finally to Stoker&#8217;s manager (Tobias) striking a match against his name on a sign and lamenting to Stoker&#8217;s trainer (Percy Helton) that Stoker &#8212; resting in his hotel &#8212; already &#8220;gets enough sleep in the ring&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Just three minutes into the movie, we&#8217;ve already internalized the seedy, hope-for-the-stars, dog-eats-dog landscape in which Stoker lives and survives (Paradise City Wrestling and Boxing Arena sits right next to Dreamland bar and a Chop Suey joint); watched a young newspaper hustler mercilessly crowd out an older one (&#8220;Hey &#8212; I gotta make a buck too&#8230;&#8221;;&#8221;Ah, go take a walk!&#8221;); witnessed the hypocrisy of boxing fans who feign horror but not-so-secretly love the vicarious thrill of violence; and learned that nobody but Stoker himself seems to believe in his ability to win another fight. Indeed, when Tobias and Helton &#8220;promise a local racketeer that [Stoker will] lose, they simply take the payoff money without bothering to tell Stoker he&#8217;s expected to take a dive&#8221;, since they &#8220;figure he&#8217;ll get knocked out anyway&#8221; (!). As Peary notes, Wise seems to show &#8220;sympathetic feelings towards fighters, who he realizes are victimized because they haven&#8217;t other options in life&#8221; &#8212; and Wise appropriately shows &#8220;fight fans&#8221; as &#8220;each more monstrous than the other&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Ryan (a real-life heavyweight champion in college) is perfectly cast as the rangy boxer who refuses to go down without a legitimate fight, and the supporting cast is excellent as well. Equally of note are the fine b&#038;w cinematography (by Milton Krasner), the highly atmospheric sets, and (as mentioned above) the seamless use of real-time narrative timing, several years before this was showcased as a distinctive feature of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27628\"><em>High Noon<\/em> (1952)<\/a>. While it&#8217;s frustrating that much of the intent of March&#8217;s poem was lost by making significant changes &#8212; including shifting Stoker&#8217;s race from black to white &#8212; the film stands on its own as a minor classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Robert Ryan as Stoker (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Ryan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Ryan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Ryan.png 980w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Ryan-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Ryan-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Ryan-768x555.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine supporting performances<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Totter.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Totter.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Totter.png 980w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Totter-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Totter-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Totter-768x555.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Masterful direction and editing<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography2.png 980w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography2-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography2-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography2-768x555.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Atmospheric sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Set2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Set2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Set2.png 980w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Set2-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Set2-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Set2-768x555.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Milton Krasner&#8217;s stark cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography3.png 980w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography3-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography3-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography3-768x555.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38883\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography.png 980w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Set-Up-Cinematography-768x555.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a somewhat forgotten classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0041859\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/406\/the-set-up#articles-reviews?articleId=70932\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1949\/03\/30\/archives\/at-the-criterion.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/the-set-up\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see, Bill? You&#8217;ll always be just one punch away.&#8221; Synopsis: An aging boxer (Robert Ryan) whose wife (Audrey Totter) desperately wants him to quit decides to give his all in a final match against a corrupt young upstart (Hal Baylor) &#8212; not knowing that his own manager (George Tobias) has taken money from a gangster (Alan Baxter) in return for Stoker (Ryan) throwing the fight. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Audrey Totter Films Boxing Corruption Has-Beens Robert Ryan&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38875\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38875"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67105,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38875\/revisions\/67105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}