{"id":43638,"date":"2019-05-06T11:27:28","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T18:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=43638"},"modified":"2021-05-25T18:02:22","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T01:02:22","slug":"body-and-soul-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=43638","title":{"rendered":"Body and Soul (1947)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Everything is addition or subtraction &#8212; the rest is conversation.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Poster-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-43640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Poster-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Poster-87x128.jpg 87w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Poster.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn amateur boxer (John Garfield) goes against the wishes of his mother (Anne Revere) when agreeing to work for a corrupt promoter (Lloyd Gough) in hopes of earning enough money to marry his artist-sweetheart (Lilli Palmer) &#8212; but will Garfield be able to resist the lure of easy money and women?\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>Boxing<\/li>\n<li>Corruption<\/li>\n<li>John Garfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Rossen Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that &#8220;this anti-boxing <em>noir<\/em> classic was powerfully directed by Robert Rossen&#8221; and features &#8220;John Garfield, the screen&#8217;s romantic rebel and symbol for the immigrant poor&#8221;, who &#8220;found an ideal role as Jewish boxer Charley Davis, a decent tenement dweller who becomes a boxer to earn much-needed money and is quickly corrupted&#8221;. (Peary adds that &#8220;as in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42040\"><em>Golden Boy<\/em><\/a>, the boxing arena represents hell.&#8221;) Highlights include the &#8220;thrilling boxing finale, intensely shot by James Wong Howe&#8221;, and &#8220;a fine performance by Lilli Palmer&#8221; as Garfield&#8217;s &#8220;smart fiancee&#8221;. Peary provides an analysis of the &#8220;script by Marxist Abraham Polonsky&#8221; as &#8220;an indictment of capitalism&#8221;, with &#8220;boxing shown to be similar to any ruthless mainstream business&#8221; in which &#8220;employers not only exploit their boxer employees but own them by virtue of a contract; the employees, having no union, <em>literally<\/em> fight against one another in order to gain a higher rank.&#8221; He adds that &#8220;Polonsky speaks of the dignity of poverty (as represented by Revere, who will take none of her son&#8217;s earnings) and, through designer Palmer (whose career moves along as swiftly as Charley&#8217;s, without her selling her soul), he pays respect to the artist.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>For better or for worse (or perhaps simply inevitably), Rossen and Polonsky&#8217;s film feels just as timely and relevant today as ever. Nothing about Garfield&#8217;s quest for money &#8212; earned through satisfyingly brutal fights that allow him to vent his anger at the world &#8212; or his relatively easy fall into corruption is unrealistic; aspiring boxing and wrestling stars today face exactly the same lures and <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/m8UQ4O7UiDs\">corruptive oversight<\/a>. Palmer&#8217;s character is refreshingly nuanced: she loves and supports Garfield, but knows her own limits and sticks to them. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2-1024x760.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"475\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2-1024x760.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2-768x570.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2-364x270.png 364w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer2.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hazel Brooks does a fine job playing a seductive groupie in it for the money:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2-1024x771.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"482\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-60556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2-1024x771.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2-768x578.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2-359x270.png 359w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Brooks2.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and Canada Lee is highly memorable in a critical supporting role as the black boxer who Garfield almost fatally knocks out, then hires to help him train; his story is nearly as impactful as Garfield&#8217;s. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Howe&#8217;s cinematography is phenomenal throughout, and Rossen directs with a fine sense of composition and atmosphere. This one remains well worth a visit. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Garfield as Charley<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Garfield.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Garfield.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Garfield.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Garfield-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Garfield-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Garfield-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lilli Palmer as Peg<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Palmer-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Canada Lee as Ben<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Canada-Joe-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine direction by Rossen<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Direction.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Direction.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Direction-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Direction-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Direction-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Francis Lyon and Robert Parrish&#8217;s Oscar-winning editing<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Editing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Editing.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43646\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Editing.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Editing-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Editing-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Editing-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent cinematography by James Wong Howe<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography2.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography2-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography.png 960w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Body-and-Soul-Cinematography-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a boxing classic and all-around good show. <\/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=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0039204\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/69277\/body-and-soul#articles-reviews?articleId=185217\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1947\/11\/10\/archives\/body-and-soul-exciting-story-of-prizefighting-starring-john.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Everything is addition or subtraction &#8212; the rest is conversation.&#8221; Synopsis: An amateur boxer (John Garfield) goes against the wishes of his mother (Anne Revere) when agreeing to work for a corrupt promoter (Lloyd Gough) in hopes of earning enough money to marry his artist-sweetheart (Lilli Palmer) &#8212; but will Garfield be able to resist the lure of easy money and women? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Boxing Corruption John Garfield Films Robert Rossen Films Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=43638\"> 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-43638","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\/43638","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=43638"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72169,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43638\/revisions\/72169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}