Kirk Douglas' Oscar nominated performance in "Champion" elevated him to star status and provided the platform on which the rest of his illustrious career was built. His trademark passion and intensity were strongly in evidence in this gripping "rags to riches" drama but he also showed very convincingly, the full range of his character's behaviours and emotions as he rose from being an impoverished drifter to become a successful boxer who rapidly made his way up the middleweight rankings to become a contender for the championship.
This is a story which focuses on the unsavoury side of boxing as it depicts very realistically, the levels of brutality and corruption which were so commonplace in the sport, as well as the mob's involvement and the ways in which fighters were ripped off by their unscrupulous managers etc. Another important facet of the story, however, is its study of how success affects a man who rises from obscurity to high profile success in an incredibly short period of time.
The action in this movie is delivered at a lively pace throughout and the fight scenes are particularly well set up and photographed. The cinematography is also excellent with skillful use of light and shadow being used to complement the story's dark and sometimes sinister mood.
When Midge Kelly (Kirk Douglas) and his crippled brother Connie (Arthur Kennedy) arrive at a diner in which they'd jointly bought a one third share, they soon discover that they've been conned and the man who'd posed as the owner was actually an employee who'd since been fired. The genuine owner kindly gives them live-in jobs and Midge soon strikes up a friendship with Emma (Ruth Roman) who's a waitress and the owner's daughter. Their relationship turns sour when Emma's over protective father forces the couple to marry and Midge leaves immediately after to try to make a living as a boxer.
Midge works and trains hard under the guidance of his manager Tommy Haley (Paul Stewart) and soon wins a series of fights. These earn him the chance to fight the main contender Johnny Dunne (John Daheim) but Midge is then told by Tommy that, as part of the deal, he has to let Dunne win. He agrees but knocks his opponent out in the first round and this leads to Midge, Connie and Tommy all being attacked by a bunch of heavies who work for the gambling interests who'd lost money as a result of Midge's actions.
Dunne's mercenary girlfriend Grace Diamond (Marilyn Maxwell) makes a deal with his manager, Jerome Harris (Luis Van Rooten), to persuade Midge to become his client. She succeeds in this endeavour and the disgusted Tommy and Connie both end their working associations with Midge soon after. Later, Midge dumps Grace when he starts an affair with Jerome's wife, Palmer (Lola Albight) and then dumps Palmer as part of a deal he strikes with Jerome to clear his considerable debts. Midge continues his single minded pursuit of success all the way up to the movie's final fight in which he displays all the courage and determination which made him such a great champion.
It's evident from the start of "Champion" that Midge is determined to achieve success but the cheerful optimism that he initially displays soon develops into a far more ruthless attitude after his experience of being conned in the deal to buy into the diner business. Furthermore when he gets into the fight game, it brings out a side of him which Connie finds very disturbing and soon Midge goes on to pursue fame and fortune in a way which leads him to treat his friends and family despicably and also to become incredibly manipulative.
Kirk Douglas' natural energy and dynamism made him the ideal choice for the part of Midge Kelly whose arrogance and intense ambition made him totally self centred and unprincipled. The remainder of the cast are also superb and deserve great praise for their contributions to this high quality low budget film.
This is a story which focuses on the unsavoury side of boxing as it depicts very realistically, the levels of brutality and corruption which were so commonplace in the sport, as well as the mob's involvement and the ways in which fighters were ripped off by their unscrupulous managers etc. Another important facet of the story, however, is its study of how success affects a man who rises from obscurity to high profile success in an incredibly short period of time.
The action in this movie is delivered at a lively pace throughout and the fight scenes are particularly well set up and photographed. The cinematography is also excellent with skillful use of light and shadow being used to complement the story's dark and sometimes sinister mood.
When Midge Kelly (Kirk Douglas) and his crippled brother Connie (Arthur Kennedy) arrive at a diner in which they'd jointly bought a one third share, they soon discover that they've been conned and the man who'd posed as the owner was actually an employee who'd since been fired. The genuine owner kindly gives them live-in jobs and Midge soon strikes up a friendship with Emma (Ruth Roman) who's a waitress and the owner's daughter. Their relationship turns sour when Emma's over protective father forces the couple to marry and Midge leaves immediately after to try to make a living as a boxer.
Midge works and trains hard under the guidance of his manager Tommy Haley (Paul Stewart) and soon wins a series of fights. These earn him the chance to fight the main contender Johnny Dunne (John Daheim) but Midge is then told by Tommy that, as part of the deal, he has to let Dunne win. He agrees but knocks his opponent out in the first round and this leads to Midge, Connie and Tommy all being attacked by a bunch of heavies who work for the gambling interests who'd lost money as a result of Midge's actions.
Dunne's mercenary girlfriend Grace Diamond (Marilyn Maxwell) makes a deal with his manager, Jerome Harris (Luis Van Rooten), to persuade Midge to become his client. She succeeds in this endeavour and the disgusted Tommy and Connie both end their working associations with Midge soon after. Later, Midge dumps Grace when he starts an affair with Jerome's wife, Palmer (Lola Albight) and then dumps Palmer as part of a deal he strikes with Jerome to clear his considerable debts. Midge continues his single minded pursuit of success all the way up to the movie's final fight in which he displays all the courage and determination which made him such a great champion.
It's evident from the start of "Champion" that Midge is determined to achieve success but the cheerful optimism that he initially displays soon develops into a far more ruthless attitude after his experience of being conned in the deal to buy into the diner business. Furthermore when he gets into the fight game, it brings out a side of him which Connie finds very disturbing and soon Midge goes on to pursue fame and fortune in a way which leads him to treat his friends and family despicably and also to become incredibly manipulative.
Kirk Douglas' natural energy and dynamism made him the ideal choice for the part of Midge Kelly whose arrogance and intense ambition made him totally self centred and unprincipled. The remainder of the cast are also superb and deserve great praise for their contributions to this high quality low budget film.