Body And Soul (1947)

To help support his mother (Anne Revere) after his father's death, an ambitious young man (John Garfield) turns to boxing. In his pursuit of success (money and fame), he associates himself with undesirable characters who see him as a money magnet. Directed by Robert Rossen (THE HUSTLER), this is a classic boxing picture (some refer to it as noir) with much to recommend it. A solid screenplay by Abraham Polansky (FORCE OF EVIL), striking B&W cinematography by James Wong Howe and John Garfield at his best. I'm not a fan of boxing movies but this goes beyond stuff like ROCKY in its sociological look at a capitalistic society that exploits and corrupts its own. It's stuff like this that got Polonsky and Garfield in trouble with HUAC with their "progressive" Art. Garfield received a best actor Oscar nomination for his performance while Polansky was nominated for his screenplay. It did win the best editing (Robert Parrish, Francis Lyon) Oscar and justifiably so. The boxing sequences are first rate. With Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, William Conrad, Canada Lee and Joseph Pevney, who would soon switch from acting to directing (MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES).