Best movie of this year hands down!

Very Cool!!!

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Thirty-five year old middleweight boxing champion John Garfield (as Charlie aka Charley Davis) wakes up from a nightmare shouting "Ben!" like Orson Wells called for "Rosebud" in "Citizen Kane" (1941). Mr. Garfield drives quickly to his old New York neighborhood, where he is treated like the plague by stone-faced mother Anne Revere (as Anna) and sweetheart Lilli Palmer (as Peg Born). Lounge singer Hazel Brooks (as Alice) is a little nicer. We learn Garfield is about to fight in the proverbial "fixed" championship bout. A flashback reveals how a poor boy gives up night school for the boxing ring...In some quarters, "Body and Soul" has a reputation for being revelatory in subject matter; on close inspection, this is a dubious assertion. The storyline follows familiar territory. It is distinctive in excellent direction from Robert Rossen and photographer James Wong Howe. Garfield leads the cast in performing exceptionally; he received an "Academy Award" nomination, and was the "New York Film Critics" #2 choice for "Best Actor" of the year. The Parrish-Lyon editing won. Also watch for fine "Supporting Actor" performances by Joseph Pevney (as Shorty Polaski), Canada Lee (as Ben Chaplin) and William Conrad (as Quinn).******** Body and Soul (8/22/47) Robert Rossen ~ John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Joseph Pevney, Anne Revere

"Body and Soul" released by United Artists in 1947, was apparently made after actor John Garfield got out of his Warner Brothers contract. He had made many films with them, but wanted to be more independent. In this film, Garfield plays Charley Davis, a lower middle class New Yorker with a talent for boxing. Not unlike many boxers, certainly of that time period, using your fists for sport was a way out of your meager background. While I have never been a big fan of John Garfield and did not consider him a top notch actor of the golden age of Hollywood, this part does seem made for him. Garfield is quite good here, playing the conflicted Charley with skill and credibility. There are actually few real boxing scenes in the film, except for the end, and that is why labeling this as a 'boxing movie' seems a bit deceptive. There are capable supporting players, including the lovely Lili Palmer, who loves Charley. Robert Conrad and Lloyd Gough ably play the tough guy thugs who want Charley to sell his soul for money. A notable performance by African-American actor Canada Lee is striking - considering this is 1947 and is treated as an equal by the white actors. Garfield was known for his politically liberal views, and perhaps this is why he later ended up as an enemy of the Communist witch hunters in Washington. Garfield's untimely death at age 39 was a shock to many - his funeral was mobbed by thousands. Perhaps this elevated his image above the work he left behind in film - but still, this film and a handful of others are quite good.

Great film, and was any Hollywood actor in the 1940's more magnetic than John Garfield? It is the boxing movie on which all other boxing movies have drawn elements from ever since- the poor kid made good by his talent for boxing yet who is exploited by corrupt fight managers and his own material greed, the faithful girlfriend/wife out of the ring, the scenes showing the lure of riches and the moral decay it brings.The film opens with Garfield waking from a troubled dream, calling out for "Ben!". In the middle of the night he rushes to his mother's (Ann Revere) apartment where his faithful girlfriend Lilli Palmer burst into tears upon seeing him. Revere tells Garfield to go. We soon find out, through flashback, just what has happened to Garfield and his body has been used at the expense of his soul.While the film may seem formulaic now...let's remember it started the boxing formula! Great performances all round. Garfield is intense and charismatic, Palmer is sympathetic and warm yet also keenly intelligent and aware and Canada Lee gets a striking role as Ben, the role being a major move forward for the portrayal of African-Americans on-screen. The film is well-written (Polonsky would make the excellent Force Of Evil with Garfield in the following year) and contains many memorable scenes, and the editing in that final fight scene is top-notch. Compulsive and compulsory viewing.

John Garfield delivers a worthy Oscar nominated performance in the story of "Body and Soul."Poor and from a tough neighborhood, Garfield sees boxing as a way out of his current existence.As usual, veteran pro, Anne Revere, was called upon to play Garfield's mom. This terrific Oscar winning actress (1944 for National Velvet, in a supporting role) played just about everyone's mom in Hollywood during the 1940s. "Mom" to Gregory Peck in "Gentleman's Agreement," Linda Darnell's mother in "Forever Amber,"Montgomery Clift's mom in "A Place in the Sun" and Jennifer Jones'mother in "The Song of Bernadette." To me, Miss Revere, who was a descendant from Paul Revere, delivers a memorable line in the movie. To paraphrase, she states: "I want you to be respected. I want you to be a teacher." Sure, in 1947, the teaching profession was looked up to-to use a pun, it was revered. Unfortunately, this great line has been overshadowed by the line, "Everybody dies." Must we always be true to life?A hard-nosed, gripping film dealing not only with human emotions, but the fighting ring as well along with its corruption. A film exhibiting one wallop of a punch.