Review by John J. Raspanti, Doghouse Boxing. The
love affair between boxing and Hollywood can be traced back to the days
of silent comedians Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Chaplin, wrote,
directed, and starred in the classic City Lights (1931) while Keaton directed himself in the amusing Battling Butler (1926).
Since
the birth of the boxing film, many types have appeared – including
biographies, romances, dramas, comedies, and even some musicals.
Author Frederick V. Romano’s excellent book, The Boxing Filmography examines 100 boxing films from the 1920s through 2003. His impressive
research provides a synopsis of each film, production notes, and a
critical analysis of whether (in the author’s opinion) the lead actor is
creditable as a fighter. The book includes chapters on such well-known
films as Body and Soul, The Set-Up, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Raging Bull, and all the Rocky movies. The author also delves into lesser-known films such as Bowery Blitzkrieg, Kid Nightingale, Keep Punching, and Ringside Maisie.
Romano saves most of his praise for Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece Raging Bull (1980). The author rightfully raves about Robert DeNiro’s incredible
performance as Jake La Motta and Scorsese’s film making style. Romano is
critical of the Ruben Carter character seen in the film Hurricane (1999) and a remake of John Garfield’s classic Body and Soul, which starred former fighter Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.
The Boxing Filmography is
an entertaining collection of boxing films throughout each decade. The
information provided by the author captures each film and it’s time -
though a little cultural perspective would have added more depth to the
volume. Nevertheless, the book is highly recommended to all boxing and
movie buffs.
For more information on purchasing this book please go here...www.mcfarlandpub.com or call (800-253-2187) .
Follow and visit John on Twitter: twitter.com/#!/johnboxing1
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Questions/comments johnboxing1@hotmail.com
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