edwagreen An absolute brilliant performance by Kirk Douglas as the ruthless fighter Midge, who attained success but at a cost finally to himself and others.The film would mark Kirk Douglas's Oscar nomination and it is only too bad that he had Broderick Crawford, the winner, in that category for the latter's magnificent performance as Willie Stark in "All the King's Men," that very same year of 1949.We see a very triumphant boxer and then through the art of flashbacks, the hurt that he invariably caused others.The boxing scenes were quite authentic to say the least and probably mirrored what Midge was doing during his lifetime-creating havoc for others.

jimbo-53-186511 I think the closest thing that Champion reminded me of when watching it was Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (which was made 31 years after Champion). Both films have the same common theme - both men reaching the top in the ring whilst destroying several people outside the ring. Anyway with that being said I'll give you my thoughts on this film...To me, the signs are evident early on that Midge may be a troubled person; he's money-obsessed and it seems to be the only thing that's important to him. He wants his name up in lights and wants everyone to remember him. Of course, people handle fame and success in different ways, but in Champion it's very much the dark side of fame and fortune which is explored here. Kirk Douglas is a key-strength to the film and carries the film and his character from his care-free beginnings to the obsessive and self-absorbed individual that we see in the latter stages of the film.Mark Robson's direction was competent and the boxing matches in particular were quite well-framed (considering the era that the film was made).As much as I liked this film I did have a couple of issues with it; firstly there were parts of the film that were a bit slushy and soapy which made Champion feel a bit cheesy at times. Secondly, it's another one of those films where the narrative bounces around a lot from person to person ,meaning Midge's treachery and double-crossing becomes hard to follow at times and perhaps a tad difficult to digest in one viewing. However, I'm sure the latter issue will be ironed out upon a second viewing - for the record it is a film that I would watch again.In summary then it is a bit slushy and soapy at times and yes the narrative jumps around a little too quickly, but it does work well as a character study as well as a cautionary tale.

Riley Porter This movie is essentially a boxing noir where the emphasis is more on the characters than the boxing. If you have seen Ace in the Hole then the performance that Kirk Douglas gives in this movie will be very reminiscent of that. Midge Kelly, as played by Douglas, basically functions as a rags to riches villain who appears to onlookers as a people's champion, and appears to the people close to him as the actual person that he is. Much in the way that we treat our idols today, Midge Kelly is to the people whatever they want him to be, and like many idols his life outside of the ring is nothing to be sought after.This movie is a commentary on champions in sports and likely elsewhere, as well as a fine display of acting by Kirk Douglas and the supporting cast. This is basically the Kirk Douglas show as he occupies the majority of the screen and brings the bulk of the talent. The supporting cast does their part but are frankly overshadowed by Douglas, with his absences being fairly noticeable when they occur. The boxing will probably appear lack luster to fans of Rocky or actual boxing matches. Despite that, the important matches are engaging and the montage material gets the point across. This film is a hidden gem and is worth some recognition if nothing else but for a great performance and some intelligent insight on champions.

ilprofessore-1 Stanley Kramer produced but did not direct this classic. That job went to the 36 year old Mark Robson who had been part of the editing team of Orson Welles' two RKO films "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons." Undoubtedly influenced by his association with Welles and the innovative camera-work of James Wong Howe and the editing of Bob Parrish on Robert Rossen's "Body and Soul" shot two years earlier, Robson had the good fortune to surround himself with excellent collaborators. "Champion" (1949) is spectacularly photographed in B&W by the Austro-Hungarian cinematographer Franz Planer and edited by Harry Gerstad. (Gerstad, ironically, was the only one of the four above technicians to win an Oscar for his artistic achievement.) The style of the film --the fluid camera work, the subjective camera angles, the deep shadows, the tight punch-by-punch cutting-- set a style for boxing films from there on. The same year as the release of "Champion" Robert Wise, who had been Robson's editing boss at RKO, dealt with the same brutal business in "The Set Up."