I'm kind of surprised actually that there are only twenty five other reviews for the film here as I write this, considering it was Oscar nominated for Best Picture and it earned Wallace Beery a co-Best Actor Award shared with Fredric March for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", the only time that's ever happened. I'd been waiting for this one to come around again on Turner Classics, so last night I got my chance.
In the commentary before the picture, it was noted by hosts Robert Osborne and Drew Barrymore that actor Beery didn't really like kids, much less like working with one. He carried the sentiment over to co-star Jackie Cooper, so it's kind of amazing to watch their on screen chemistry as father and son. They really do seem to adore each other, and in an almost role reversal sort of way, Cooper's character Dink seems more like a parent than his old man. That becomes particularly evident when we see Dink undress his Dad for bed after one of his drunken jags. Beery's portrayal of former Champ Andy Purcell makes it difficult for the viewer to warm up to his character, he's a broken down bum and all around heel with no redeeming social qualities and constantly screws things up in the father-son relationship with Dink.
Regarding Beery's casting as The Champ, I found it hard to imagine why he was considered for the role. Though it works for the story, I'd be hard pressed to believe they couldn't find someone who might have fit the role better in terms of physical condition and athletic ability. There's no question the man was severely out of shape, and even though he was written as an over the hill boxer in his Forties, he looked like he might have been in his Sixties (Beery was actually forty six at the time).
On the flip side, young Jackie Cooper manages to do it all here, and he'll tug at your heart strings every time he takes it on the chin from his derelict father. There's an interesting scene prior to learning about his mother (Irene Rich) where he's clambering around on a tiled roof and any minute you expect the scene to end in disaster. Cooper blithely plays the scene like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man before stepping off the roof onto a rail and finally down to the landing. I had to wonder how he made it look so easy.
You know, I also have to comment on Dink's friendship with the black youngster Jonah (Jesse Scott). You really have to place yourself back in the Thirties, well before the Civil Rights era to understand how rare this kind of relationship would have been in real life. As director, King Vidor pushed the envelope with this kind of portrayal, similar to the way producer Hal Roach approached the subject with his 'Our Gang' crew. These pioneers were really operating in brand new territory, much to their credit as film makers.
As for the ending, well if you're prone to sentimentality you better have a box of hankies handy. In context, it's not really surprising that the Champ would succumb to the stress of his final match, but seeing it play out with Dink breaking down over his loss is a pretty tough experience. It's the kind of ending that delivers a knockout punch.
In the commentary before the picture, it was noted by hosts Robert Osborne and Drew Barrymore that actor Beery didn't really like kids, much less like working with one. He carried the sentiment over to co-star Jackie Cooper, so it's kind of amazing to watch their on screen chemistry as father and son. They really do seem to adore each other, and in an almost role reversal sort of way, Cooper's character Dink seems more like a parent than his old man. That becomes particularly evident when we see Dink undress his Dad for bed after one of his drunken jags. Beery's portrayal of former Champ Andy Purcell makes it difficult for the viewer to warm up to his character, he's a broken down bum and all around heel with no redeeming social qualities and constantly screws things up in the father-son relationship with Dink.
Regarding Beery's casting as The Champ, I found it hard to imagine why he was considered for the role. Though it works for the story, I'd be hard pressed to believe they couldn't find someone who might have fit the role better in terms of physical condition and athletic ability. There's no question the man was severely out of shape, and even though he was written as an over the hill boxer in his Forties, he looked like he might have been in his Sixties (Beery was actually forty six at the time).
On the flip side, young Jackie Cooper manages to do it all here, and he'll tug at your heart strings every time he takes it on the chin from his derelict father. There's an interesting scene prior to learning about his mother (Irene Rich) where he's clambering around on a tiled roof and any minute you expect the scene to end in disaster. Cooper blithely plays the scene like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man before stepping off the roof onto a rail and finally down to the landing. I had to wonder how he made it look so easy.
You know, I also have to comment on Dink's friendship with the black youngster Jonah (Jesse Scott). You really have to place yourself back in the Thirties, well before the Civil Rights era to understand how rare this kind of relationship would have been in real life. As director, King Vidor pushed the envelope with this kind of portrayal, similar to the way producer Hal Roach approached the subject with his 'Our Gang' crew. These pioneers were really operating in brand new territory, much to their credit as film makers.
As for the ending, well if you're prone to sentimentality you better have a box of hankies handy. In context, it's not really surprising that the Champ would succumb to the stress of his final match, but seeing it play out with Dink breaking down over his loss is a pretty tough experience. It's the kind of ending that delivers a knockout punch.