Day of the Fight (1951) User Reviews

Kubrick's humble debut...

[jluis1984 · 7/10 · 2 June 2007]

In 1950, legendary director Stanley Kubrick was a young photographer who was beginning to be fascinated by the many films he discovered in his visits to the screenings done by the Museum of Modern Art and other cinemas of New York. The discovery of such a wide range of different films made a big impact on the talented "Look" magazine photographer, who began to experiment with the medium, heavily influenced by the fluid movement that was the trademark of director Max Ophüls' work. It was that very same year when Kubrick would have his first chance to make a movie, as his friend Alexander Singer persuaded him to make a short documentary that he could sell to a distributor of cinema newsreels. Kubrick accepted the proposal, and inspired by an article he had done for "Look", he began working on his first movie. That early film would be "Day of the Fight".

"Day of the Fight" is a short documentary that chronicles a day in the life of Irish middleweight boxer Walter Cartier, a very promising fighter who is about to face an important contender, Bobby James, on that very same day. However, before focusing on Cartier, the movie makes a short yet informative description of boxing, its history, and its fanatics; everything with the precise and direct narration by veteran newsman Douglas Edwards. After that brief introduction, the movie follows Cartier from early in the morning until the fight, which takes place at 10:00 pm. Through the day, we follow Walter Cartier and his identical twin brother Vincent (who is also a lawyer and Walter's manager) in their preparation for the fight, starting with a good breakfast and early mass, and the subsequent mental and physical preparation that Walter makes in order to become a fighting machine.

While the idea of the film was entirely Kubrick's, the screenplay for the narration was entirely the work of Robert Rein, who follows the typical style of narrative that had been prevalent during the 40s weekly newsreels of "The March of Time", as in fact, that company was the originally planned buyer of "Day of Fight. However, since the company went out of business that very same year, the movie was then sold to RKO Pictures, who under the RKO-Pathé brand, became the movie's distributor. Anyways, as written above, Rein's script follows the classic conventions of the newsreels of its time, mixing the educational purposes of the documentary with a heavy use of melodramatics in the voice-over's narrative. However, credit must go to Rein for making a very realistic, albeit sentimentalist, description of the boxers' life.

If the voice-over of "Day of the Fight" sounds archaic and outdated to us these days, Kubrick's direction of the film looks the opposite as while still limited to its medium's restriction, the young director managed to create a vibrant film thanks to his very fluid and dynamic use of camera-work. While the movie is still a documentary bounded by its obligatory narration, Kubrick uses his camera to create a character out of the real persona of Walter Cartier, and while the boxer has no lines in the movie, a lot of him can be known thanks to the images Kubrick's camera has captured of him. As the moment of the fight gets closer, Kubrick accelerates the pace, truly increasing the tension and giving the story a real feeling of suspense as the fight begins. The images from the fight are remarkably edited and the result is one of the best scenes of a sports documentary.

While the screenplay is definitely typical of newsreels, Douglas Edwards' narration gives it a slightly different edge, as he manages to put the perfect emotion on what he is saying. No doubt thanks to his many years as a sports newsman, Edwards gives his words an impact and presence that makes the movie real, as if one was there with Cartier training for the big day. True, it's still an outdated style of narration, but Edwards' style makes it enjoyable. The rest of the people who appears on film has no lines, while we follow the Cartier brothers in their day, everything is narrated by Edwards and there is no interview with the contenders. However, it's safe to say that in this movie Walter projects a lot of presence and so it's not a surprise that after his career as a boxer he had decided to become an actor (landing a small, yet memorable role in "The Phil Silvers Show").

Considering the magnitude and importance of Stanley Kubrick's career, it's very easy to dismiss this movie as part of his career; however, unlike his second work ("The Flying Padre"), there are many things in this movie that makes it interesting and showcase early bits of what would become the Kubrick's style. Sure, it has every flaw a newsreel could have (including the typical use of staged scenes), but it also feels different, as Kubrick's eye for photography gave it a new look (Certainly, Gerald Fried's music also helped on this). A short newsreel like "Day of the Fight" may not be the most impressive debut for a legendary filmmaker, but in all its humility, this little short represents the beginning of a Master's career, and that's enough reason to give it a chance. Kubrick fans, this is a must. 7/10

Interesting little short that works thanks to its pacing and shot variety.

[johnnyboyz · 7/10 · 29 July 2008]

It's always interesting to go back to the beginning of a director's career, in this case Stanley Kubrick's, and take a look at his earlier work. Day of the Fight just happens to be the first film by now legendary director Kubrick who is widely regarded as one of the best contemporary directors ever. This film is around about 15-20 minutes long and revolves around the build up to a boxing match the study of the build up will revolve around.

Interestingly enough and perhaps the most interesting thing about it is that it was inspired by a photograph Kubrick himself took for a 1949 edition of a magazine. This could be seen as an early example of suspense, with constant reference to the boxing match and its importance made through narrator Douglas Edwards, a good casting for the serious and deep voice the film required. As a short, it works and the suspense and build up maintains some sort of interest as the montage plays out. Kubrick includes all sorts of shots and angles creating the nice range for the eye, my favourite being the low angle on the statue of Mary in the church about half way through.

But the focus could well be the fight itself. There is some good camera work to be had out of the actual match and a low angle between a boxer's legs would later be used by Kubrick in Killer's Kiss, another early Kubrick film. I actually would have liked the boxing match's result to have been the other way around as I feel it would've added a new dimension to the short, a sort of anti-climatic spin that might've worked well. But that said, it's worth seeing if for the match itself and the chance to see where it all started off for the great man.

Pretty good.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 7 May 2009]

Had Stanley Kubrick never gone on to become a famous director, three of his early films would never have been packaged together for sale on a DVD. That's because these films are cheap shorts made by an eager and unknown director--hardly works of art. They show none of the director's expert touches--they are just standard short films you might have seen in the early 1950s.

Of the three films in this package, the only one really worth seeing for most people is DAY OF THE FIGHT. While it's not a great film (made with a cheap hand-held camera) and seems rather "square", it does remind you of his first feature, KILLER'S KISS and it surely provided an excellent training ground for his craft. In other words, if Kubrick hadn't done a "throwaway" film like DAY OF THE FIGHT, he wouldn't have been able to make such a great low-budget film like KILLER'S KISS.

Overall, a film most could skip but perhaps worth seeing for fans of this director or students who are in film school.

Early portents of Kubrick's later trademarks

[Geofbob · 5 September 2001]

Stanley Kubrick was never one for realistic films about ordinary people; the nearest he came to a straightforward drama was probably the heist movie, The Killing. This shying away from realism seems to show itself in his very first film, this short documentary about the boxer, Walter Cartier, preparing for and engaging in a fight. Any boxer is a special person, but some directors might have portrayed Cartier as a regular guy with a particular skill; but from the start Kubrick stresses Cartier's unusualness by showing waking up beside, and going around town with, his identical twin brother, giving a surreal aspect to the film.

The way Cartier psychs himself up for the fight in his dressing room, turning himself into a fighting machine, also seems to fit in with Kubrick's later interest in making films about people under stress (eg Full Metal Jacket) or in an abnormal state (eg The Shining and Clockwork Orange). It is also intriguing to wonder whether the director's fondness for voiceover narrative in his feature films stems from this and his other early documentaries. Oh, by the way, it's quite a good documentary about a fighter who, in fact, never became champ, and went into TV and films.

Kubricks beginnings in film...

[kobe1413 · 7/10 · 19 November 2013]

This was Stanley Kubrick's first foray into film, a 13-minute short following the minor boxer Walter Cartier the day of a fight. This short was based on Kubrick's pictorial layout for Look magazine entitled "Prizefighter", where Kubrick had followed Cartier around before a previous fight.

The short is in black and white, which serves the subject beautifully. Not much happens throughout the short film. Cartier, and his twin brother Vincent, walk to church, eat breakfast, and eat lunch, among other things. However, there were a few moments that stood out, one being the short part where Walter is looking at himself in the mirror. He messes with his hair, and then plays with his face and moves his nose around. This reminded me of the scene at end of "Raging Bull" when Jake LaMotta is contemplating himself in the mirror.

The action starts to pick up right before the fight. The editing builds the tension as we and the fighter wait. Then before we know it the fight has begun and is over. All day's preparation for 90 seconds of action. Luckily our hero comes out on top, and film ends.

A promising start to a legendary career.

A mediocre documentary elevated by Kubrick's name

[mudtitan · 6/10 · 31 July 2022]

I have never cared much about sports, but my favorite director is Stanley Kubrick, so I wasn't quite sure what to think going into this short documentary. After all, I'll be the first to say that Kubrick's work up until The Killing was rather bland.

As no exception to the aforementioned rule, Day of the Fight is bland. There is no style and little substance; there is nothing special that elevates it from any other short documentary about boxing. In fact, the main reason it's remembered is because it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, and it only served as one of the stepping stones to pave the way to his future success.

On the other hand, Day of the Fight gave me a much needed appreciation for the world of sports. I'd never before considered the gravity behind an athlete's performance; it determines their career and the ultimate success of their livelihood. I enjoyed the emphasis on Nat's nervousness about waiting for the fight more so than the fight itself. These aspects culminate to a decently suspenseful boxing match, marking the first time I have cared about a sport. Though Day of the Fight was successful as a documentary for me, it is still a forgettably bland movie.

Rating: D.

Significant improvement on 'Flying Parde'.

[noahgibbobaker · 6/10 · 4 June 2021]

Interesting presentation (very 'The Killing'), great photography, compelling dialogue.

Making a genius

[alansabljakovic-39044 · 7/10 · 7 October 2019]

I need more Kubrick films so I decided to watch his short ones. Cool movie, brother looked kinda gay.

short Kubrick film; good watch for film students

[darrenyaates · 6/10 · 23 June 2018]

This is an early short film made by the legendary Stanley Kubrick and you can already see the talent here. Its entire duration is devoted to a boxer as he prepares for the big day- his boxing match. Featuring some camera angles and techniques that became a staple in his later films Day of the fight should be a great film for students to watch as they understand one of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century try his hands at a movie camera at the very beginning of a glorious career.

Ahead of Its Time

[mariosbenjamin · 7/10 · 1 August 2023]

"Day of the Fight" (1951) is the first old short film I've ever watched, and my curiosity led me to explore the genius of director Stanley Kubrick. From the very beginning, I was captivated by how he skillfully delved into the minds of the characters, conveying their feelings through powerful imagery. What struck me most about this short movie was its remarkably forward-thinking nature, demonstrating Kubrick's artistic brilliance even in his early works.

One of the aspects that impressed me greatly was the top view shot of the boxer's equipment. It felt like a concept taken from contemporary photography, a testament to Kubrick's talent as a visionary artist. Knowing that Kubrick's roots were in photography, it comes as no surprise that he was able to bring such an innovative perspective to film.

The layering in Kubrick's compositions added depth and intrigue to the storytelling. The shot of a boxer on his stool from beneath the stool of his opponent, for instance, was a clever technique that offered a unique visual perspective, heightening the tension between the characters. Moreover, his use of ropes in shots demonstrated a profound understanding of spatial dynamics, resulting in breathtaking compositions that worked both in still images and in motion.

While "Day of the Fight" is a short film, it serves as a glimpse into the vast playbook of this cinematic genius. Despite its brevity, the film encapsulates Kubrick's ability to captivate audiences and weave compelling narratives even in a limited timeframe. It is evident that even in his early career, Kubrick possessed a remarkable talent that would later solidify his place as one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema.

Legal assault and lawful battery

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 10 September 2013]

This is one of the most renowned directors of the 20th century finding his style right in front of our eyes. In the early 1950s, Stanley Kubrick shot a handful short documentary films on topics with certain significance for American culture back then. Before moving on to priests and seafarers, he started with a 16-minute documentary on the unusual profession of prizefighters. This is the very first film by the mastermind.

Now imagine, you wake up in the morning. And there's Stanley Kubrick in your bedroom pointing a camera at your dozy face. This is exactly what happened to professional prizefighter Walter Cartier (admittedly Kubrick was still a nobody at this point) who is accompanied the whole day of his fight. Kubrick delivers the pictures and renowned television journalist and Emmy Award nominee Douglas Edwards tells the story.

I would say that this is only for you if you're really into boxing, especially the early years or a Kubrick completionist. While some parts are good, mostly the actual fight sequences towards the end or the introduction to the topic in the first 4 minutes, some scenes are quite the opposite, like the "last look in the mirror"-scene which could have been found at a MST3000-episode as well.

Kubrick's first (and very rarely seen) movie is a portent of his later films and success.

[Bowie718 · 10/10 · 27 April 2000]

"This is a fight fan. Fan: short for fanatic" (first lines).

While Stanley Kubrick was working for Look Magazine back in the late '40s and early '50s, he came across a photo shoot of a boxing match involving a Walter Cartier. The article, entitled "Prizefighter," was published January 18th, 1949. A year later, Kubrick contacted Cartier, asking him if he would like to be in a short documentary for the declining RKO-Pathé. Cartier agreed, and Kubrick began, in 1950, with what would become his first film ever.

The story itself is told in three parts (much like the later Full Metal Jacket [1987]), which take up about 5 minutes apiece. The dialogue, spoken by veteran newsman Douglas Edwards, is very noir (example: "It's a living. For some, not much of a living.") The first part regards boxing and the fan. It portrays the walks of life boxing comes from. It ends when Natt Fleischer, a boxing historian, is shown looking through a book of boxing statistics. Kubrick's photojournalistic upbringing is showcased here; the framing of the book is done in a nice, storytelling style. Kubrick obviously knows what he's doing here. We then spotlight one particular boxer in this book: Walter Cartier. The second and third parts are dedicated to a single day in his life: the day of a middleweight fight (April 17th, 1950). The second part is his life leading up to the fight (from 6:00 A.M. to the arrival at the arena at 8:00 P.M.) It's a nice sequencing of events, beginning with a shot of a program attached to a pole advertising the fight (a shot we will see again in Killer's Kiss [1955]) and then showing Walter himself. It shows him waking up, going to communion ("in case something should go wrong tonight,") eating breakfast, undergoing his health examination, playing with his dog. As the fight draws near, we see the "long last look in the mirror" as Walter examines his face. The sequence will be perfectly transcribed to Killer's Kiss (1955) in a few years. The third part (from 8:00 P.M. to the fight at 10:00 P.M.), begins when Walter arrives at Laurel Gardens. The main focus is on the "big wait." We see the transformation Walter undergoes from normal man to fighting machine. We see his opponent, Bobby James, for a few seconds. When Walter finally goes to the ring, we reach the real action of the short. The fight (which is less than a round and was shot live) is brutal, and seems to be echoed repeatedly in Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980). If you look closely during the fight, you can see men standing at ringside with cameras. These are most likely Kubrick and assistant director Alexander Singer (who was later assistant producer for The Killing [1956]). As the fight reaches the KO, the camera focuses on crowd reaction (one shot is of Singer's fiancée, for whom Kubrick did wedding photography). When the fight is over, and all is said and done, the 16-minute short concludes with "For him, it's the end of a working day." Music swells, the end.

Everything that could go well about this film did. The story is excellently planned out, the narration is full of emotion and energy, the music is terrific (Gerald Fried, who met Kubrick through Singer, would go on to do the music for Kubrick's first four feature films) and Cartier and entourage are people with whom one can connect (although none of them, excepting the ring announcer, has a single line of dialogue). I have seen this film multiple times, and I plan on seeing it many, many more. I recommend this film to any fan of boxing, documentaries and expecially hardcore Kubrick fans (that is, if you can get your hands on it). This films gets a 10 out of 10.

This is Kubrick's starting point.

[k-66203 · 6/10 · 19 March 2022]

At a cost of $3,900, Kubrick alone contracted the screenwriter, photography, editing and dubbing, and finally sold it to Radio Keith Orpheum for $4,000, and received a commitment of $1,500 for the next short film.

2.2.2024

[EasonVonn · 2/10 · 2 February 2024]

Connotation-less footage, mediocre music, bad boxing performances. Extra voice narration throughout, seems to be a lazy attempt to give itself away for its lack of narrative ability, and ends hastily with little decipherable meaning, as empty and devoid of substance as every Hollywood genre movie, and the so-called Virgo of the Movie Gods is pretty mediocre too.

If the title hadn't told me it was boxing, I would have thought it was two drunks playing rock-paper-scissors.

Watched Connotation-less footage, mediocre music, bad boxing performances. Extra voice narration throughout, seems to be a lazy attempt to give itself away for its lack of narrative ability, and ends hastily with little decipherable meaning, as empty and devoid of substance as every Hollywood genre movie, and the so-called Virgo of the Movie Gods is pretty mediocre too.

If the title hadn't told me it was boxing, I would have thought it was two drunks playing rock-paper-scissors.

Watched it with ssf. With ss.

Day of the Fight

[tieman64 · 6 June 2010]

"I saw Barry Lyndon at the Cinerama Dome on a screen so big I just went, 'Oh, my god!' " – Brian De Palma

The early 50s. Stanley Kubrick quits his job at "Look" magazine and, intent on becoming a film director, directs "Day of the Fight", a short documentary for RKO Radio Pictures.

The film, shot for almost four thousand dollars, all of which was gathered by Kubrick (borrowing from friends, relatives and his own funds), takes an innovative approach to the newsreel format, Kubrick functioning as director, producer, writer, sound-man and cinematographer.

Because he had total control, "Day of the Fight" remains the best of Kubrick's early shorts. Whatever its flaws, it's a gritty, interesting little flick, demonstrating the kind of naturalism and humanity that many of his early "Look" photographs exhibited. Like many Kubrick films, "Day of the Fight" also has a methodical quality, Kubrick's camera lingering on the daily routines and pre-fight rituals of a young boxer. The film captures the claustrophobia of 1950s New York, the impersonality of urban life and the violence of the boxing ring. Some kinetic sequences recall Kubrick's "Killer's Kiss" and the hand-held boxing sequences in "Barry Lyndon", but the quieter moments impress as well, each one imbued with a kind of pre-fight anxiety, every shot oozing dread, anticipation and nervous energy.

Unfortunately, RKO's "March of Time" newsreel went into liquidation and RKO was only able to buy "Day of the Fight" for a hundred dollars more than its production cost, though they liked the short enough to offer Kubrick fifteen hundred dollars to film a second documentary called "Flying Padre".

"Flying Padre", Kubrick's follow up short for RKO, is thus purely a work for hire. You can sense that Kubrick had zero interest in this story, an insignificant little tale about a Catholic priest in New Mexico who uses a small plane to tend to his 400 square mile parish. Kubrick wrote the short's narration and has his small cast re-enact several moments from the priest's past (he takes a sick child to his mother, flies to an isolated ranch, gives staged sermons etc), but with the form and content of the short controlled by the newsreel companies of the day, there's little room for anything interesting other than a couple neat camera angles and some good cinematography.

8/10 – "Day of the Fight"

5/10 – "Flying Padre"

Of interest to Kubrick completists only.

Limited interest first Kubrick film

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 4 May 2023]

This is Stanley Kubrick's first film, the idea of which came from a photo shoot he saw in a magazine. It's a very short doc made for RKO Radio Pictures about the boxer Walter Cartier as he prepares for his bout with Bobby James. There's not a great deal of drama in this one, its breakfast, praying and lunch action mostly, before we get to the fight itself. There's also no sync-sound and instead there is a ton of narration. Its really only of interest on account of being a cinematic legend's first film and you would be doing very well to recognize it as a Kubrick film if you didn't know up front. Strictly one for Kubrick connoisseurs only.

10/10

[Samual-M · 10/10 · 18 April 2021]

The content is basic but gets its point across in the day in a life format and the form is impressive in its own right.

Kubrick showed early - at 23-years-old - that he had a keen eye at various points throughout.

Interesting for completists but no-one else

[bob the moo · 1 October 2001]

The first short film by Kubrick, it follows a boxer through the day-long wait for an evening fight.

I watched this out of interest as I watch the majority of Kubrick's films. However this is the only appeal that I can see for watching this.

The short follows the boxer through his routines on the day, the heavy narration talks us through the whole thing. In theory the short is meant to give us an insight in the boxer's thoughts and feelings however it really only shows us what he eats and who he talks to.

This is interesting if you are a Kubrick completist but other than that it is of limited appeal.

more than anything a student film- but one with enough to look at

[Quinoa1984 · 8/10 · 21 March 2006]

It's true, I would not know anything about this short RKO-type documentary if not for the fact that it was the first time that iconoclast Stanley Kubrick picked up a camera with rolling film stock to be screened in theaters. But as a student filmmaker myself, I find it of the utmost fascination - even when it is in a jittery, ragged print like the one I obtained on video - to see the early, primitive works of famous directors (Last Year in Vietnam by Stone, My Best Friend's Birthday by Tarantino, and Les Mistons by Truffaut are others) and the foundations of style. Day of the Fight, to be sure, is not something of incredible note, and it would not be until the Killing that Kubrick would create a great film. Yet through this film, I was constantly aware- and pleased- by how this very typical kind of story was executed.

In a way, it's almost of more worth to watch this film with the sound off; the narration, while good at getting to know the very basics of this boxer that's being profiled, it's also a distraction and not very revelatory. As just a succession of images, however, it works a lot more. It's the kind of short documentary that is 70% real, and 30% staged, with Kubrick following the boxer and his brother on the streets of New York, leading up to the fight that will bring him recognition. When looking at how Kubrick uses the camera, it seems fairly simple and, for those looking for all of the Kubrick trademarks, disappointing. But in just looking at how he uses the camera, how he gets his subjects in frame, and the importance of composition and the subtleties of lighting, it's really quite good. And the fight sequence, filmed by Kubrick and a friend, has some cut-away shots that almost ring of the future of Scorsese's Raging Bull (though, of course, still primitive).

Is it more of a curiosity, a film for Kubrick die-hard completists looking to have all 16 of his works, docs and features, in their collection? Sure, but it is also one of the better short doc's he made in his formative years, taking a subject he was already interested in (he was a photographer for Look magazine with this boxer under profile) and going a step further. As his sort of film school, this is in terms of the image even more fascinating than the lackluster 'doodle on the fridge' film Fear and Desire.

A surprisingly accomplished debut documentary showing one man skilfully and violently overcoming another...

[cgyford · 10 October 2011]

"Look" magazine photographer and chess-player Stanley Kubrick teamed up with old school chum Alexander Singer to launch their filmmaking careers and that of their star with this short but sweet self-financed boxing documentary, based on the future legendary director's 1949 photo feature "Prizefighter", which after the original buyer went belly-up was sold to RKO for a cool $100 profit.

We follow the fan (short for fanatic as no-nonsense narrator Douglas Edwards informs us) to the places where matched pairs of men get up on a canvas covered platform and commit legal assault and lawful battery in an attempt to capture the primitive vicarious visceral thrill of seeing one animal overcome another with the science of hammering each other unconscious with upholstered fists.

Irish-American middleweight Walter Cartier is selected at random, with a little help from boxing historian Nat Fleischer, from the 6,000 professional prize fighters who more often than not fail to scrape a living in America to give us insight into the people the fan seldom sees and never considers behind the facts and figures and columns of cold statistics in the record books.

Walter Cartier makes an amiable enough presence at the centre of the action to be able to go on to a TV acting career as we see his daily routine transform him into arena man, with able support coming from his twin brother and manager Vincent Cartier and opponent Bobby James as well as a brief appearance from Nat Fleischer and the dulcet tones of news reader Douglas Edwards.

The filmmakers make a fine pairing as Kubrick ducks and dives with his hand-held camera getting up close and personal with Cartier both before and during the fight while Singer rises above it all with his camera on a tripod to catch an overview of the action which together with the debut score of another childhood friend Gerald Fried all comes together to make a strong first impression.

"No one ever told Walter to be a fighter..."

A perfect embryonic Kubrick movie

[Irie212 · 9/10 · 17 September 2006]

The Day of the Fight is rarely seen, but essential viewing for anybody who takes cinema, or Kubrick, seriously. It encompasses one day in the life of a boxer in New York City in 1951, and is beautifully filmed (Kubrick at the camera) and structured, with the audience knowing throughout that the day will end in a fight, so there is built-in tension about that upcoming bout, and who will win. The voice-over is tightly written by Kubrick, and his writing is only one of many suggestions of the scope of the filmmaker's gifts. Two examples: A scene where the fighter is at home playing with his dog while the voice-over talks about the brutality the man employs in the ring-- terrific contrast in moods. And the audio is perfect: the only time Kubrick films with sound is when the boxer enters the ring-- then you hear crowd sounds, announcers, everything. Until then, it's a documentary with voice-over. It really is a minor work of an important genius.

A Docu Drama About Boxing From Boxers Point Of View

[harrsh85 · 10/10 · 18 January 2008]

i had this movie for many months in my pc, i am die hard fan of stanley kubrick and i am always fascinated by him but something really not interested me to watch this movie mainly because of the bad print i had, recently my pc got overloaded with lot of storage so i was going through files so that i can delete and maintain freespace so in that kind of situation i saw this movie, i was amazed by the way it was made by that time; that too with that kind of budget, since i want to delete i watched it again, now i am in dilemma whether to keep it or delete it because i feel multiple viewings will help me a great deal in my profession bec i too come from same profession, i think you understand how good it is.

we can clearly understand that the filmmaker wanted to explore the details about boxing for which he cleverly used point of view method bec only the persons involved immersely in something will know the pros and cons of that thing so it is a clever move to go that way.

this is a docu drama but at the same time the central character is the real person as depicted. the detailing and the way they shot was mindblowing but it will be exciting only when you see from that point of time where film-making is a difficult task.

the style of this film is very similar to stanley kubrick's another film called the killing which released after this movie like in the voice of the commentator, lighting, camera angles, music, etc.., this is not a positive movie about boxing and at the same time it is not negative too, this is a truthful movie about boxing and boxers.

there are chances that this movie can be a great influence with martin scorsese for his film raging bull, even though that is a true story as this is too, film-making might have influenced from this movie but if that is true you must understand what a great thing it is to get influenced for 70's movie from 50's movie; that is stanley kubrick.

Looming behind the camera is a true master

[calspers · 3 August 2022]

Very interesting documentary short by Kubrick, "The Day of the Fight" (1951) showcases Kubrick's unmatched (apart only from Tarkovsky's) eye for film making and photography.

To think that a 23 year-old Stanley Kubrick laid that groundwork inspiring Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, "Raging Bull" (1980) in terms of both theme and most certainly cinematography, is truly astounding. Stanley Kubrick truly was unmatched amongst his previous and future peers of American cinema.

An early Kubrick

[dtucker86 · 10/10 · 22 September 2023]

Even though he only made thirteen full length films, Stanley Kubrick is proof of that saying that quality is more important then quantity. Virtually every one of his works took several years to film. He was a perfectionist insisting on dozens of takes and during the making of The Shining forced Shelly Duvall to do 127 takes. Kubrick may not have been a joy to work with but his films are a joy to watch and this little documentary is one of his first works. It tells the story of middle weight boxer Walter Cartier who wants to be the middleweight champion of the world. A native of the Bronx and a World War II Navy veteran he is definitely a born scrapper who has had it tough all of his life. It is the day of one of his fights with a man named Bobby James and we learn he is managed by his brother and the two of them go to mass in case he gets killed in the ring. We see him eating heartily and getting a final medical check up before he gets in the ring. In the end, Cartier wins the fight by knockout but sadly he never did win a title in real life. Oh well at least he got to be in a Kubrick film!

3 Kubrick shorts

[Michael_Elliott · 10 March 2008]

Day of the Fight (1951)

*** (out of 4)

Kubrick's second short shows us a day in the life of a middle-weight boxer as he prepares for a fight. Even with the boring narration, this film here moves a lot better and the fight scene is rather interesting because it's shown complete as it happened. You can spot Kubrick in a few scenes with his camera.

Flying Padre (1951)

** (out of 4)

Stanley Kubrick's first film is a documentary about a priest in New Mexico who needs a plane to keep up with all his people. This is a really boring and flat film even with its 9 minute running time. The priest really isn't that interesting and the narration is flat and stiff. God knows better things were to follow from Kubrick.

Seafarers, The (1953)

** (out of 4)

Overly long and dreadfully boring promotional film for the Seafarers Union, which basically tries to teach people why they should join. This is historically interesting only because it's Stanely Kubrick's first film in color. The rest is pure boredom and it's no wonder Kubrick doesn't want this film seeing the light of day.