Body and Soul

(Robert Rossen, US 1947, 104 min., 16mm)

John Garfield received his only Best Actor nomination for this story of a man caught up in the corrupt world of boxing. Charley Davis (Garfield), an amateur boxer, becomes the only source of income for his family when his father is killed when a bomb is thrown into a nearby speakeasy. The allure of professional boxing, and the money that comes along with it, appeals to Charley, but he begins to see the machinations behind the scenes when he becomes champion through a fixed fight. As Charley falls further into the world of shady promoters and gamblers, they drive a wedge between him and his family and girlfriend, Peg (Lilli Palmer). As he faces the end of his career, Charley must decide what kind of a man he is and what his legacy will be.