Hell is inside of me
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Hell is inside of me a handful of dirt |
| Original title | Somebody Up There Likes Me |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1956 |
| length | 109 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Wise |
| script | Ernest Lehman |
| production | Charles Snow |
| music | Bronislau caper |
| camera | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| cut | Albert Akst |
| occupation | |
| |
Hell Is Inside Me , also known as a handful of dirt , is an American boxer film from 1956 . It is based on the autobiography of the boxer Rocky Graziano (1919–1990), which he wrote in collaboration with the author Rowland Barber. The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman and directed by Robert Wise . In the leading roles acted Paul Newman as Rocky Graziano and Pier Angeli when his wife Norma. In addition, Steve McQueen appeared in the role of the juvenile criminal Fidel for the first time with a small speaking role in front of the camera. The English title of the film reads Somebody Up There Likes Me (dt. Someone up there likes me ) and the title song of the same name sung by Perry Como .
action
Rocky Barbella grows up in a broken family. His father Nick is a drinker who has never cope with the fact that he gave up his boxing career at the request of his wife. Nick often takes his anger and disappointment out on his son Rocky, who runs away from home more and more often and gets on the wrong track. First he was sent to a reformatory and soon after he was sent to juvenile prison . There he met Frankie Peppo, who invited Rocky to visit him after his imprisonment in the boxing school he helped run.
After Rocky knocks down a guard in the youth prison labor camp, he is sentenced to a six-year prison term. His father has already given up on Rocky, while his mother suffers from the development of her son and eventually has a nervous breakdown. When she visits him in jail after recovering, she looks broken and tells Rocky that if he doesn't get better, she will give him up. The bad condition of his mother and her words of warning cause a positive change in the young man.
As soon as he was released from prison, he was drafted into the army and was so disappointed about being barracked again that he had a relapse and severely threatened his superior after he had been instructed. Rocky then has to report to the company commander, Captain Woodhope, with whom he also clashes. He knocks it down and then deserted .
Soon he becomes aware of his predicament and wants to earn the money that he would have to pay as a fine if he were to return to the army. He remembers the boxing school and goes to it. However, his former fellow inmate Frankie Peppo is once again in prison, and Rocky no longer has an advocate for the current management. But because the sparring partner of a first-class boxer has just dropped out, Rocky is still allowed in the ring and impresses the managers when he knocks down his strong opponent. Because he is still deserted and wanted by the army, he introduces himself under the name Rocky Graziano, under which he will fight from now on, inspired by a coincidentally existing bottle of the Vermouth brand of the same name.
Soon Rocky gets into the ring for the first time and completes six fights, all of which he wins by knockout . Since his boxing talent and his unique punching power are completely sufficient, he doesn't think much of training at first, he only cares about the money he has earned so easily. Then he is discovered by the military and arrested. He will appear before a military tribunal , dishonorably discharged from the army and sentenced to one year of forced labor in a military prison.
After his release, he meets Norma, a friend of his sister. Although the two are very unequal, they fall in love and get married. Soon they will have a daughter. Meanwhile, Rocky rushes from win to win and finally qualifies for the middleweight championship fight against defending champion Tony Zale , which he loses.
Then he should fight against another boxer and if he wins he should be allowed to play against Zale again. Shortly before the scheduled fight, in which Rocky is the clear favorite, his former inmate Frankie Peppo contacts him and tries to persuade him to deliberately defeat because influential people in the background want to bet on the opponent and get a good rate . Rocky does not agree, but because Peppo threatens to reveal his past through the media, he does not dare to oppose. However, he is also not ready to put his future career at risk by a fictitious defeat and puts forward a back injury, so that the fight is canceled.
The gangsters see through his behavior and take revenge by relaying the facts incriminating Rocky to the media. At the same time, the public prosecutor's office gets behind the matter and wants to find out from Rocky who is behind the betting fraud. Although Rocky does not want to have anything to do with the gangsters, he is also unwilling to cooperate with the police and deliver Peppo to the knife. As a consequence, Graziano's license is withdrawn from the New York Boxing Commission, so that he is no longer allowed to box in his home country. Soon after, an offer is made to him for a rematch against Zale in Chicago , where he is not banned.
Again it seems to be a bankruptcy for Graziano, because Zale drives him over long distances and decides the first five rounds in his favor. But in the sixth round the fight turns and Graziano wins by knockout. Rocky has achieved his long-awaited goal and is the new world middleweight champion.
When he returns home in New York , he is cheered by the crowds and drives through the crowd in a convoy that includes his parents, with whom he is at peace again. During the triumphant ride he says to Norma: “I never want more. Norma, drink everything into yourself while it lasts; because one day I'll lose the title again. And just like that I'll lose the boom in my right one day too. That will come. But I don't mind that. Because I've gained something that no one can ever take away from me. I was lucky. Somebody up there must love me. "Norma replies:" And someone down here too. "
Reviews
“This role made Paul Newman a star. He had systematically prepared for it, studied his role model for a long time, accepted the rough Italian accent as well as the outbursts of temper, the springy gait, the hunched shoulders, the constant prancing around. His constant restlessness signals an explosive energy that can basically only let off steam in a fight. "
"The story is entertaining to look at, even if it lacks the big highlights and suspense."
Awards (selection)
The film won an Oscar for Best Black and White Camera in 1957. In addition, the award in the category Best Production Design (Black and White) went to Cedric Gibbons , Malcolm Brown , Edwin B. Willis and F. Keogh Gleason . Film editor Albert Akst received a nomination for Best Editing.
Web links
- Somebody Up There Likes Me in the Internet Movie Database (English)