Dirty laurel
Movie | |
---|---|
German title | Dirty laurel |
Original title | The Harder They Fall |
Country of production | United States |
original language | English , Spanish |
Publishing year | 1956 |
length | 109 minutes |
Age rating | FSK 6 |
Rod | |
Director | Mark Robson |
script | Philip Yordan |
production | Philip Yordan |
music | Hugo Friedhofer |
camera | Burnett Guffey |
cut | Jerome Thoms |
occupation | |
|
The Harder They Fall is an American movie from the year 1956 with Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger . It is the last feature film in which Bogart acted. The novel of the same name by Budd Schulberg served as a template .
action
Eddie Willis is a shrewd sports journalist who, however, is unemployed and has financial difficulties after closing his newspaper. He meets the seedy Nick Benko, head of a boxing syndicate, who offers him a lot of money for the press work for his new protégé, the Argentine boxer Toro Moreno. Eddie quickly realizes that Toro is a "tame giant" who wouldn't have a fair chance in any boxing match. Nick admits that he is betting on Toro's defeat in a world championship match and the associated high betting winnings and that the opponents of the necessary preliminary fights should be lubricated. For the money, Eddie agrees to “write up” Toro.
In California, Eddie begins a large-scale ad campaign for Toro that no one has ever seen boxing. A first fight against the challenger for the heavyweight title, Sailor Rigazzo, wins Toro: Although Rigazzo had refused to lose the fight, but his greasy manager made sure that Rigazzo's eyes were burned with a towel soaked in chemicals. Eddie manages to prevent an investigation into the case through personal connections. Toro also "wins" other fights in the western United States. This is followed by a first decisive fight against the just dethroned world champion Gus Dundee in Chicago , who is still ailing after his defeat by Buddy Brennan and suffers from severe headaches. Toro has had enough of boxing, especially as his critical manager is fired by Nick, and is brought back by Eddie after an initial escape: Eddie promises him to get out of the business after the world championship fight with him.
The last preliminary fight against Gus Dundee ends tragically: Gus already has a severe nosebleed at the beginning of the fight and collapses in the ring shortly afterwards. He dies a little later of internal bleeding, which he had already suffered during the fight against Buddy Brennan. The world championship match between Toro and Buddy Brennan will now be played in New York City . At the press conference, Buddy announces that he and not Toro killed Gus and that he will also kill Toro. Only now does Eddie feel guilty and he confesses to Toro that he could only win his previous fights by bribery. Toro is brutally knocked down by Buddy in the fight and in the end carried out of the ring with a broken jaw. By betting Toro to lose, the Syndicate wins $ 75,000, of which Eddie is contractually entitled to $ 26,000. Toro is only entitled to $ 50 and Eddie is outraged. When he picks up Toro from the hospital, who tells him that he will buy a house for his mother in Argentina with his profits, Eddie gives him his $ 26,000. When he gets home, Eddie begins writing an article about the boxing business.
production
The film was shot in the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, Chicago and New York, among others . The film premiered in April 1956. From July 24, 1956 it was shown in German cinemas. The film was released on DVD on January 21, 2003 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment .
Reviews
“The last shot of the last film with Humphrey Bogart in the leading role shows Bogey at the typewriter. 'The Harder They Fall', directed by Mark Robson as a boxing thriller, is part of the great tradition of boxing films from 'Body and Soul' to 'Fat City' to 'Raging Bull' and 'Das Comeback'. The decisive scenes take place between Bogart (Eddie) and Rod Steiger as the cynical manager. Bogart is already marked by his serious illness, but still proves his art of the cool understatement of the loner. "
Awards
In 1956 the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival . A year later he was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Black and White Camera , but did not receive the award.
literature
- Budd Schulberg : Dirty laurel. Novel (Original title: The Harder They Fall ). Zsolnay, Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-552-04617-8 , 334 pp.
Web links
- The Harder They Fall in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ FSK: from 6th. Accessed on July 24, 2012 .