Requiem for a Heavyweight

Rating:
Summary: Grim... repellent... fascinating.
Review: If the use of the word 'Requiem' in the title doesn't give the game away, let me assure you that this superb film is as far removed from the wisecracking of Errol Flynn's 'Gentleman Jim,' the ludicrous spectacle of Elvis wearing boxing gloves in 'Kid Galahad,' and the pathetic, testosterone driven fantasies of 'Rocky,' as it's possible to get while making a film about the same subject matter' the 'fight game.' Filmed in stark black and white in 1962, 'Requiem for a Heavyweight' doesn't waste a single second of it's barely 90 minute running time in getting started, and features one of the most electrifying opening sequences I think I've ever seen.

First of all we see the viewpoint from a camera backing up behind a bar, watching the patrons, all men, as they stare intently at a TV screen up on the wall 'behind' the camera. They're watching a boxing match, and we know this because of the hyperbolic commentary coming from the TV; ''the old pro won't quit even though his blood is spattered all over Clay!' The 'Old Pro' is a boxer named ''Mountain' Rivera,' and he's being beaten to a pulp in front of a baying crowd by a young kid named Cassius Clay, the boxer the world now knows as Mohamed Ali!

The camera cuts to the boxing ring, and what we see is blurred and distorted. Clay moves into view, firing off punches, moving out of reach, then coming in for the kill; suddenly we're looking up at the lights, the referee is standing over us, counting to 10, then mercifully, it's over. Mountain's manager and trainer rush into view, help him up, our view of the world shifts and blurs as the trainer tends to cuts and abrasions; helped out of the ring on unsteady legs, Mountain is led through a jeering crowd, and still we are seeing the world as he sees it. They go through a door, heading for the changing rooms and showers, a distorted face suddenly looms into view, and just a quickly shrinks away, shocked and horrified; the camera spins around, and finally we get our first look at the boxer. Dazed and confused, supported by his manager and trainer, Mountain is a battered mess, his swollen face runs with blood from cuts around the eyes and cheeks, he looks uncomprehendingly at his own reflection in the mirror of a cigarette machine' if this opening doesn't draw you in, nothing will!

Once in the changing room we learn that Mountain is all washed up, after 17 years in the ring, one more well placed punch to the head could blind him, permanently. What is he to do? But the boxer isn't the only one with problems, 'Maish,' his manager for all of those 17 years, owes the mob, BIG time, partly as a result of Mountain's fight against Clay. But it's Mountain's plight that takes center stage; what is he to do now that he can't fight? All he knows is life in the ring.

Almost in desperation he visits an employment counselor, and what at the outset appears to be a disaster in the making, becomes a turning point in Mountains life. The counselor is a young woman, somewhat sheltered in her upbringing; Mountain, and his world, is completely outside of her experience. But after some initial trepidation, she looks beyond the battered face, the cauliflower ears, the slurred speech and the sometimes shambling walk, to see Mountain's heart. Strong and proud after those 17 hard years in the ring, he'd never thrown a fight and was once rated the no. 5 heavyweight in the world. She tries a long shot, and against all the odds is able to offer Mountain a chance at a life outside the ring. But Maish is in a hole, and what he needs is a fighter' will he let Mountain go?

This is a superb production, written by Rod Serling of 'Twilight Zone' fame, the script is relentless in its exposure of, not only, the 'fight game,' but the dark underbelly of human nature itself. And as good as Serling's script is, what really makes this film work are the four central characters, and how they are brought to life on the screen. First and foremost, Anthony Quinn gives a magnificent, heartbreakingly honest performance as Mountain Rivera, and Jackie Gleason is slime personified as his manager Maish. Mickey Rooney, who I've long considered a 'lightweight' in the acting stakes, pours his heart into the role of, not only Mountain's trainer, but his only true friend, and Julie Harris is luminous as the Employment Counselor who offers him that all important second chance.

Much has been said in the other reviews of this film about previous and alternative versions of the story, and how they alter the perception of Gleason's character, Maish, in particular. This is the only version I've seen, although I would love to see the 'original,' and I bought this on the strength of the Amazon reviews alone, something I very rarely do. A forgotten masterpiece, 'Requiem for a Heavyweight' won't be to everybody's liking, especially those who think 'Rocky' paints a realistic picture of the 'fight game!' This is strong meat, grim and repellent, but it's also a fascinating and magnificent tale of honor, sacrifice, and friendship' HIGHLY recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Grim... repellent... fascinating.
Review: If the use of the word �Requiem� in the title doesn�t give the game away, let me assure you that this superb film is as far removed from the wisecracking of Errol Flynn�s �Gentleman Jim,� the ludicrous spectacle of Elvis wearing boxing gloves in �Kid Galahad,� and the pathetic, testosterone driven fantasies of �Rocky,� as it�s possible to get while making a film about the same subject matter� the �fight game.� Filmed in stark black and white in 1962, �Requiem for a Heavyweight� doesn�t waste a single second of it�s barely 90 minute running time in getting started, and features one of the most electrifying opening sequences I think I�ve ever seen.

First of all we see the viewpoint from a camera backing up behind a bar, watching the patrons, all men, as they stare intently at a TV screen up on the wall �behind� the camera. They�re watching a boxing match, and we know this because of the hyperbolic commentary coming from the TV; ��the old pro won�t quit even though his blood is spattered all over Clay!� The �Old Pro� is a boxer named ��Mountain� Rivera,� and he�s being beaten to a pulp in front of a baying crowd by a young kid named Cassius Clay, the boxer the world now knows as Mohamed Ali!

The camera cuts to the boxing ring, and what we see is blurred and distorted. Clay moves into view, firing off punches, moving out of reach, then coming in for the kill; suddenly we�re looking up at the lights, the referee is standing over us, counting to 10, then mercifully, it�s over. Mountain�s manager and trainer rush into view, help him up, our view of the world shifts and blurs as the trainer tends to cuts and abrasions; helped out of the ring on unsteady legs, Mountain is led through a jeering crowd, and still we are seeing the world as he sees it. They go through a door, heading for the changing rooms and showers, a distorted face suddenly looms into view, and just a quickly shrinks away, shocked and horrified; the camera spins around, and finally we get our first look at the boxer. Dazed and confused, supported by his manager and trainer, Mountain is a battered mess, his swollen face runs with blood from cuts around the eyes and cheeks, he looks uncomprehendingly at his own reflection in the mirror of a cigarette machine� if this opening doesn�t draw you in, nothing will!

Once in the changing room we learn that Mountain is all washed up, after 17 years in the ring, one more well placed punch to the head could blind him, permanently. What is he to do? But the boxer isn�t the only one with problems, �Maish,� his manager for all of those 17 years, owes the mob, BIG time, partly as a result of Mountain�s fight against Clay. But it�s Mountain�s plight that takes center stage; what is he to do now that he can�t fight? All he knows is life in the ring.

Almost in desperation he visits an employment counselor, and what at the outset appears to be a disaster in the making, becomes a turning point in Mountains life. The counselor is a young woman, somewhat sheltered in her upbringing; Mountain, and his world, is completely outside of her experience. But after some initial trepidation, she looks beyond the battered face, the cauliflower ears, the slurred speech and the sometimes shambling walk, to see Mountain�s heart. Strong and proud after those 17 hard years in the ring, he�d never thrown a fight and was once rated the no. 5 heavyweight in the world. She tries a long shot, and against all the odds is able to offer Mountain a chance at a life outside the ring. But Maish is in a hole, and what he needs is a fighter� will he let Mountain go?

This is a superb production, written by Rod Serling of �Twilight Zone� fame, the script is relentless in its exposure of, not only, the �fight game,� but the dark underbelly of human nature itself. And as good as Serling�s script is, what really makes this film work are the four central characters, and how they are brought to life on the screen. First and foremost, Anthony Quinn gives a magnificent, heartbreakingly honest performance as Mountain Rivera, and Jackie Gleason is slime personified as his manager Maish. Mickey Rooney, who I�ve long considered a �lightweight� in the acting stakes, pours his heart into the role of, not only Mountain�s trainer, but his only true friend, and Julie Harris is luminous as the Employment Counselor who offers him that all important second chance.

Much has been said in the other reviews of this film about previous and alternative versions of the story, and how they alter the perception of Gleason�s character, Maish, in particular. This is the only version I�ve seen, although I would love to see the �original,� and I bought this on the strength of the Amazon reviews alone, something I very rarely do. A forgotten masterpiece, �Requiem for a Heavyweight� won�t be to everybody�s liking, especially those who think �Rocky� paints a realistic picture of the �fight game!� This is strong meat, grim and repellent, but it�s also a fascinating and magnificent tale of honor, sacrifice, and friendship� HIGHLY recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Indictment
Review: REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT serves as a powerful indictment of the sport of professional boxing. The film is marked by strong performances from some of the best actors available at that time. It is not a classic boxing movie in the traditional sense but instead it is a film which focuses on the personal and social damage associated with a sordid business.

Anthony Quinn as a punchy heavyweight at the end of a long career and Jackie Gleason as his greedy, conniving manager are superb. Mickey Rooney is the boxer's trainer and Julie Harris is the employment counselor who tries to help Quinn make the transition to a life after boxing. There are cameo appearances by Cassius Clay and Jack Dempsey.

Ralph Nelson also directed some other good movies such as LILIES OF THE FIELD and FATHER GOOSE. The Oscar competition in 1962 had several strong contenders. REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT did not receive a single nomination in any category.

Rating:
Summary: There Were Giants in Those Days
Review: Rod Serling died almost 30 years ago. He thought he would not be remembered. Lord! How he is so remembered and how he and his work are still beloved. It is great that his theatrical film of "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is finally out on DVD. His script is beautifully directed by Ralph Nelson. There's a lovely score that is perfectly blended as well.

The DVD looks freshly minted. It is one of his finest works. Acted by the best, who seem to live the roles, not portray them. Anthony Quinn as Mountain Rivera, the shambling man of the broken eyes and voice and heart, face massively scarred, is a towering testament to the ability of man to survive at the saddest, most desperate level. He is loyal to his manager Maish (Jackie Gleason; again showing what a good serious actor he was), to the extent of letting Maish "sell his soul on the streetcorner." Maish is not a thoroughly bad man--he stood beside Mountain at times, but "when winning doesn't pay, losing does."

You can see the cast reveling in Rod's words. It's a movie about integrity and friendship and giving everything away because you owe something to someone that you really don't owe at all. It's about having values and standards. The real kind that aren't hollow words. People talk in this film. They communicate. You have to listen to the words. You did back then. It was called writing and acting. Rod was one of the best. Still is.

In the print used for this DVD, one particular scene is cut. It is after Maish gets Mountain drunk. Army, the cut man, (an equally superb Mickey Rooney, of the compassion and the heart)said to Maish, "this is not a side of beef you can job off on the market by the pound; cause if you do, Maish, if you do, you'll rot in hell." Powerful dialogue--not one liners, insights instead; some of which were on the print ads when the film was first released.

Julie Harris is luminous as the social worker who finds there are facets of a man's worth that can't be put in a box on a form. She wants to help; and tries so hard. The great character actors, Herbie Faye and Stanley Adams are nice to see again. In a "sport" such as this, Rod finds humanity. He showed us shards of life and he delivered them with such strong stirring words that have lived in my mind from childhood on. They are places where I hide and find sustenance.

Rod is gone. His work lives on. That way, the giants still loom. As he often wrote, "it is to weep." Indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Rod Serling at his most depressing
Review: Some movies simply require black and white; color would certainly have spoiled the flavor of this grim story. Anthony Quinn plays a boxer at the dead end of a punishing career. With no skills or experience outside the ring, and a manager who would sell his soul to pay off a vicious gambler, he has nowhere to go until one person sees something more in him and offers a bit of hope. There are people who prefer the Jack Palance version (which was done for TV prior to this full-length film), but the very different ending of this version is more credible.

Rating:
Summary: He's whatever you want him to be, Miss Miller!
Review: Some viewers may prefer the romantic illusion of 'happily ever after' to the gritty reality of a washed-up fighter with no place to go flirting momentarily with an uptight old maid social worker. When Mountain Rivera finally gets the message that his manager and 'best friend' has cynically bet against him in his final fight, he has to face the necessity of giving up his integrity to save his manager's neck, and decides to play out the humiliating farce of a pro wrestling contract.

In Rod Serling's original teleplay for Playhouse 90, Mountain skips out on the 'deed which has become necessary' and goes home to pursue the illusion of being a camp counselor. So go for that version if you like your reality that way.

Rating:
Summary: downbeat but intense and painfully honest
Review: The best boxing movies are critical of the sport,especially of the managers,promoters and the criminal element that infest the game.I would cite the splendid The Harder They Fall and The Set-Up Not for these honest movies the right wing nonsense of the Rocky series or such saccharine confections as The Leather Saint/Kid Galahad etc
Requiem for a Heavyweight is cursed with a bombastic title but is a memorable picture in which Anthony Quinn plays a washed up Boxer forced to seek a new line of work when eye problems bring about an enforced retirement His manager,for mercenary reasons,wishes him to take up the demeaning charade that is pro wrestling as he needs a quick buck to pay off his debts to the mob,while Quinn's friends(Micky Rooney as his cut man,and Julie Harris as an earnest employment counsellor) seek to steer him along more honest paths
The towering centrepiece to this movie is a performance of raw and understated power from Quinn while Gleason as his manager is also superbThe device of using real boxers or ex-boxers in support roles runs afoul of their lack of acting ability
As with most Rod Serling works there are passages where dialogue is replaced by sermonising,especially in the dialogue given to Harris but there is a raw power here that makes the picture compulsive if painful viewing

Rating:
Summary: An Overlooked Masterpiece
Review: The scene with Gleason And Harris in the staircase ranks right up there with Brando & Steiger in the taxi in revealing truths about human weaknesses and wasted lives.

Rating:
Summary: Authenticy and pathos in this unforgetable fight-game story!
Review: This 1962 adaptation of an Emmy-winning Playhouse 90 production and adapted by Rod Serling from his original 1956 television drama, is a heavy hitter. It's about a fighter, brilliantly played by Anthony Quinn who, after a 17-year career in the ring, has to resign because of a medical condition. He's never done anything else but fight and now tries to find a job. A sympathetic employment counselor, played by Julie Harris, tries to get him a job in a summer camp. His manager, played by Jackie Gleason, however, owes money to the mob and wants him to work in staged wrestling matches, much to the displeasure of his trainer, Mickey Rooney. The screenplay is totally real and immediately drew me into the story; the outcome is inevitable.

Each one of the cast members does an outstanding job, especially Anthony Quinn. His face is battered, his voice thick and he's slow and punchy. I could almost see his thinking process, with just an extra second or two for anything to register. I identified with this man who never did make champion and who was now just 37 years old and at the end of his career. Jackie Gleason was the perfect unscrupulous manager and I hated him throughout, but also saw his humanity and real fear as the mob came after him. Mickey Rooney as the good-hearted trainer was wonderful too and he and Gleason had some great scenes together. Gleason is large and Rooney is small; this added yet another element to the film. Julie Harris keeps her dignity throughout and there is a scene in a bar between her and Anthony Quinn that I will always remember. To top off this star-studded cast, there is a scene with the real Mohamed Ali, then Cassius Clay, in the opening segment of the film. And, later, Jack Dempsey makes a short appearance.

There's an authenticity to it all and real emotion and done so well that for a little while I lived in the world of the fight game. It's not pleasant, nor was it meant to be. But this is a fine filmmaking even though this film won no awards or nominations. Highly recommended. See it if you can.

Rating:
Summary: Great boxing flick that transcends stereotypes
Review: This is a golden oldie if there ever was one. Adapted from Rod Serling's earlier "Playhouse 90" TV drama, it improved greatly on the original by taking full advantage of the film medium, including moody film-noir lighting, an excellent music score, and superb direction. Anthony Quinn is excellent, getting all the pathos out of the role without overdoing it. Mickey Rooney and Jackie Gleason, neither of whom is renowned for subtlety and restraint, hit just the right note in their performances, as does Julie Harris. The ending of this film couldn't be more different than the "Playhouse 90" ending. One of the more bizarre elements of this film, which was not in the original TV play, is the character of Ma Greeney, a really frightening person and the only example I am aware of in film of a lesbian gangster (and in 1962, yet). I can still remember how startled I was to see this character when I first watched this film on TV back in the late 1960s.

The new DVD of "Requiem for a Heavyweight" offers both a full-screen and wide-screen presentation. The quality of the transfer is really outstanding. The liner notes indicate that it is mastered in high definition. While I don't have the hardware to watch it in high-def., I can say that on an ordinary monitor it looks outstanding. Perhaps the sharpest DVD picture I've ever seen. The sound is clear, and the subtitles are very helpful in picking out dialog that may be indistinct, or not easily understood because of Anthony Quinn's manner of delivering the lines while in character.

However... It seems to me that at least one whole scene and a part of another scene is missing. I distinctly remember Maish (Jackie Gleason) telling Ma Greeney what he would do to her if she weren't a lady. In response, she laughs and says "that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." This is part of the early scene where Maish is attacked in an abandoned boxing ring by Ma's thugs. There is another whole scene I can recall in which Mountain (Anthony Quinn) is practicing holds with a wrestler. He asks that the wrestler stay away from his injured eye, and when he purposely goes for the eye, Mountain punches his lights out. The cuts I recall seeing on TV years ago always included these scenes, and I've never seen this shortened cut of the film before. It's still a great film, but I really miss these two scenes. I would have given it five stars had it not been a shortened cut.