The Champ
by Franco Zeffirelli
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Arthur Hill, Faye Dunaway, Jack Warden, Jon Voight, Ricky SchroderDirector: Franco Zeffirelli
Brand: Team Marketing
Cinematographer: Fred J. Koenekamp
Editor: Michael J. Sheridan
Producer: Dyson Lovell
Writer: Frances Marion
Writer: Walter Newman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-07-09
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Champ
Movie Review: "Million Dollar Baby" Meets "Rocky" (With A Little "Over The Top" Thrown In)
Summary: 5 Stars
After just recently viewing this 1979 film "The Champ", it has a little bit in common with three more contemporary films:
-Million Dollar Baby (for the gritty, real-world perspective that director Franco Zeffirelli brings to the movie)
-Rocky (for the underdog story)
-Over The Top (for the father/son relationship and custody battle)
For a basic plot summary, "The Champ" tells the story of Billy (Jon Voight) and his son TJ (Ricky Schroder). Though Billy is adored by the best son a father could ever want in TJ, Billy is also a compulsive gambler and drinker, thus not being able to provide the best environment for the young boy. When the boy's mother (Faye Dunaway) comes back into the picture, Billy (once a professional boxer) decides to step back into the ring again to try and make a few more big paydays to take care of his beloved boy.
There are a few things that this film doesn't quite nail, but they are so far overshadowed by what it does right:
-The acting is terrific. Schroder turns in perhaps the greatest child-star performance of all-time, while Voight and Dunaway also turn in dramatic and emotional roles.
-The direction of Zeffirelli is, much like a modern-day Clint Eastwood, very realistic and down-to-earth. Much like life, there are shades of grey thrown into every decision the main characters do or do not make. It isn't just a wild soap opera with easily distinguished bad guys and heroes.
-This film also pulls at the male heartstrings (yes, they do exist!) like almost no other. The themes of the father/son relationship and Billy's enduring struggle with gambling/alcohol, all eventually summed up in a sporting-atmosphere that men can relate to, create a perfect storm of male emotion that is difficult to not get overwhelmed by. If you don't shed a tear when the credits roll, you'll have to question whether you are alive at all.
Overall, this is one of the better dramas you will ever watch. The overall screenplay could have been a bit tighter, but the emotional scenes more than make up for those shortcomings. Make sure to watch with the Kleenex box by the couch. As cliched as that seems, for this film it's just the truth.
Summary of The Champ
Jon Voight plays Billy Flynn, an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of Flynn's young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.Similar DVD Movies
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