(mouse over title <after page fully loads> to see color title)
directed by Mark Robson
USA 1949
"Champion" is probably considered the film
that made Kirk Douglas a star. His intense, arrogant demeanor along with his
muscular frame cast him perfectly as an overly ambitious boxer who will stop at
nothing to get the approval of the crowd.
Michael 'Midge' Kelly is shown in down-and-out beginnings with his brother
(played by Arthur Kennedy) defending themselves against a group of hobo's on a boxcar
before being turfed out. The desperation of his youth affects him greatly.
Eventually his
forgotten wife, his father-like manager, various girlfriends, and even his
own brother are cast adrift in his pursuit of fame and fortune as a pugilist.
As good as any cinematic representation of the boxing game, it showed a
different side to the media hype of "The Harder They Fall" and less
sympathetic than "Requiem
for a Heavyweight", but this still ranks as a pure classic of
Film Noir.
Simplistic and brutal, the film parallels its protagonist absolutley. This one
shouldn't be missed.
out
of
Posters
 |
 |
Theatrical Release: April 9th, 1949 - USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Artisan (black and white) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Artisan (Color) - Region 1- NTSC
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - RIGHT)
| DVD Box Covers |
|
|
|
NOTE: Purchases through DVDBeaver's links to Amazon help keep us afloat and advertisement free! |
||
| Distribution |
Artisan / Republic Pictures Region 1 - NTSC |
|
| Runtime | 1:38:42 | 1:38:39 |
| Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate:
Black and White |
|
|
| Bitrate:
Color |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
| Subtitles | None | None |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Artisan / Republic Pictures
Aspect Ratio:
Chapters 29
|
|
| Comments: |
Both of these DVDs are
a mess, but the colorized version is certainly worse. i included more
than the usual number of comparison frames as I am interested on why the
original black and white version is cropped on the left and bottom
edges.
The
colorization has advanced incredibly since this was done, but we will
state again how adamant DVDBeaver is in not condoning this form of
altering. However, it is interesting and the Artisan DVD does also
contain the original. But the trouble with this DVD is the image which
is fraught with damage and speckles as well as being very hazy.
The black and white version is marginally sharper than the color one and
even shows a slight amount of film grain, but it would be wonderful if
this classic film was put right. The extras are a few pages of
production notes. If i was grading this DVD alone , I would give it
about a |
out
of
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference to the American
Style by Alain Silver, Elizabeth Ward |
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Film Noir Reader 4 : The Crucial Films and Themes
(Film Noir Reader) by Alain Silver |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts by James Naremore |
DVD Menus
(Artisan
(b+w)
- Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - RIGHT)
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Screen Captures
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
 |
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
NOTE: Not exact frame
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
(Artisan (b+w) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artisan (color) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
|
|
 |
Report Card:
|
Image: |
Artisan - black and white |
|
Sound: |
- |
| Extras: | - |
| Menu: | - |
DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive and advertisement free:
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze 1775 Rowntree Court Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4V3 CANADA |
|
Many Thanks...
