| ||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Special Features
- Warner Night at the Movies 1942: Vintage newsreel, sports shorts "Shoot Yourself Some Golf" with Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman and "The Right Timing," classic cartoon "Foney Fables"
- Trailer
- Audio-only bonus: radio show adaptation with Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, and Ward Bond
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's pure Raoul Walsh from the outset--a wordless sequence as, through the knowing eyes of a street cop, we watch the strata of Gay-'90s society coalesce one summer evening, everyone out to take in an illegal boxing match in the park. (Characteristic Walsh touch: Unmistakable among the traffic is an open carriage bearing a madam and her ladies-of-the-evening.) Upwardly aspiring bank teller Corbett gets a career boost by fast-talking a prominent judge out of the slammer after the cops have swept them up in a raid. From then on, seemingly nothing can stop the brash "Gentleman Jim" as he muscles his way into the exclusive Olympic Club and, after a casual display of fisticuffs, breaks into the boxing game himself. Along the way he attracts the irreverent attention of a well-born young lady (Alexis Smith in a characterization of uncommon spirit and wit) who finds him preposterously egotistical... but not without a certain animal magnetism.
This is a joyously earthy movie--in critic Peter Hogue's phrase, "a vision, imaginary or otherwise, of a time when personal wholeness and physical joy were much more accessible and more fully communal." Flynn cheerfully accepts being the butt of much of the humor; Jack Carson and frequent Flynn sidekick Alan Hale are splendid as Corbett's best pal and father, respectively; and the montages depicting his rise as a contender--by Don Siegel and James Leicester--are every bit as dynamic as their contributions to their next assignment, Casablanca. --Richard T. Jameson
Product Description
Customer Reviews
In reality, Flynn was a largely underrated actor shackled to many less than stellar productions by the studio's type casting. His talent for light comedy shows through brilliantly in Gentleman Jim this early forties biopic of Heavyweight Champion James J. Corbett. The movie is factual fluff when it comes to Corbett's personal life, but largely true to history concering his pugilistic efforts. Corbett did fight on barges and in rich sporting clubs to circumvent the public ban on the sport at the end of the nineteenth century.
Flynn's considerable atheticism adds further creedence to his excellent portrayl of the turn of the century fighter. An accomplished amateur boxer in his youth, Fylnn was widely regarded as the best tennis player in Hollywood and his fluid ring movmenents are a welcome relief to the bumbling screen fight efforts of Gable, Tracy and Cagney.
The beautifully understated post fight meeting of the defeated Sullivan, well played by Ward Bond, complimented by a restrained Flynn as his conquerer, is quite touching and serves as further evidence of Flynn's acting skills.
Watching Gentleman Jim is great and entertaining fun and can only make one wish Flynn was given more oppurtunities to display a largely untapped talent.
He is ideally cast as Corbett ,a San Francisco bank clerk ,who defeated John L Sullivan in 1892 ,in New Orleans ,to become world heavyweight champion.Success ,we are told .brought a swollen head ,an over indulgence in liquour and a tendency to braggadocio.This is plain wrong-Corbett was a modest and self effacing man throughout his life ,and it was this which earned him the soubriquet "Gentleman Jim "
Raoul Walsh -a splendid action director-directs with typical vigour and keeps thinks moving briskly with the fight scenes in particular being fine,although ,for my taste the scenes of comic relif are too broad and unsubtle.Neither does the love interst tacked on to the movie ,with Alexis Smith's society woman who becomes entangled with Corbett, work too well.The actual Corbett-Sullivan bout is well staged and Flynn accurately catches the man's revolutionary ,scientific pugilistic style.
Ignore its departures from the facts and this is enjoyable big studio film making from the golden era of the studio system with a charismatic performance from the star and some solid period detail.
"Gentleman Jim," the story of 19th century boxer James J. Corbett, gave Warner Brothers a chance to put their bad boy on display at his physical best -- exhibiting a lean, mean physique and an undeniable flair for ring work. His toothy grin, devil-may-care charm and boyish glee in a good fight all combined to make "Gentleman Jim" one of the 1940s' most compelling films, and one of Warner Brothers' biggest hits.
It is interesting to note that during the filming of "Gentleman Jim," Flynn collapsed and was carted off to the hospital. He was diagnosed, at the ripe old age of 32, of having had a mild heart attack. His co-star in the film, Alexis Smith, visited him and begged him to slow down his destructive lifestyle. Flynn, she later said, flashed that beautiful smile of his and shook his head.
"I enjoy this side of life," he told her, "and don't care to see the other side." END
I recommend everyone enjoy this classic, you will regret not seeing it. Read more
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
