Synopsis
A Knockout!
Boxing drama following the lives of 5 different fighters and their reasons for becoming boxers.
The Square Ring
1953 Directed by Basil Dearden
Cast
Jack Warner Robert Beatty Maxwell Reed Joan Collins Kay Kendall Bernadette O'Farrell Bill Owen Sid James George Rose Bill Travers Alfie Bass Joan Sims Ronald Lewis Eddie Byrne Vic Wise Michael Golden Vernon Kelso Sydney Tafler Alexander Gauge Michael Ingrams Madoline Thomas Ben Williams Alf Hinds Harry Herbert Joe Bloom Jack Berg Joe Evans C.H. Nichols Johnnie Schofield Show All…
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Alternative Titles
Jim, der letzte Sieger, 方形拳台, Punhos Traiçoeiros
Genre
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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UK
28 Jan 1955
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USANR
Releases by Country
UK
13 Jul 1953
- Theatrical
USA
28 Jan 1955
- TheatricalNR
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Laydeez an' gentlemen! I present to you:
In the blue corner - all the way from Hollywood USA, maintaining its fat-free weight perfectly since its debut in 1949, the unbeaten heavyweight champion - Robert Wise's THE SET-UP!
And in the red corner - straight outta Ealing, a plucky underdog newcomer, punching above its weight but with guts to spare - Basil Dearden's THE SQUARE RING!
Seconds out. Round 1.
The fight between these two is clean and remarkably balanced. One evening spent in the company of a batch of boxers - bent, green or has-been. Many of the characters are remarkably similar, as are several of the plot lines - the throwing of a bout for cash, the break-up of…
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When people point to the kitchen sink movement of 60s British cinema as the start of the industry reflecting working class lives, it does do something of a disservice to films such as The Square Ring, which came out of Ealing a decade prior to that scene and is populated by authentic character actors like Jack Warner, Alfie Bass, Sid James, Sydney Tafler, Bill Owen and George Rose - oft-unsung forerunners to the working class A-listers who shot to fame in the swinging sixties and have become screen royalty since.
Directed by Basil Dearden, The Square Ring is another example of him exploring lives and concerns that the average cinemagoer could identify with. He would later excel at social issue…
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Finally released in an immaculate Blu-ray edition in the U.K., this potent, well-mounted boxing drama confirms that Basil Dearden seemed to be incapable of making a bad film. Lots of smart, stylish visual choices and good performances (including a very young Ronald Lewis, who deserved a better career) make this sort-of anthology a fast, gripping watch with a nice mixture of humor and darkness. The ending is a real kick in the teeth that probably threw audiences when this first originated on the stage.
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A boxing drama from Ealing Studios which is based on the stage play of the same name by Ralph Peterson, this takes the stories of a group of boxers (George Rose, Bill Travers, Maxwell Reed, Bill Owen, Robert Beatty, and Ronald Lewis) on the grimy professional circuit.
This is a world in which Sid James, Jack Warner and Alfie Bass are on the sidelines.
A world where in tatty living rooms and dimly lit street corners ladies like Bernadette O'Farrell, Kay Kendall, and Joan Collins carry on relationships with their fighting men. Joan Sims crops up, too, but this is no Carry On caper.
The spit and polish of sooty streets and the humour of the backroom sets the scene…
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A British boxing drama with a surface chirpiness that seeks to conceal its increasingly jaded undertone. Jack Warner dispenses nuggets of down-to-earth wisdom to a number of boxers (including Bill ‘Compo’ Owen, Bill Travers and Robert Beatty), all of whom are at some kind of turning point in their lives. As always with this kind of movie, some strands are stronger than others, but a rewarding enough watch overall.
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A British film from the 50's about professional boxing. We get to meet those fighters who participate in a one-night event that involves a programme of many fights.
This film is like a snapshot of a long lost era of British filmmaking. We have great characters, a sly sense of humour at play and grit in the way the sport is portrayed as completely corrupt and in turn corrupting.
The film also shows how truly brutal the sport is. The ending is totally gut-wrenching and completely unexpected.
We also get British film royalty in the guise of legends such as Joan Collins, Joan Sims and Sid James as part of the cast.
Highly recommended.
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Basil Dearden’s drama follows the lives of five boxers and their reasons for getting to where they are now.
Jack Warner, Robert Beatty, Bill Owen, Maxwell Reed and George Rose all give good performances in their respective roles as Danny Felton, Jim ‘Kid’ Curtis, Happy Burns, Rick Martell and Whitey Johnson, the five boxers who reveal the reasons as to why they wanted to become boxers and talk about the positions they have ended up in.
Elsewhere, look out for appearances by Sid James and Joan Collins in their respective roles as Adams and Frankie, while Ronald Lewis plays the role of Eddie Lloyd.
The direction from Dearden is good because he allows the facial expressions to be seen to…
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“Don’t mind him son, he’s taken more dives than Esther Williams.”
once again been catfished into a movie for an actress with barely any screen time *sigh*
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