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The Set-Up [1949] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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Noir at his best
Review date: 2004-07-21 Rating: 10 out of 10
The Set - Up Roberta Wisea is in my own opinion one of the best movies ever about boxing and the people in and around the ring. Although It lacks some of the standard film noir elements it nevertheless ranks as one among the best representatives of the genre. Robert Ryan gives a strong and very powerfull performance of a man who is not willing to sell his own honor and fights to the last regardless of consequences. In the fighting scenes he is very convincing, which is not surprising, since while he was in college he was 4 years heavyveight boxing champion. But his greatest momrent in the film comes when he is cornered in the dead-end alley and the four gangsters slowly approach to him. Jou can plainly read all emotions from his face, no word was necessary. Mixing of fear, worrying, desperately looking for some way out but in the same moment he clearly knows there is none. Unforgettable!
Robert Wise, known for his meticulous work, did spend some time with real boxers inside their dressing rooms, and captured very good the atmosphere among them while they are waiting for their own fight. All the worries, loose conversations, just to kill time, anticipation, hopes, expectations, naturalism to the bone, almost as if you watch some documentary. Although story is not a bit complicated, it is even predictable at a moments we should bear in mind that this movie is based on excellent narrative poem of the same title, by Joseph Moncure March.
Another intresting experiment for that time, two years prior to Fred Zinemann's High Noon, is the unfolding of the story in real time. 73 minutes in a liftime of the aged boxer, at the sunset of his career who still hopes that he's just «one punch away» from fullfilment of his dreams. That one punch he's been waiting for thirty five years.
Truely remarkable movie!!!
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Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
George Tobias
Alan Baxter
Wallace Ford
Robert Ryan
Audrey Totter
Creators:
Robert Ryan (Primary Contributor)
Audrey Totter (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 9780780646384
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 078064638X
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC,
Release date: 2004-07-06
Universal product code (UPC): 053939674828
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 72 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1949-03-29
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)