ROBERT ROSSEN

Bil’s rating (out of 5):   BBBB.5.  USA, 1947.  Enterprise Productions.  Screenplay by Abraham Polonsky.  Cinematography by James Wong Howe.  Produced by Bob Roberts.  Music by Hugo Friedhofer.  Production Design by Nathan Juran.  Costume Design by Marion Herwood Keyes.  Film Editing by Robert Parrish.  Academy Awards 1947.  

John Garfield plays a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who is desperate to make good and take care of his mother after the tragic death of his shopowner father. He starts prizefighting for money, something he did for fun before his father’s death but now must take seriously and do well at, but his obsession with climbing the ladder of success leads to destruction. Anne Revere is memorable as Garfield’s sarcastic mother, and Lilli Palmer lends wonderful support as his girlfriend, but the film all belongs to the lead actor’s powerhouse performance.