One of Conrad Hall's own favourites. He adopted a very naturalistic low light look, keeping the exposure the same interior and out - so external stuff looks over-exposed whilst those dark bars and training rooms remain dark. You'll find no blue skies in this film. The opening montage of the real people of Stockton California were shot by him from a camper van.
The naturalism extends to the acting and fight scenes too. In particular the dialogue between trainers Nicholas Colasanto and Art Aragon is both realistic and funny, like they're an old married couple. Leonard Gardener's screenplay is elliptical - we don't see Jeff Bridges' continuing successes, it's just alluded too. (Huston had spotted Bridges in The Last Picture Show.) And Stacey Keach's relationship with Susan Tyrrell - she as pathetic but real a creation as Marion Bailey's drunk in All or Nothing - is utterly familiar and convincing (she received the film's only Oscar nomination.) Its fatalism is perhaps the most Hustonian thing about it.
Which is well caught in the dialogue:
"How do you like your steak?"
"I don't care."
And - "Did I get knocked out?"
"No - you won!"
Produced by Ray Stark (his own favourite of his films). Edited by Walter Thompson, supervising editor Margaret Booth.
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| When they leave the bar, he zips her up. I thanked him, but I'm not sure he heard me. |
It was a flop. "I suppose the public found it too sad," Huston in summary.
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