Rent The Harder They Fall (1956)
3.8 of 5 from 81 ratings
1h 44min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Academy Award-Winner Humphrey Bogart stars in one of his most memorable performances as Eddie Willis, a sportswriter who joins forces with a corrupt boxing promoter named Benko (Rod Steiger). Together, they scheme to deceive Toro Moreno (Mike Lane), a clumsy, seven-foot giant, and the public into believing Moreno has a shot at the heavyweight title. Through a carefully arranged series of fixed fights, Toro is duped into believing that he is a capable contender, only to have his dreams - and his huge body - shattered when he is brutally beaten in a genuine fight with the heavyweight champion.
- Actors:
- Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, Mike Lane, Max Baer, Jersey Joe Walcott, Edward Andrews, Harold J. Stone, Carlos Montalbán, Nehemiah Persoff, Felice Orlandi, Herbie Faye, Rusty Lane, Jack Albertson, Val Avery, Al Baffert, Bill Baldwin, Walter Baldwin, Brandon Beach, Emily Belser
- Directors:
- Mark Robson
- Producers:
- Philip Yordan
- Writers:
- Philip Yordan, Budd Schulberg
- Others:
- Burnett Guffey
- Studio:
- Columbia Tristar
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Sports & Sport Films
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like: Licorice Pizza, Films to Watch If You Like...
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/06/2022
- Run Time:
- 109 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary with critics and writers Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme (2022)
- The Final Bout (2022,11 mins): critic and writer Christina Newland examines the making of the film and its relationship to the original novel
- Bertrand Tavernier on 'The Harder They Fall' (2017, 30 mins): archival appreciation by the celebrated filmmaker and critic
- Max Baer Super 8s (6 mins): footage of two famous bouts from the 1930s, featuring the boxer and, later, actor fighting against Max Schmeling, then Primo Camera
- That Justice Be Done (1945,11 mins): George Stevens' short on the Nuremberg trials, made by the Office of War Information and written by Budd Schulberg
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Reviews (1) of The Harder They Fall
Poignant but hard-hitting - The Harder They Fall review by MD
Poignant because it was Bogie's last film. He was dying of throat cancer but refused to stop, carrying on through the pain - you can sometimes hear it in his voice.
That aside, this is a tough, no-compromises look at the corruption in the boxing industry, and how one sports writer was sucked in but recovered his dignity. You will rarely see a more no-holds-barred portrayal of the viciousness of boxing - both inside and outside the rung. Watch it and weep - and enjoy too.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.