The Champ (1931)

The movies have always been an escape for the public, a means to get away from their troubles if only for a couple of hours. Films made audiences laugh, cry, or even think. Some of the very best could make you laugh and cry at the same time, bringing hope in the face of a tragedy. Director King Vidor would try to do just that in his heart breaking tale of a washed up boxer and his young son who's life had fallen on hard times due to his own short comings. Films like The Champ would be produced for years to come, even to this day, as story of struggles and heartbreak with glimpses of joy have always tugged at the heartstrings of audiences. People can relate to struggles and the will to overcome and mixed with tragedy, especially during the period of the Great Depression, which is why a humbly made movie like The Champ would be a successful.

The Champ is the story of a washed up boxer, who is brought down by his weakness to alcoholic and gambling, and his struggles to assemble his life so that he can raise his young son, whom he loves more than anything in the world. Andy Purcell (Wallace Beery) is former heavyweight champion of the world as is affectionately known simply as the "The Champ" by all around him. He is even called "Champ" by his nine year old son Dink (Jackie Cooper), a rather happy kid that knows no other way of life than that of a boxer's son, wishing for better days, but always disappointed by finding his father at the bottom of a bottle or giving away their last penny to gambling. Despite the shortcomings the two love each other unconditionally and Champ only wants to make his boy happy and proud. Their lives would start to change when mistakenly Dink's mother, Champ's former wife Linda (Irene Rich), enters their live. Linda is well off after leaving Champ's life shortly after Dink's birth, but has always been sorry to have lost her son to the custody of the Champ. To better Dink's life Champ lets Linda try to raise Dink up right as he can't seem to hold his life together, which breaks both Dink's and the Champ's hearts. Dink would run away and back to his father who now vows to stay clean and sober even fighting in a match that was thought un-winnable for a man of the Champ's age and health. After a bloody battle the Champ would stand victorious bringing pride to him and his son, but would ultimately cost him his life as his heart gives out leaving us with a scene of a sobbing Dink who would find himself in the comforting arms of his mother.

From the standards of today, the film would seem old or passe. A story of a single father struggling to create a good life for his son has been done numerous times. A modern watcher might not be touched by the film, because of how this similar type of story has been done and redone in new and creative ways, pulling on our hearts in what can be considered more effective ways. Films were different back then and the way audiences watched films were of a different "film language" than that of more advanced audiences of today are use to. Take for example the climactic boxing match. Today's audience is keen with the stylings of Raging Bull and the Rocky movies. The manner in which the boxing match is filmed can be see as crude with the actors flailing their arms about. Unlike today, there was not editing with slow motion shots to heighten the drama of single punches, or grand scores playing over the shots of Dink as he watches in agony his poor father taking a beating from a far superior fighter. This was what they had at that time, so in viewing this film one must understand the way movies were like back in that day and how emotion was portrayed plainly on screen rather than through editing. With all that said the film is quite good considering how ordinary the story may seem, as the story plays out as any audience member might guess it would.

When the picture first came out (remember it was 1931 in the middle of the Great Depression) the movie was panned by critics. Much like anyone viewing the film today, the picture was seen as lacking originality or creativity. Despite many lacking reviews as an artsier drama, the film had heart that was not missed by audiences. The film had its lighter funnier moments as well as its welling of emotions which spills over when the Champ dies. When the Academy Awards were presented, surprisingly over a year after the film was initially released, The Champ was one of the most decorated films at the ceremony taking in the most nominations and the most wins. King Vidor would be nominated for Best Director and the film was up for Best Picture, but the film's wins went to Beery's performance as Best Actor (whom he won over his own co-star Jackie Cooper, nominated for his work in the film Skippy) and for Best Story going to Frances Marion, a previous Oscar winner for his screenwriting efforts. The category of Best Story is one that no longer exists as it would be overtaken by the category of Best Original Screenplay (the two categories overlapped in 1940-1956, but would be combined thereafter).

The film would catapult its two stars, Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery, to the top of their careers. Beery up to now was mainly a character actor, but this the serious role in 1930's Min and Bill and his Oscar awarding performance in The Champ made critics and audiences took notice of his skill. He would be one of Hollywood's top box office stars of the 1930s. Jackie Cooper, who would be the youngest ever nominated for Best Actor at age nine, would with the help of The Champ solidify himself as the 30s first child star. (The 1930s being a big decade for child stars.) Cooper, the once Our Gang member, would have the usual struggles of finding work in his teenage years and into adulthood, turning his efforts to being a successful television executive.

The Champ would be a rather forgettable film in time, serving mainly as a stepping stone for its two stars. Despite the success the two would not get along so well, but continued to make pictures together for a better part of the decade. Whether or not the picture is remember at a good film sits beside the fact that the picture served an important role as an enjoyable distraction for audiences of time when America was hard on its luck. The picture had heart and dealt with loss and at that time Americans could relate. That is why The Champ was a success of its own time.