Cinderella Man
The
wonderful “cocktail” of the acting qualities of Russell
Crowe, the narrative ability of Avika
Goldsman and the originality of the
film-maker Ron Howard placed this luxury team and their acclaimed “A
beautiful mind” on a pedestal difficult to overcome. The
reunion of the team to shoot the film “Cinderella
Man” had caused many
interrogations. Above all, the
expectation to see that famous threesome leap from a scientific and academic
world to another world where the hero, far from being in a teaching atmosphere,
is a legendary icon of American boxing.
“Cinderella Man”
is a story of human interest, in which a humble docker is fighting against the
adversities in order to get his family away from poverty. It
is a story of personal improvement and as in the “Cinderella tale”, we
know its ending, but the small details are bringing out the difference. The
atmosphere of the period simulation is exquisite, enhanced with photographic
framings of half-light and ochre tones which are helping to highlight the
reality.
Being
as truthful as possible with this, the producers of “Cinderella
Man” were not sparing the resources to reproduce the severity of the Great Depression. The
meticulous magnificence of the sceneries built on the set, imitating famine and
poverty is a constant paradox.
The
elegance is the other centre of attention in “Cinderella
Man”, the result of the appropriate amount of tenderness, humanity and
dramatic quality, without giving way to sentimentality and melodrama.
Russell Crowe
is a tireless performer, although he has pointed out that the main factors which
have launched him towards his success have been discipline and luck. Crowe has also pointed out that he has tried to get better with
every new film and the different aspects of his acting career, putting in a lot
of willpower and discipline, in this way repaying some of his good luck. He
has described his opportunity to work with Howard
again to be based on their mutual professional confidence. Howard
has pointed out that working with Russell
Crowe is like shooting on a heavenly island; happy because of the place, but
having to fight against the climate. Deep
down, the poetic reference to Crowe´s
acting qualities is corroborating the commitment of this actor with life itself.
Not only did Crowe need advise from veteran ex-boxers; he also had
to undergo a thorough and exhaustive training. Cross, uppercut, jab and
other techniques had to be learned by our hero, besides gaining an exceptional
fitness, always overseen by a personal trainer.
Not for long did our Captain Jack show off his blonde mop of hair
through the seas of fame. When the trumpets at the release of Master
& Commander were still sounding, the polifacetic Crowe was
already wearing a jet black epoch wig, to help him get the feel of “Cinderella
man”.
A quality that is defining the singular temperament of Crowe is his
absolute commitment to all characters that he plays. On the one hand, he
is bursting with confidence over his splendid physique emphasized by his
forcefulness. On the other hand, his obstinate attitude is a
characteristic, doing personally all the risky scenes. So, it does not
surprise anybody that his shoulder got dislocated during one of his early
trainings.
This
meant for him an arthroscopic repair surgery followed by an intense
physiotherapy and several months delay before starting the filming. His
shoulder already had caused some physical problems and he had felt after-effects
since the filming of Gladiator. Without any sort of magic,
oracle or potion, only with the help of a strict diet and a monitored training,
did Crowe achieve the shaping of a fit and spectacular body, able to
emulate the legendary James J. Braddock.
FROM
THE ANCESTRAL BOXING UNTIL THE DEFIANCE OF “CINDERELLA
MAN”
Boxing is not a modern sport, on the contrary, there are vague vestiges,
which situate the art of boxing on the northern African continent, around
6000-5000 BC. Some hypothetical boxing demonstrations probably with a
festive air and playful matches, could be seen along the Nile valley, and
also in the antique Mesopotamia and India.
Archaeological discoveries of boxing relics that were found in the current
Iraq, prove that in 1550 BC boxing celebrations for the masses took
place. Homer mentions boxing in his work “The
Iliad”, an art that came from Egypt and settled in Greece,
and later, around 688 BC, it became an Olympic Sport, which gave us the first
Olympic champion in history: Onomastes from Esmirna.
The Roman empire incorporated the Greek sport into its culture around 27
BC, but gradually this sporting exhibition lost its original qualities, and
finally became a speciality of gladiators, until the spreading of Christianity,
around 40 AC, made all boxing disappear on the European continent.
The
resurgence of boxing, after this long absense, is given a reference in a fight
organized in 1681 in England by the Duke of Albermarle. This
way boxing was reborn, and two contenders, again with bare fists, faced each
other.
Then,
the matches were organized for money, and many times they used
dirty tactics when fighting. From this time James Figg, a
mythical British figure, is standing out. He never lost a combat, and
thanks to him people changed their mentality about boxing, and more and more, he
got supporters for the boxing world.
From
1743 boxing started to lose its unsporting features. The regulations by John Broughton - considered the father of
modern boxing - had among other advances the elimination of punching below the
belt and in general, anything that would put the contender at disadvantage, thus
having the possibility to recover in thirty seconds.
Gradually,
fighters were defining their styles, and rankings for levels and weights were
created, and the glove was introduced as part of the equipment. The rules
by the Marquis of Queensberry in 1872 marked the beginning of regulated
boxing, limiting the length of every round, the breaks between them, the
ten-second countdown and a series of regulations to develop the confrontation
into a modern kind of fighting.
Paradoxically,
the encounters between fighters did not have the support of the British laws in
that period, and many European boxers decided to emigrate to the United States
of America to find better support and rewards in their professional
fields.
So,
a humble family was captivated by their illusion of the American dream, settling
down in a land extremely different from their beloved Ireland. Raw
strength was the common characteristic in Braddock´s family, a necessary
requirement for the lad Jim to survive in the streets of Hell´s
Kitchen.
Life
dealt the hardest blows to this brilliant boxer, but one day his friend
“misfortune” was distracted and suddenly emerged a champion. He
managed to remain at the top for 24 months, from June 13, 1935 to June 22, 1937,
not long, if we compare it with the worldwide record that his fellow countryman Joe
Louis held for 140 months, but without a shadow of doubt, his meteoric
trajectory in worldwide boxing was spectacular.
THE FAIRY TALE OF
“CINDERELLA MAN”
There
was an increasing desire fed among stoves and braziers during the Great Depression;
Braddock dreamed of being a guest at the great royal ball, waltzing and
shaking hands with the “prince of triumph” and having a more dignified life
among the best American champions of Irish ancestry.
Meanwhile, his make-believe step-mother was getting ready behind a wall of
fictional wealth, as best she could, looking forward to attending this luxury
ball.
While
he was day-dreaming in the midst of the ashes of the Great Depression,
when many families had fallen upon bad times, Jim´s step-sisters were
squandering oppulence and luxuries and wasting time on flirtations, rubbing
shoulders with the heavyweight of the boxing aristocracy.
One
day, the fairy godmother appeared in a flash of opportunity with her magic wand,
transforming his illusions and his green dressing gown with its shamrock, into a
lovely carriage driven by the majestic horses of hope.
When
he went to the Madison Square Garden Bowl palace that evening on June 13,
1935, the dance was on the point of starting and the forceful Max Baer
boasted a spectacular reputation among the followers of the “four ropes” of
the ring.
The
crowds there were speculating about the uneven bets 10-1 in favour of Max
Baer, the prince of the maximum heavyweight, while they were gossiping about
the audacity of the recent challenger.
The
beauty that the former dock worker put into his tactics when attacking, left the
powerful boxer Baer so perplexed
that he could not hold out the fifteen rounds of skillful strategy.
At
the end of the match, Baer saw his crown beginning to fall, while Braddock
became the popular hero of the Great Depression. Braddock
is the prototype of boxer idol – known by the nickname “Cinderella man”,
which the oustanding writer Damon Runyon gave him - and since then he is
the icon for imitation to everybody who is waiting for to the visit of the fairy
godmother.
After
his two years of romantic permanence in the great hall, the palace clock began
to strike, warning him about his uncertain future. When Braddock
was signing the contract to defend his worldwide title against the German boxer Max
Schmeling, the first stroke sounded.
Braddock´s
manager - in defence of Jewish organizations that considered Max Schmeling a
citizen of Nazi Germany - refused the contract, and next signed a
commitment to defend his wordwide title against Joe Louis. The
biggest and most significant sporting attraction took place on June 22, 1937. At
the same time the palace clock was advancing towards midnight.
When
the eighth stroke was sounding, the challenger Joe Louis knocked out “Cinderella
man”. The best thing is that the reputation of Braddock
never decreased after his marked defeat, despite the fact that the last strokes
were already sounding from the clock in the great hall.
While
he was hurriedly abandoning the palace and his entourage was fading away, he
realized that he had lost his ephemeral glass-shoe, and he knew that
he had taken more punishment between the fourth and the eighth round than
he had ever received during his sporting career.
Back
home, while he was doing other tasks, he was day-dreaming and hoping that one
day, a royal messenger would appear with the shoe lost at the great ball and put
it back on his foot.
After
winning a match against Tommy Farr on January 21, 1938, Braddock was
encouraged by his wife Mae to abandon the world of boxing, and then he
retired with a record of 52 victories out of 84 matches, including 28 knock-outs
and 21 defeats, and in 1964 the royal messenger finally appeared at his doorstep
giving back the shoe of popularity and since then, his name has remained in the Boxing
Hall of Fame.
Don Parker –
a journalist from The New York Daily Mirror - wrote about Jim Braddock
and his historical dethroning: “the exhibition of courage that the
gallant Anglo-Irishman gave before the final bolt of fighting struck him on the
jaw, awakened admiration and compassion for him in the hearts of the
spectators”. A beautiful
allegory that shows the feeling of admiration and affection towards the man who
once attended the palace without being invited, and danced all night with the
prince of fame.
He
was born on December 6, 1905, in New York. He dropped out
of school at fourteen to work. Joseph - his brother - who already knew
about professional boxing, encouraged him to get started in the world of boxing.
This
way, he began amateur boxing at seventeen, overseen by his brother, and winning
more than one hundred amateur championships. He was never defeated in his
first thirty-eight matches, and achieved outstanding victories over Pete
Latzo in 1928 and Jimmy Slattery in 1929. When he was well into his professional career, his
decline began on July 18, 1929, at the Yankee Stadium, where he was
easily defeated by Tommy Loughram after having challenged him.
Then, until 1933, he continued accumulating more defeats than victories,
and so his name disappeared from the popularity rankings.
He
severely hurt both wrists during a combat celebrated on September 25, 1933
against Abe Feldman. The referee did not have any choice but to
stop the uneven match, considering that Braddock was fighting under
inhumane conditions, despite his bravery and self-respect. Since his
financial position did not allow him to undergo the operation that he needed in
order to go on boxing, he had to abandon the world of boxing.
In
the meantime, he had married Mae Fox in 1930, and she had given birth to
three children. It was a hard time for them, because of the economic
disasters on Wall Street, which showed absolutely no mercy towards
the most humble families. He took on several jobs such as day-labourer,
bartender and docker at Hudson, in order to feed his family.
When
the shadow of unemployment fell on Braddock, he turned for help to his
friends as well as to charity. Sadly, these hard times have been
experienced by many boxers, specially after their withdrawal from boxing.
Later
Braddock decided to return to boxing, considering that his injuries were
healed. He astonished the crowd, who had come to Long Island
City on June 14, 1934 to enjoy an interesting match against John
Griffin.
As
from there his sporting career was back at the top of ranking, winning two
successive matches, firstly on November 16, 1934 against John Kenry Lewis
and the following on March 22, 1935 against Art Lasky, both
confrontations in New York.
An
important date in Braddock´s life was June 13, 1935,
when he was proclaimed worldwide champion of heavyweight, after defeating the
previous prize-winning Max Baer.
His
priviliged situation did not last long - marked by an amazing rise and also a
quick fall from success - but full of constant challenges in an endless fight
against the hard conditions of life enforced by the Great Depression.
This
way, in Chicago on June 22, 1937 he lost his prized trophy, but
not the amount of $ 500,000 that promoters had ensured him, in the event of Braddock
losing the fight. Furthermore, he was ensured ten per cent on profits
over the next ten years, from the promotional career of his contender.
After
he had competed in a match against Tommy Farr in New York on January
21, 1938 and later another one against Clarence Berman on March
26, 1941 in Charlotte, he eventually retired from boxing.
After
running some unsuccessful businesses, he lost the fortune that boxing had given
him. New York again put a stop to his economical difficulties, welcoming
him as a dignified worker, keeping the machinery on Verrazano Bridge
well-greased. He died on November 29, 1974 and despite the fact
that he is considered a modest boxer, he is a well-known figure in boxing. Undoubtedly,
the timely performance of Russell Crowe has favoured the name of Jim
Braddock being added to the list of stars of boxing films.
THE
COMPLICITY BETWEEN HOLLYWOOD AND BOXING DRAMA
The
pioneering film-makers had already showed their first steps in the world of
boxing, giving us images, from the most grotesque parodies to the most tragic
realities of fiddled final scores
Particularly
the 1940s were a landmark in the story of the film industry, filming the best
boxing pictures: “Gentleman Jim“
( 1942 ) with Errol Flynn playing the role of boxer James
J. Corbett; “Champion“
(1949 ) with Kirk Douglas in the role of an ambitious and hypocritical
boxer; etc.
Next
we had the opportunity to see the hidden face of boxing with Humphrey Bogart
in the remarkable picture ”The Harder
They Fall“ ( 1956). Also Paul Newman had his
opportunity to perform Rocky Graciano in the film “ Somebody up there likes me “ (1956).
Many
film-supporters were astonished by the sudden appearance of a rock musician
named Elvis Presley, who performed a rare mixture of punches and ballads
in the film “kid Galahad“(1962).
Later, an unknown Sylvester Stallone won fame with his popular
saga “Rocky“ (1976) leaving
behind him several roles as supporting actor in different films.
Robert de Niro did his bit in “Raging Bull“
(1980), as well as playing the part of Jake La Motta. Even Denzel
Washington - who was a fellow actor of Crowe´s in the cast of
“Virtuosity“(1995)
- appeared on the screen as Reuben Carter in the film “Hurricane
Carter“ (1999).
The
alliance between the Mecca of the film world and boxing has had other strong
reasons, too; so, the film “Ali“
(2001) paid tribute to Cassius Clay, who was inmortalized on the screen
by the actor Will Smith.
One day Clint Eastwood
felt fascinated after reading a screenplay, dealing with a boxer heroine, and he
thought it was a good story for the screen. The
drama of “Million
dollar baby” (2004) is using the pretext of the boxing world to
display both loneliness and melancholy, and when the ring bell is striking, the
heroine is facing another reality, and her dream to become a millionaire is
getting to be a controversy.
This way, we get to “Cinderella
Man“(2004) where Russell Crowe is shining in a spectacular way,
emulating the energetic profile of James J. Braddock with his customary
dynamic brilliance.
There is no doubt that Crowe has a splendid physique as a result of
his training and healthy food and no alcohol. At the same time, Renée
Zellweger with her voluptuous appeal is cautivating us through her sensual
portrait together with the
visceral reactions of the well-built actor. And
so, she is the element of equilibrium in the plot and our inner desire for
success shown in its naivety.
Again Crowe is surprising us with his dazzling acting capacity. With
his visual expression, he is radiating the fighting spirit of the incredible
life of a man, who was facing up to many misfortunes and calamities.
The remarkable performance of Crowe reinforced his talent to
impersonate the fascinating life of an unpretentious, likeable and honest man. His
great and natural capacity for acting gives us the smell of success from the
very first scene, while allowing pleasant memories to colour the moment bringing
to memory the crazy 1930s.
At the same time, we get involved with the man, who became a professional
boxer in an unconventional way, cheering his victories and suffering his
defeats. Obviously, we will find that, as in many films, Braddock´s
life has a happy ending. At the end of the day, what matters is that
there are various possible readings of “Cinderella
Man”. If you believe that “they
lived happily for ever after”, maybe you are not in the wrong …
The
last scenes in a film are not always accompanied by a demonstration of
pyrotechnics and colourful flashes in the sky. The satisfaction of spectators is not measured by a spectacular
ending, but by the intense input of actors who are identifying with the
character that they are playing the part of. The impersonation of Jim
Braddock is terrific and it brings us great memories of the daring Jeffrey
Wigand (The Insider), of the
defiant Maximus ( Gladiator),
of the professor John Nash (A
Beautiful Mind) and of the intrepid Jack
Aubrey (Master
& Commander) pointing out some of the most charismatic characters. It
will not be necessary to set light to the fireworks; Russell
Crowe´s party has not finished and we will see him again playing the part
of characters defeating adversity, either because he has a great similarity with
them or because it is his fate…
Evangelos*