Search - The Harder They Fall on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Not For Children Movie Release: 1956 DVD Release: 01/21/2003 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 48 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Drama, Crime Drama, Film a Clef, Sports Drama

An obviously ailing Humphrey Bogart made his final screen appearance in The Harder They Fall. Adapted from a novel by Budd Schulberg, the film is a thinly disguised a clef account of the Primo Carnera boxing scandal. Bogart is cast as unemployed newspaperman Eddie Willis, who sells his soul down the river when he signs on as press agent for slimy fight manager Nick Benko (Rod Steiger). It is Willis' job to stir up publicity for Benko's newest protégé, Argentinian boxer Toro Moreno (Mike Lane). Benko's boy quickly rises to the top of his profession, though everybody but Toro knows that all the fights have been fixed. Upon learning that Benko intends to bilk Toro of his earnings, Willis regains his integrity, tells the wide-eyed young pugilist the truth, then sits down to write a searing expose of the fight racket. Jan Sterling costars as Willis' estranged wife, while real-life boxers Jersey Joe Walcott and Max Baer are suitably cast as Toro's trainer and ring opponent, respectively. There is also a heartbreaking cameo appearance by ex-fighter Joe Greb, cast as a punchdrunk skid row bum. The Harder They Fall originally went out with two different endings: in one, Eddie Willis demanded that boxing be banned altogether, while in the other, Willis merely insisted that there be a federal investigation of the prizefighting business. The videotape version contains the "harder" denouement, while most TV prints end with the "softer" message. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Humphrey Bogart - Eddie Willis
Rod Steiger - Nick Benko
Jan Sterling - Beth Willis
Mike Lane - Toro Moreno
Max Baer - Buddy Brannen
Edward Andrews - Jim Weyerhause
Jersey Joe Walcott - George

Mark Robson directs Humphrey Bogart in his final film, the boxing drama The Harder They Fall, which comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and Portuguese soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include trailers for other Bogart films. This is a fine release from Columbia/TriStar that will appeal to any Bogart fan or classic Hollywood enthusiast. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide