The Harder They Fall (1956)
1956 · Feature film · 109 min · dir. Mark Robson
No Punches Pulled! If you thought "On The Waterfront" hit hard... wait till you see this one!
- Drama
- boxing film
Synopsis
Jobless sportswriter Eddie Willis is hired by corrupt fight promoter Nick Benko to promote his current protégé, an unknown Argentinian boxer named Toro Moreno. Although Moreno is a hulking giant, his chances for success are hampered by a powder-puff punch and a glass jaw. Exploiting Willis' reputation for integrity and standing in the boxing community, Benko arranges a series of fixed fights that propel the unsophisticated Moreno to #1 contender for the championship. The reigning champ, the…
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Mark Robson
- Writer
- Budd Schulberg
- Composer
- Hugo Friedhofer
- Cinematography
- Burnett Guffey
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- Released
- 1956-05-08
- Running time
- 109 minutes
Cast & crew
Mark Robson Director
Nehemiah Persoff
Jersey Joe Walcott
Val Avery
Peter Leeds
Edward Andrews
Patricia Dane
Michael Lane
Harold J. Stone
Reviews on the Internet Archive
Toro was, in reality, Primo Carnera · a1tube · 2025-03-20
The narrative really solidified against him with the publication of Budd Schulberg’s 1947 novel, "The Harder They Fall." It was a barely disguised portrait of Carnera’s career, later made into a film starring Humphrey Bogart. It portrays Carnera — named Toro Moreno in the film, hailing from South America rather than Italy — as a giant dope, as much the victim of a con as anyone who ever bought a ticket to see him fight. There’s even a scene where a trainer rubs some foreign substance into the eyes of an opponent who refuses to take a dive, then throws the towel in against his wishes.
