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Re: I should have commented sooner

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In Reply to: I should have commented sooner posted by Analog Scott on May 18, 2006 at 12:09:01:

I understand your criticisms, and I do not necessarily disagree. My only point was that for me, not being a boxing fan, whether he wins or looses, whether the fights were real, or the facts surrounding the fights were true, would not have changed the film for me. In the end, I felt I knew about Braddock, and what was really important to him, and what made him a good man. I am not sure any of the qualities that made him a better man were enhanced because of his success in the ring, or whether Howard portrayed the events more accurately.
Now, if the events were fudged in order to portray Braddock as a better man than he was, then I have a problem. Watching interviews with family members, they stated that Braddock was accurately portrayed. At the end of the film, I felt I learned a lot about Braddock. If I was still a little ignorant of boxing history, well, that is okay with me.
Contrast that with Rocky. If Rocky looses at the end, then the film is a downer, everything that went before is wasted effort. If Braddock lost to Baer, well, I really did not care because of how hard he worked and how he was dedicated to his family and faith. Those are the aspects of the film that ultimately, for me, make it a worthwhile film, in light of those event being accurate. Why should Howard be penalized because he filmed a subject who earned the right to have a happy ending and an uplifting life?
Now, Iron Will, that is another matter.

Follow Ups:

Re: I should have commented sooner - Analog Scott 17:55:19 05/18/06 (0)
"I understand your criticisms, and I do not necessarily disagree. My only point was that for me, not being a boxing fan, whether he wins or looses, whether the fights were real, or the facts surrounding the fights were true, would not have changed the film for me. In the end, I felt I knew about Braddock, and what was really important to him, and what made him a good man. I am not sure any of the qualities that made him a better man were enhanced because of his success in the ring, or whether Howard portrayed the events more accurately."
OK fair ennough. that certainly was the best part of the film. But for me that was tainted by the formulaic melodrama and over the top portayal of the fight itself. It drives me nuts to see a film go down the tubes that way. As I said before it was all the more frustrating knowing that a simple portrayal of what actualy went down would have been so much better. A classic case of less is more. I also think he missed the point in the end. The drama was outside the ring. it was in the hearts of those glued to their radios listening to history. That Howard couldn't capture that and had to resort to that damned boxing movie formula just makes the movie a cheap cliche for me. It really ruined it for me.

"Now, if the events were fudged in order to portray Braddock as a better man than he was, then I have a problem. Watching interviews with family members, they stated that Braddock was accurately portrayed. At the end of the film, I felt I learned a lot about Braddock. If I was still a little ignorant of boxing history, well, that is okay with me."
Funny, I don't worry about accuracy per se. A story is a story in the end. I'm not dissatisfied with the movie because of it's inaccuracies. It's because the real events were replaced with cheap cliches where the truth artfully portrayed would have actually made for better story telling. kind of like Titanic.

"Contrast that with Rocky. If Rocky looses at the end, then the film is a downer, everything that went before is wasted effort."

Rocky did loose in the end. Best choice made in that movie. A win ould have been quite cliche.

" If Braddock lost to Baer, well, I really did not care because of how hard he worked and how he was dedicated to his family and faith."

I do care. If he loses he's just another almost who happens to be a nice guy. He was the real Cinderella story. his story isn't interesting without a win. Not because it was important to him but because it was important to the people. And that was unfortunately lost in this movie. There is a reason we route for the underdog and this was the classic story of the underdog we love to route for. What a missed opportunity. Howard should have explored that. instead he showed a stupid cliche of a boxing match.

"Those are the aspects of the film that ultimately, for me, make it a worthwhile film, in light of those event being accurate. Why should Howard be penalized because he filmed a subject who earned the right to have a happy ending and an uplifting life?"
because he missed what made the whole thing special and replaced it with a chunck of tired formula film making.

"Now, Iron Will, that is another matter."

The core of the beauty of a human interest story is always what matters. He got half of it. It's frustrating when I know it's all there in the actual events. It's one thing not to write it from scratch. that's hard. It's another to change it when it is all there to begin with. That's down right irresponsible of an artist.

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