Body and Soul

Body and Soul is a 1947 film noir boxing drama which stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer and Lloyd Gough.  Garfield was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Lead role (but lost to Ronald Colman in A Double Life).  Francis Lyon and Robert Parrish won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Body and Soul. 

In the movie, Charley Davis (Garfield) grows up poor in New York City.  His parents operate a candy store.  As a result, Charley yearns to become rich, obsessed with having a lot of money.

As a young man, Charley discovers he has a talent for boxing.  After a while, he attracts the attention of a manager and turns professional.

Charley also meets and falls in love with Peg (Palmer), a woman from a different world, who studies art and wants to be a painter.  She provides Charley with a moral compass other than money.

As the public starts to think of Charley as a championship contender, he draws the attention of Roberts (Gough), a corrupt boxing promotor.  For a chance at the championship, Charley must give 50% of all future winnings to Roberts, who also advances money to Charley, putting him in debt.

Charley wins the boxing championship and starts living a lavish life style as a symbol of his new found wealth, but falls more and more in debt to Roberts.  In order to make a killing on Charley's next fight, Roberts demands Charley agree to lose.  They will all bet against Charley, the favorite.  Reluctantly, Charley agrees.

Peg argues against this unethical decision, but Charley feels boxed in by his debt to Roberts.  Originally, Charley is told he would lose by a decision, but is double crossed when his opponent goes for a knockout in the 13th round.

On the verge of losing the fight, Charley rallies and wins by a knockout in the 15th and final round.  Thus, they all lose their bets.  After the fight, Charley bonds with Peg and tells Roberts he is retiring from boxing.  Love has finally conquered money.

Having lost a lot of money on the fight, Roberts threatens Charley.  Charley responds, "What are you going to do?  Kill me.  Everybody dies."  Those last two words are a repetition of a line Roberts often used.

Then, when Peg asks Charley, "Are you all right?", he responds, looking directly at Roberts, "I never felt better in my life."