Cinderella Man
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| Cinderella Man | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Ron Howard |
| Produced by | Brian Grazer Ron Howard Penny Marshall |
| Written by | Cliff Hollingsworth (story & screenplay) Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) |
| Starring | Russell Crowe Renée Zellweger Paul Giamatti |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Cinematography | Salvatore Totino |
| Editing by | Daniel P. Hanley Mike Hill |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios (USA) Miramax Films/Buena Vista International (non-USA) |
| Release date(s) | June 3, 2005 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$88 million |
| IMDb profile | |
Cinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname and inspired by the real life story of former Heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock. The film was produced by Howard, Penny Marshall, and Brian Grazer.
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[edit] Plot synopsis
James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), an Irish-American hard-nosed boxer, formerly a light heavyweight contender, is forced to give up on boxing after breaking his hand in the ring. As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock works at a variety of menial jobs to support his family, but still dreams of somehow returning to boxing and making it big. Thanks to a last minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock gets a second chance to fight but is put up against the number two contender in the world by the promoters who see Braddock as nothing more than a punching bag. Braddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third round knockout of his formidable opponent. Fighting with permanent injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to win and before long he comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public coping with the Depression. Dubbed the "Cinderella Man," in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, he would eventually defeat the seemingly invincible Max Baer (Craig Bierko) to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
[edit] Filming
During filming in Toronto, several areas were redressed to resemble 1930s New York. The Richmond Street side of the The Bay’s Queen Street store was redressed as Madison Square Garden, complete with fake store fronts and period stop lights. A stretch of Queen Street East between Broadview and Carlaw was also made up to appear to be from the 1930s and dozens of period cars were parked along the road. Maple Leaf Gardens was also used for all the fight scenes. Many scenes were filmed in the Distillery District. Filming also took place in Hamilton, Ontario at the harbour for the dock workers' scene.[1]
The TTC's historic Peter Witt streetcar and two more Witts from the nearby Halton County Radial Railway were used for the filming (in the opening scene if you look closely you can see the TTC logo on the streetcar), travelling on Toronto’s existing streetcar tracks (photo of a streetcar repainted for the film).
The filming was done at night, so these important streets could be used during the day.
[edit] Reaction
Although the movie received very good reviews from most critics [2] and audiences, it fared relatively poorly at the box office during its first several weeks. During its North American theatrical run, the movie (which cost $88 million) had earned only approximately $60 million.[3] There are several theories as to why ticket sales were so low:
[edit] Timing
The film was released in summer, the season of the blockbuster. Would-be Oscar nominees are usually released from autumn onwards, culminating around the Christmas holidays. It also coincided relatively closely with Million Dollar Baby, another boxing movie that was extremely popular and well-reviewed. Some fans believe that Russell Crowe's outlandish behavior at a NYC hotel in June of that year where he threw a phone at a worker may have contributed to the poor box office support of his film.
[edit] Depiction of Max Baer
Max Baer is portrayed as a brutal character who behaves inappropriately outside the ring and viciously inside it (to the point of killing two opponents in the ring). Baer's relatives and boxing historians have criticized the film's depiction of him, arguing that he killed only one man in the ring, Frankie Campbell, not two (in the movie, it is stated that he also caused the--slightly delayed--death of Ernie Schaaf, something commonly claimed by the press at the time, but never proven), and was considered by many to be a gentleman. This is supported by historical evidence which shows that Baer's demeanor, both within and outside the ring, was much less brutal than the film portrayed, and he often cracked jokes.
However, the portrayal of Max Baer's style of boxing in the movie is very close to what happened in the actual boxing contest. See external links to view film of real match between Baer and Braddock.
The author of the book on which the movie was based has asserted that Baer was kind, charismatic, loved and respected, and pointed out the emotional pain that Baer endured the rest of his life following Campbell's death, and the fact that he gave purses from his bouts to Campbell's family to help give Campbell's children an education.[4]
The depiction of Max Baer in the film is no different from his depiction in the press at the time, and this image was often used by promoters to attract interest in his fights. Also, the Max Baer on screen never actually boasts about killing Campbell or Schaaf, although he does warn Braddock that he may die if he fights him, and offers to "take care" of his wife once he is gone, blowing a kiss to her as he does so. The real Max Baer (who was also an actor) starred as a much more negatively depicted, hostile boxer in the movie The Harder They Fall, which holds many similarities to him in real life.
Max Baer was actually a Jewish activist--he wore a large Star of David on his boxing shorts in fights. That star makes it easy to distinguish Baer from Braddock in the black and white films of the original boxing contest. See externals links to see original film.
[edit] Exhibitors' refund offers
In a campaign to boost ticket sales after the film's disappointing opening, AMC Theatres advertised on June 24, 2005 that in 30 markets (about 150 theaters nationwide), it would offer a refund to any ticket-buyer dissatisfied with the film.[5] The advertisement, published in The New York Times and other papers and on internet film sites, read, "AMC believes Cinderella Man is one of the finest motion pictures of the year! We believe so strongly that you'll enjoy Cinderella Man we're offering a Money Back Guarantee." The promotion moderately increased box office revenue for a short period, while at least 50 patrons demanded refunds. Following suit, Cinemark Theatres also offered a money-back guarantee in 25 markets that did not compete with AMC Theaters. AMC had last employed such a strategy (in limited markets) for the 1988 release of Mystic Pizza,[6] while 20th Century Fox had unsuccessfully tried a similar ploy for its 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street.
[edit] Nominations
- 2006 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti
- 2006 Golden Globes Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti
[edit] References
- ^ Internet Movie Database - List of Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes compilation of reviews
- ^ IMDB business information
- ^ Turley, Jonathan. "Give the Dead Their Due", Washington Post, September 17, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-04-07.
- ^ Stack, Tim (2005-07-01). Cinde-Refund: AMC is offering refunds to unsatisfied moviegoers -- The exhibitor is giving customers their money back if they didn't like Cinderella Man. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
- ^ Johannes, Amy (2006-07-05). AMC Offers Refund for Cinderella Man. PROMO Xtra. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
[edit] External links
- Cinderella Man DVD Official Universal Studios site
- Film of real contest between Baer and Braddock
- Cinderella Man at the Internet Movie Database
- Cinderella Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- Cinderella Man at Metacritic
- Cinderella Man at Box Office Mojo
- Review of Cinderella Man
- DVD review of the film
- Movie Review Xdafied.com.au
- James J. Braddock Official Site
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