Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 14, 2025

Robert Rossen's "Body and Soul" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by author and critic Alan K. Rode. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Halfway through Body and Soul John Garfield’s character, Charley Davis, realizes what virtually all very successful people do. The top, where they have always wanted to be, is a lonely place.

Davis realizes he is alone at the top after becoming a boxing champion and spending some time living the good life. His next move is a familiar one. Like other successful people before him, he rushes to repair relationships that meant a lot to him while he was dreaming big. One of these relationships is with Peg Born (Lilli Palmer), a girl he never stopped loving and planned to marry but brushed aside to keep on winning. Davis also attempts to reconnect with his mother, Anna (Anne Revere), who was the first to tell him in his face that trading a marriage with Peg for money is a mistake.

While reevaluating his past, Davis also discovers that the world of professional boxing is not dominated by great fighters but by sleazy characters with deep pockets. Like Roberts (Lloyd Gough), who pulls the strings of all champions and removes the ones that are not willing to work with him, and Quinn (William Conrad), his manager, whose only interest is to keep enriching himself. When Ben Chaplin (Canada Lee), the previous champion, who has suffered a severe head injury, dies before him, Davis also realizes that it is only a matter of time before he runs out of time.

It is partially why Davis agrees to take a dive for Roberts, who offers him enough cash to disable his moral consciousness. After creating a seemingly better way out of the boxing business for himself than the previous champion, however, Davids changes his mind and walks away a winner again.

Apparently, the current ending of Body and Soul was not always the preferred one. There was a second, a lot bleaker ending that was seriously considered. In it, after breaking his promise to take a dive, Davis was taken out by Robert’s men in a pretty dramatic way. While it is difficult to guess exactly how this ending would have looked, it is pretty easy to conclude that it would have made Body and Soul a much better film. The current ending is too sweet and naïve, causing too much damage to the integrity of Davis’ story. (This is one of the key reasons why Robert Wise’s The Set-Up is a better film. After he breaks a similar arrangement, Robert Ryan’s boxer gets what he is promised if he changes his mind -- a serious beating that ends his career).

But Body and Soul still produces a lot of visuals whose authenticity is undeniable. There is a good reason for this. Garfield is surrounded by various professionals and his biggest opponent at the end is Artie Dorrell, a Texas-based boxer who had a good record. In this fight, for instance, it is quite easy to see that the punches Garfield and Dorrell exchange are not faked. They are just not as intense as they would be in a legitimate fight.

The second woman who has a major part in the champion’s life is played by Hazel Brooks, a truly stunning beauty, who should have been the star of many classic film noirs. Brooks nails her part. She looks and behaves exactly like an ambitious dreamer who, like the champion, would sacrifice anything and, more importantly, anyone to get what she is after. Unfortunately, her potential is not fully utilized because her character is in limited material.

A very large number of the people that made Body and Soul, Garfield included, were either members of the Communist Party or affiliated with communist activities. In the early 1950s, they were summoned before the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Rossen, who was a member of the Communist Party, named many other communists working in Hollywood, including Polonsky.

*Kino Lorber's release introduces a new 4K restoration of Body and Soul. It was prepared at Paramount Pictures in 2021.

Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Body and Soul arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Body and Soul made its high-definition debut with this release produced by Olive Films in 2012. I have it in my library. This release introduces a new 4K restoration of Body and Soul, prepared at Paramount Pictures in 2021.

While the previous release offers a pretty good presentation of the film, this release makes it possible to experience it in an entirely new, decisively superior way. Indeed, all visuals now have a better and more attractive organic appearance, so the entire film just looks more convincing. If you have a large screen, I think you will quickly realize that the gap in quality is undeniable because the improvements are in many different areas. For example, facial close-ups are a lot more natural because grain exposure is superior. The same can be said about darker nuances, especially where there are multiple layers of shadow nuances. Blacks, grays, and whites are simply better balanced. On the previous release, in many areas grain exposure is not optimal. As a result, often times grain can appear underexposed and even smeary, causing fluctuations in terms of delineation and clarity that are no inherited. Also, while there is some room for minor cosmetic work, on this presentation there are no distracting surface imperfections, small or big, so all visuals look healthier, too. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. There are no stability issues. However, if you turn up the volume slightly more, in some areas you will notice some extremely light background hiss trying to sneak in. It is never distracting. It is very possible that it is inherited, so it was left as is. Dynamic intensity is decent for a film from the late 1940s.

Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Alan K. Rode.

Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the real world, Charley Davis' fate would have been different. It is why The Set-Up is a vastly superior film. Professional boxers, or any public figure of some prominence that agrees to participate in a massive scheme where a lot of money is supposed to be transferred from one place to another and backs out of it, will be dealt with. It is just how this 'business' works, and has always worked. But Davis' journey to the top and inevitable realization that it is a very lonely place is still a great one, so consider picking up Body and Soul for your collection. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release introduces a wonderful new 4K restoration, completed at Paramount Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.