Gentleman Jim - Film Impressions

directed by Raoul Walsh, 1942

Raoul Walsh’s career is that of one diverse and prolific mofo...he made, like William Wellman and Henry King among others, films in virtually every genre of film, often times more than one film a year. And as with any Hollywood ‘auteur’, the more I see of Raoul Walsh’s work, the more I begin to notice and realize certain trends; but its not just one approach, its several. In most of his major films, the character you identify with is a male; and usually quite a masculine one. His heroes tend to be either tragic ones (Roaring Twenties, Uncertain Glory which I haven’t actually seen), romantic ones (The World In His Arms, Captain Horatio Hornblower, Thief of Bagdad), or an amalgamation or complete subversion of the two (They Died With Their Boots On, White Heat, in different ways), and that’s not considering films that defy this trend, like Sadie Thompson, or the freakish Band of Angels (both of which have female protaganists). Of course, this realization may change, but that's the way I see it now.

That observation made, Gentleman Jim falls clearly into the second category if in any...Jim Corbett is an historical figure; a man who revolutionized the sport of boxing in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and this film is essentially a biopic of his entry into the sport up until his taking of World Heavyweight Champion away from John L. Sullivan; and I’m absolutely sure most of it is baloney. Gentleman Jim Corbett is here portrayed by Errol Flynn, and he’s the signature Raoul Walsh hero: a braggart of a man with infinite pluck, who lives to fight and has balls of iron, yet he’s an infectuously lively and handsome devil; a regular Jim Dandy. It’s a perfect kind of role for Flynn; anyone whose seen The Adventures of Robin Hood knows that he excelled at playing roles like that, and getting the audience to like him. Not just his personality; his very physicality works. Flynn notedly trained hard in the fine art of boxing for this film’s making, and it shows. Its really a perfect match, and if anything, the film’s contribution to cinema should at least consist of Flynn

One of Walsh’s greatest strengths is his ability to make time and place feel real. I am not a historian, so I cannot comment on the veracity thereof in this picture, but Walsh again imbues the late 19th century (this time, Sam Francisco) with an incredible *sense* of authenticity. Part of this, I’m sure, is due to the studio. Warner was no slouch, after all, and the movie’s production values are excellent wherever Corbett’s adventures take us; and Walsh furthermore takes every effort to show off these sets and the numerous extras; certainly reflecting his silent film origins. But what really makes the film feel real is Walsh’s handling of characters. I have to disagree somewhat with a point that Tag Gallagher (whom I otherwise feel like a mental midget by comparison) made regarding Walsh; or at least make an addendum Gallagher states that “there are few communities in his movies” and that “the men who follow the hero are rarely individuated”. One of the things which makes Walsh’s films so great, even though they are essentially about that main character, is just how much subtle nuance of character is given here, and how his ever forward-thrusting films nevertheless allow for them to breathe. All of the characters feel relatively real and three dimensional; even Jack Carson’s character; Corbett’s best friend and loyal minion, is given tiny stabs at depth that mean more to me than a lot of the “character” you’d see in some of Ford’s films (and I do love Ford). Walsh’s minor characters make small, almost missable gestures that nevertheless belong only to their characters. Of course, every single one of them loves to watch a good fight, even the preacher.

The film is wickedly entertaining; just like The Strawberry Blonde, with alost every single scene sporting something that is worth a hearty chuckle. But this is a boxing movie, too, and Walsh’s skill as an action director is plain and clear...and considering he’d probably learn how to edit from Griffith himself in the mid teens (Walsh rather famously played John Wilkes Booth in you-know-what), he’d had as much training in the fine art of cutting to build tension as anyone. Not to mention the way he captures the peculiarities of 1890s boxing traditions. I’d say that, for pure entertainment value, this film has at least two of the meatiest and most genuinely exciting boxing sequences in the movies. My only real complaint is that the third, with John L. Sullivan himself (the fight the whole movie is about), seems very one sided in Corbett’s favor, and otherwise broken by an admittedly very good “press montage” as news of the fight circles the country by radio. But every single one is exciting and, despite taking up much screen time, never slow the movie down. Flynn’s character has a definite personality in the ring.

The film has a lot of strong personalities besides Corbett, but among the strongest is perhaps John L. Sullivan, played by the great character actor Ward Bond, who doesn’t get quite as much screen time as you might hope. He, too, is a swaggering buffoon, but if Flynn doesn’t quite look like a heavyweight, Bond’s Sullivan fits the bill perfectly. The two have an amazing chemistry together; even if it is (in and out of the ring) always Flynn in favor. Sullivan is a great big blowhard; indeed its rather amusing to see how he parallels with Corbett in their brashness and swagger (though Sullivan is easily the more ‘vulgar’. The film has a tight rope to walk here...there’s a scene after the fight where Bond interrupts the celebration of Corbett’s win, and the two share a heartfelt moment; a good loser and a good winner respectively. But this moment, perhaps excessively sappy is effectively so, is utterly redeemed in a further aftermath, where Corbett monologues to Victoria his feelings on the former champ. Its one of those rare scenes which expresses something implied, yet its put so eloquently that the movie is all the richer for it. I’ll be damned if this doesn’t somehow manage to be both the manliest and the genuinely sweetest boxing movie ever made.

But perhaps even more important than that is the chemistry between Flynn and his lead actress, Alexis Smith, herself a decent actress (if a far cry from Rita Hayworth and whose character, as with all of Walsh’s ladies, is treated with extraordinary dignity. In a way she’s a love interest, but Walsh has a difficult task ahead of him...its inevitable that the guy gets the girl, but he meets her early on and doesn’t get her till the end. Its handled masterfully; a subtly developed romance over the course of the entire film, that has its ups and downs (mostly downs; its more fun that way after all), and actually keeps the audience in a little bit of suspense as to whether or not they will be together in the end. Characteristically, and perhaps unrealistically (but still just a bit more fun), the arrogant Corbett wins the girl over by just being his annoying self.

So what we have with this film is a remarkable example of how to make a movie. Gentleman Jim woudln’t win any awards for being particularly deep, or meaningful, or for being true to life. But just place it next to most of the other “B.S.” biopics being made in Hollywood, from Henry King’s Alexander’s Ragtime Band (a fictional character, mind you, so more B.S. than usual), Dieterle’s The Life of Emile Zola, and Anthony Mann’s The Glenn Miller Story, and you’re contrasting a competent and decent biographical film with a brilliantly entertaining piece of movie making that’s just as fun today as it was then; a movie that unashamedly and exquisitely gives the audience a damn good time. Chances are, if you can think of a better biopic of the era, its They Died With Their Boots On, Young Mr. Lincoln or My Darling Clementine, anyway, and they’re just as guilty of being bunk as this film is. One of those films is by Walsh, and the other two by Ford. I figure that’s good company. On this, my second viewing, I give this film a much better than solid 86.

Available on DVD as part of Warner Bros.’ second Errol Flynn Signature Collection. It sports a fine transfer, and some supplements which are really unrelated to the feature, as part of Warners’ Night at the Movies. Bare as it is, I'm very glad to own it for myself, and the more I see of Walsh's films over the years, the more I think I'm in love with them.