GENTLEMAN JIM (Warner Bros. 1942) Warner Home Video
Errol Flynn was the undisputed star of the Warner
Brothers’ swashbuckler. It is a rare actor who can make tights, a flounced
shirt and a flying mane of wig hair appeal as the height of virile masculinity.
Moreover, a good deal of Flynn's heroes spoke in soliloquy or with a cultured
eloquence that, in lesser hands, would have translated into effeminacy. And
although Flynn proved a man in cod piece could stir the dishonorable intentions
of a good many women in the audience, he was equally revered by men who came to
see his pictures, striving to emulate his slick charisma. Still, by 1942, the
actor had grown weary of this reputation in period pictures. Perhaps, it was
the strange similarity begun to creep into all of them that worried Flynn the
most; the formula, foreshortening the longevity of his own aspirations to
become a very fine actor. So too, did the studio aim to keep Flynn for as long
as they could in this mold, only gradually to market him as more than just a romantic
rogue. But Flynn could never entirely escape one tangible aspect of his on-screen
persona - the virile he-man image encapsulated by his outwardly dashing good
looks, at the expense of minimizing an inward strength that Flynn utterly
lacked in reality.
A bout with malaria - contracted during Flynn's early
years in Tasmania - and several venereal diseases acquired along the way, did
much to weaken Flynn's overall health. Chronic back pain and lingering
tuberculosis also left their mark. By the time Flynn was eligible for the draft,
he was classified 4-F for failing to meet the army's minimum health
requirements. Fans occasionally wondered why Flynn never enlisted. But Warner
Brothers kept wraps on the real reasons, even as they continued to cast the
actor as the all-American stud muffin in some of their timely WWII propaganda
movies. But in 1942, Flynn got to play a part that, ostensibly, fit him like a
glove...or rather two, of the boxing variety. Raoul Walsh’s Gentleman Jim
(1942) casts Flynn as James J. Corbett, the first heavyweight boxing champion
to win the world title under Queensberry rules. In years yet to come, Flynn
would often remark that this was the favorite of all his movies. Endowed with
striking similarities in temperament and fighting styles to the real Corbett,
Flynn worked diligently with a boxing trainer to do justice to that noble titan
of the ring and, on the whole, succeeded admirably. During filming of the
climactic boxing tournament, Flynn suffered a mild heart attack. Studio leaks
to the press downplayed it as 'physical exhaustion' brought on by Flynn's
breakneck schedule (the actor had made 4 movies in 18 months). Yet, in
hindsight it had already become apparent Flynn's health was failing him –
conditions exacerbated by his self-destructive, after-hours’ hedonism. It
didn't help matters that Flynn's private life was in shambles. Coupled with the
actor's increasing dependency on morphine and – sometime later, heroin – for
his chronic back pain, Errol Flynn would eventually die, bloated and barely
recognizable, of a massive heart attack only seventeen years later, at the age
of 50.
Gentleman Jim's screenplay by Vincent Lawrence and Horace McCoy
charts Jim Corbett’s rise to prominence in the arena at a time when boxing was
considered a nasty and unsanitary backroom brawl. We first meet Corbett as a
mouthy bank teller. He is unhappy and bored and out of touch with his
superiors. Yet, how to break into the world of fisticuffs? At first, Corbett
does his boxing for the wealthy – a sort of staged amusement not unlike those
indulged in by pleasure-seeking Romans attending the Coliseum. Eventually, Corbett
gains the respect of his peers and is pitted against his boyhood hero - the
undefeated, James L. Sullivan (Ward Bond). Corbett’s skill and stealth in the
ring narrowly defeat this one-time champion. However, it is Flynn’s utterly
poignant delivery of the final exchange in words – not body blows - with
Sullivan that mark the moment and the movie with its meaningfulness. In between
the melodrama, Flynn did some exceptional ‘play’ sparring that, if fake,
nevertheless looked good for the camera. Far more problematic and damaging to
the overall narrative arc, was director, Walsh’s mishandling of the contrived
romance between Corbett and snooty, Victoria Ware (the leaden Alexis Smith) who
– no kidding – warms to Corbett’s inimitable brand of masculinity faster
than you can say ‘knock out.’
The forced bits of humor between Jack Carson (Walter
Lowrey) and Alan Hale (Pat Corbett) do not fit the bill and occasionally seem
sincerely strained and out of place. The picture is not a comedy. Even as comic
relief, this pair are not at all a welcomed addition to the plot. Still, there
remain less of these obvious misfires and much more of the noble spirit among
this brotherhood of men to admire, particularly during the film’s exhilarating
fight sequences. Gentlemen Jim is also blessed with exemplary production
values; Ted Smith’s marvelous recreations of San Francisco, circa the gay
1890’s, exquisitely photographed by Sidney Hickox, provides a sumptuous
backdrop where the melodrama becomes a little more than extraordinary. In the end, Gentleman Jim provides us
with more than just the opportunity to see Errol Flynn in more contemporary clothes
and settings. It gives us the chance to see one of 20th century's
truly inspired leading men of the silver screen, deftly immortalizing another
from the recently bygone era.
Warner Home Video’s DVD exhibits exemplary quality.
The gray scale has been beautifully rendered with deep solid blacks and very
clean whites. The image is crisp with a good showing of fine details. Age-related
artifacts are infrequent. A slight hint of edge enhancement is detected, though
not distracting. The audio is mono but more than adequate for this
presentation. Extras include Warner Night at the Movies, short subjects
and cartoons and an audio only adaptation starring Flynn, Smith and Bond.
Recommended.
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
4
EXTRAS
2
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