''The Square Ring'' is a 1953 British tragi-comic drama, directed by

Basil Dearden Basil Dearden (born Basil Clive Dear; 1 January 1911 – 23 March 1971) was an English film director. Early life and career Dearden was born at 5, Woodfield Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex to Charles James Dear, a steel manufacturer, and his wife, Fl ...

and made at

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

. It stars Jack Warner,

Robert Beatty Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK. Early years Beatty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, O ...

and Bill Owen. The film, based on a stage play by

Ralph Peterson Ralph Peterson may refer to: * Ralph Peterson Jr. (1962–2021), American jazz drummer and bandleader * Ralph Peterson (writer) Ralph Wilton Peterson (21 February 1921 – 2 November 1996) was an Australian writer (dramatist and playwright ...

, centres on one night at a fairly seedy boxing venue and tells the disparate stories of the fighters and the women behind them.

Premise

Six stories that take place mainly in the locker room prior to and after various bouts during a single evening at a cheap boxing stadium: ex-champion Kid Curtis (the Docker Starkie role in the original play) attempting a comeback; Eddie Lloyd, a former amateur boxer making his professional debut; ‘Happy’ Burns a chirpy lightweight; Rick Martell, a crooked fighter planning to throw a fight; Whitey Johnson, a punch drunk ‘has-been’; and Rowdie Rawlings, a simple heavyweight. Danny Felton is the experienced ex-pro dressing room attendant.

Cast

Production

The play debuted in October 1952 and was immediately successful. Film rights were bought by

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in West London from 1938 to 1955. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British film ...

at Ealing. In November 1952 he announced

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

would star, with

to direct and

Michael Relph Michael Leighton George Relph (16 February 1915 – 30 September 2004) was an English film producer, art director, screenwriter and film director. He was the son of actor George Relph. Films Relph began his film career in 1933 as an assistant ...

to produce. Relph later said he was reluctant to make the film as he felt box movies were bad box office. Eventually Mills dropped out and was replaced by Canadian actor Robert Beatty. He had no boxing experience so he trained for two weeks with

Dave Crowley Dave Crowley (4 May 1910 – 11 December 1974) was a British boxer. After winning an Area title at bantamweight, he moved up to featherweight, at which he challenged for a world title, before moving up again to lightweight, at which he was Briti ...

in preparation for the role. The play was all male but three women were added to the film. The women included Kay Kendall and Joan Collins, who were both under contract to Rank. Kendall had just made ''Genevieve'' but it had not been released. Collins appeared opposite then husband Maxwell Reed.

Reception

Critical reception was mixed. One review called the film "uneven", accusing it of "veering between comedy and tragedy".Radio Times. Guide to Films (2004). p.1328

References

External links

*
The Square Ring
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

The Square Ring
at Reel Streets {{DEFAULTSORT:Square Ring, The 1953 films 1953 drama films British sports drama films British boxing films Ealing Studios films Films directed by Basil Dearden Films set in England British films based on plays 1950s sports drama films British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films