The Set-Up

Flicks with The Film Snob

The Set-Up

Aug 15 2018 | 00:03:57

00:00 / 00:03:57

Show Notes

This 1949 boxing film, made on a modest budget by Robert Wise, is a model of tight storytelling. Boxing films have been a popular genre since the very beginning of motion pictures, and those who like them usually have a favorite. Probably the most acclaimed examples would be Body and Soul from 1947, and Raging Bull from 1980, and they’re both important and deserving films. The best among those I’ve seen, however, is a bit less famous. The Set-Up, from 1949, directed by Robert Wise, has only three or four sets and a modest length of 76 minutes, and with…

Other Episodes

Episode 0

November 10, 2022 • 00:03:25

Tár

A portrait of a creative genius, a conductor and composer played by Cate Blanchett, explores the dark and unacknowledged heartlessness behind the vigor and...

Episode 0

May 18, 2023 • 00:02:57

M. Hulot's Holiday

The best introduction to the comedy of Jacques Tati is this 1953 film about an eccentric vacationer, M. Hulot, and his bizarre interactions with...

Episode 0

April 13, 2024 • 00:03:31

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The two most famous film versions of Victor Hugo’s novel featured Lon Chaney in 1923, and Charles Laughton in 1939. In 1831, Victor Hugo...