USA,
1999, 90 min
Shown in 1999
CREDITS
- dir
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Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen
- prod
-
Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen
- cam
-
Brett Morgen
- editor
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Nancy Baker, Nanette Burstein
- source
-
Fox Lorber, 54 West 21st Street, Suite 903, New York, NY 10010. FAX: 212-691-6812. EMAIL: ifcplanet@aol.com.
- gga award
-
Silver Spire, Society and Culture—U.S.
OTHER
Breaks are scarce in Brooklyn’s run-down Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where schools are equipped with metal detectors and playground basketball hoops lack nets. Boxing has always offered a crash course in self-confidence and discipline—and an escape route for a determined and talented few—and the road begins at the neighborhood gym. In this empathetic but unflinching portrait of trainer Harry Keitt and three of his fighters, rising documentary makers Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen adroitly sidestep the usual litany of inner-city clichés. George, a Golden Gloves champ and top professional prospect, has to choose between the promises of a fast-talking manager and his loyalty to Harry. Tyrene is a single mother with a devastating jab whose path is impeded by an alcoholic, crack-addicted uncle. Noel is the youngest and the most immature; his haphazard attendance record reflects a typical adolescent aimlessness. Even-keeled Harry, cheerleader and social worker rolled into one, holds it all together, though his own ambitions are shaded by a checkered past. The true power of On the Ropes lies in its intimation that every decision may be a major turning point, illustrating how little margin for error the poor are afforded.
—Michael Fox
FACTOID #343
Director Sally Potter was the first person to be honored with the Festival’s Satyajit Ray Award. In 1993 she was interviewed onstage and her new film Orlando was screened. In 2005, she turned the tables by interviewing Peter J. Owens Award recipient Joan Allen.
