Movie review: Boxing Gym

[paranday]

Sounds interesting to me:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/movies/22box.html?_r=1&src=me

[StevieMac]

That does sound interesting.

[MsDeville]

Fascinating...

Good find, Paranday! I decided to look for something on YouTube about this documentary... this is what I found.

The official movie trailer, and also an interview of Frederick Wiseman, the director. He's speaking in english, but the voiceover is in French! Still interesting to watch and hear a little of the dialogue in english...

Here's the Frederick Wiseman interview:

Getting back to the New York Times Review of the documentary, the writer (Manohla Dargis) is very good at describing the gym ...and observing the women in the gym:


You notice the women in the documentary right away (at least I enviously did), partly because of their coiled strength and confidence. But you also notice that none of the men seem to be checking them out. Boxing is a gravely serious business at Lord’s, where everything looks battered, not just some of the faces. Most of the heavy bags are swaddled in duct tape, and the walls, lined with mirrors and posters (“Raging Bull”), look as if they hadn’t been painted since Hagler vs. Duran. Speed bags, medicine balls, exercise machines, weights and a large tire (to practice footwork on) clutter the space around a couple of rings. Just outside the door, men and women build bulk and endurance by hitting another tire with a sledgehammer.


It opened last Friday in Manhattan.

[paranday]

Thanks for posting these. I love a movie with bags in it. Hope I can find this again when it comes out on DVD.

[Mrs Mitts]

I definitely want to see this! I hope it comes on the big screen here. From the clips, I can see straight away the 'something' that so appealed to me about the boxing gym I go to. No heating... no air conditioning.... no proper membership cards...ha ha !! but nevertheless a special oasis.

[fingers]

What a great post!! reminds me of the weights gym i have been using for the past 15 years! no heating, no shower, buckets to collect the rain water that runs through the ceiling! and on the very rare occasion a woman trains there she has to share the single toilet with 30 meat-heads there are posters on the wall of the great bodybuilders of the 60s and 70s like Dave Draper, Tom Platz, Bertil Fox, Sergio Olivier,Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc, it is like a time capsule and just how a real bodybuilding gym should be, i have made many friends there, and when i go out and someone says!!hi Fingers!! i realise i know them from the gym as Mrs Mitts says a special oasis!!

[StevieMac]

What a great post!! reminds me of the weights gym i have been using for the past 15 years! no heating, no shower, buckets to collect the rain water that runs through the ceiling! and on the very rare occasion a woman trains there she has to share the single toilet with 30 meat-heads there are posters on the wall of the great bodybuilders of the 60s and 70s like Dave Draper, Tom Platz, Bertil Fox, Sergio Olivier,Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc, it is like a time capsule and just how a real bodybuilding gym should be, i have made many friends there, and when i go out and someone says!!hi Fingers!! i realise i know them from the gym as Mrs Mitts says a special oasis!!

There's some names I haven't heard (read) in a long time!

[Speedbag]

What a great post!! reminds me of the weights gym i have been using for the past 15 years! no heating, no shower, buckets to collect the rain water that runs through the ceiling! and on the very rare occasion a woman trains there she has to share the single toilet with 30 meat-heads there are posters on the wall of the great bodybuilders of the 60s and 70s like Dave Draper, Tom Platz, Bertil Fox, Sergio Olivier,Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc, it is like a time capsule and just how a real bodybuilding gym should be, i have made many friends there, and when i go out and someone says!!hi Fingers!! i realise i know them from the gym as Mrs Mitts says a special oasis!!

So NOW I know where the all the body builder posters went that we had up in the dungeon YMCA weight room! WE had those posters up also, and they disappeared. hmmm.

On the bright side, I've heard a rare side effect of being surrounded by these body builders posters is the ability to play harmonica. (* look at the second paragraph under The Phenomenologies Of Enjoyment )

True Story: I went to a body building training seminar put on by Frank Zane at in Auburn Alabama at Bill Kazmaiers gym. sadly, he didn't play the harmonica but he was a genious in bodybuilding.

[fingers]

Thanks for the great links AK!! I remember Bill Kasmaier from back in the day!! unbelievably strong looked every inch the worlds strongest man!!

I think bodybuilding and the harmonica must go hand in hand!! it must be the way it makes your arms look huge when clamped to your sides during an intense solo! i relate to the part on how music makes you feel, i never used to warm up just let the music flow through me and from me!! and any compliments at the end of the night made me feel happy and humble! the harmonica seems to fire the imagination of many people! that little tin sandwich when played through an old valve amp really is the dogs!!

AK thanks for bringing back some happy memories!

The gym!!...and yes that is mould on the ceiling!

[paranday]

Documentary will be showing in New Orleans:

http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2010/12/verite_documentary_boxing_gym.html

http://www.zeitgeistinc.net/

[novaspeedbagger]

Hey paranday, thanks for posting this news. I live my entire life just outside of New Orleans and although I won't be able to attend from northern Virginia (where I've lived since 2005), it's always good to hear something that hits close to home!

Your sure do post some interesting things! Thanks Man!