Overview
Stanley Kubrick’s debut documentary, following Irish-American middleweight boxer Walter Cartier on April 17, 1950—the day of his bout with Bobby James. The film traces Cartier’s quiet morning rituals, training, and anxious hours before the match, culminating in his swift victory that night in Newark. Opening with a brief history of boxing, Kubrick’s tightly crafted short captures the discipline, isolation, and tension behind a fighter’s daily routine.
Cast
Vincent Cartier
Self, Walter's twin brother and manager
Walter Cartier
Self
Nat Fleischer
Self, boxing historian
Bobby James
Self, Walter's opponent
Judy Singer
Self, female fan in crowd (uncredited)
Stanley Kubrick
Self (man at ringside with camera) (uncredited)
Alexander Singer
Self
Douglas Edwards
Narrator
Fear and Desire
Coffee and Cigarettes
Flying Padre
Martian Child
Pastoral: To Die in the Country
The Seafarers
Fight for Your Right Revisited
The Killers
Making 'The Shining'
The Amityville Horror
Super Size Me
Scoop
Strangers on a Train
Three Colors: Blue
Spartacus
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
The Pacifier
Fresh
Singin' in the Rain
Some Like It Hot