
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
Flying Padre
Isle of Flowers
The Prince and the Pauper
Martian Child
The Seafarers
Spartacus
The Amityville Horror
Dou kyu sei – Classmates
Super Size Me
Scoop
Strangers on a Train
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Hot Fuzz
Some Like It Hot
A Clockwork Orange
Forrest Gump
Joker
Shutter Island