Boxing Gym

2010 film

May 20, 2010 (2010-05-20) (Cannes)
October 22, 2010 (2010-10-22) (IFC Center)^[1]

Running time

91 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Boxing Gym is a 2010 American documentary film edited, produced, and directed by Frederick Wiseman. The film premiered at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2010.^[2]

Critical response

Boxing Gym received critical acclaim from critics. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times designated it an "NYT Critics Pick", and stated that "It's... easy to get swept up by the beats in the film because Mr. Wiseman, among the most celebrated direct-cinema practitioners, eschews voiceovers, talking-head interviews, extraneous footage and the customary and sometimes superfluous like."^[3] Rob Nelson of Variety also praised the film, noting that while it is shorter than most of Wiseman's works, "the viewer learns an enormous amount from [Boxing Gym,] but not at all in the conventional documentary manner", and instead through "images that put the audience in close contact with the boxers’ routines". Eric Kohn of IndieWire remarked that Wiseman's filmmaking method resulted in "an ethnographic snapshot of restless people in their natural habitat."^[4]

References

^ Fernandez, Jay (June 1, 2010). "Zipporah, mTuckman acquire 'Boxing Gym'". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
^ Nelson, Rob (May 20, 2010). "Boxing Gym". Variety. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
^ Dargis, Manohla (October 21, 2010). "Sweat, Blood and Philosophy to the Rhythms of the Sweet Science". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
^ Kohn, Eric (October 18, 2010). "REVIEW | Sweat Ballet: Frederick Wiseman's "Boxing Gym"". IndieWire. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 23 August 2019.