When this movie begins, a mother is getting her kids ready for their father's return from work. The way she talks to the young boy you just KNOW something awful will happen to the father. And, within seconds, he is carried home by his co-workers. He's been injured and cannot walk! As a result, the young man must become the 'man of the house'--and this young fellow, 'Joe Thomas', grows up to become a boxer who fights to care for his family (Joe Louis). But between his leaving home to make his fortune and his becoming a famous boxer, Lewis has some adventures with his new friend (Mantan Moreland). And, naturally, his pugilistic talents become apparent and what follows is a typical string of clichés--the same ones you'd see in a Hollywood production. You know, the selfish lounge singer who butters up Joe and gets him to break training, the long-suffering girl back home, etc.. This is not so much a complaint--just an observation about the style of film "Spirit of Youth" is.
So is all this worth seeing? After all, this is a black-produced film--and most of them suffer from minuscule budgets and low production values. Some of this is readily apparent--such as the lack of incidental music and some rough acting (such as Louis--whose delivery was a bit wooden...okay, A LOT wooden). However, it helped having Moreland in the film as he was a true professional--and it was as if he did the talking for both of them! It also fortunately featured Clarence Muse--a very familiar face due to his very prolific career and VERY melodious voice. Can they do enough to make this film worth seeing? Well, yes and no. It's not an especially good film but it isn't terrible (not a glowing endorsement, I know). And it REALLY is interesting from a historical point of view--Louis was an amazing champion and this is one of the few films he made during this period--making it a fascinating curio. For retired history teachers like me, this makes it well worth seeing--whether or not this will appeal to you really depends on your tolerance for these types of films.
By the way, take a look at the IMDb trivia. It sure is sad that censors were worried that the film would not play well in the South as Louis beat his white boxing opponents! Well, this is exactly what he did in real life!! So, what's the problem?! Also, this film was made a year after Louis gained the heavyweight title--a crown he kept for a dozen years.
So is all this worth seeing? After all, this is a black-produced film--and most of them suffer from minuscule budgets and low production values. Some of this is readily apparent--such as the lack of incidental music and some rough acting (such as Louis--whose delivery was a bit wooden...okay, A LOT wooden). However, it helped having Moreland in the film as he was a true professional--and it was as if he did the talking for both of them! It also fortunately featured Clarence Muse--a very familiar face due to his very prolific career and VERY melodious voice. Can they do enough to make this film worth seeing? Well, yes and no. It's not an especially good film but it isn't terrible (not a glowing endorsement, I know). And it REALLY is interesting from a historical point of view--Louis was an amazing champion and this is one of the few films he made during this period--making it a fascinating curio. For retired history teachers like me, this makes it well worth seeing--whether or not this will appeal to you really depends on your tolerance for these types of films.
By the way, take a look at the IMDb trivia. It sure is sad that censors were worried that the film would not play well in the South as Louis beat his white boxing opponents! Well, this is exactly what he did in real life!! So, what's the problem?! Also, this film was made a year after Louis gained the heavyweight title--a crown he kept for a dozen years.