‘Boxing on Film’ Continues at Sag Harbor Cinema

Celebrating the movies’ long-held fascination with boxing, on August 25, Sag Harbor Cinema continues its series of screenings in conjunction with The Church’s exhibition, “Strike Fast, Dance Lightly: Artists on Boxing,” which closes September 3. The program, which began in June with Scorsese’s “Raging Bull,” has spanned different genres and eras and included special events, like a Q&A with producer Irwin Winkler, who produced “Raging Bull,” the Rocky series and the Creed franchise.

“Boxing on Film” will wrap up with a rare 35mm screening of indie darling Karyn Kusama’s “Girlfight,” with Michelle Rodriguez in her first film role; “Rocco and His Brothers,” Luchino Visconti’s 1960 drama about a Southern Italian family in the industrialized North that inspired Francis Ford Coppola’s and Martin Scorsese’s own immigrant sagas; and Walter Hill’s stunning 1975 film debut, “Hard Times,” with Charles Bronson and James Coburn in a fight for survival in 1930s Louisiana.

“Boxing in film has often been depicted both as a reflection and a metaphor of socio-economic hardship. These three films capture that dimension of the sport in three dramatically different settings: post-War Italy as the economic boom was lifting the North and leaving the South behind; a Brooklyn project in the early 1990s; and New Orleans during the Great Depression,” said Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, the cinema’s founding artistic director. “I love the juxtaposition of eras, grains and filmmaking.”

Tickets for all screenings will be available on the cinema’s website, sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor.

Boxing on Film at Sag Harbor Cinema:

“Girlfight,” dir. Karyn Kusama, USA, 2000; 110 mins., in English, Rated R. Screening in 35mm

Produced by John Sayles and his partner Maggie Renzi and set in Brooklyn’s historic Gleason Gym, Karin Kusama’s debut feature (a sensation at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival) was conceived by its writer/director to subvert the notion of the “boxing genre” as a male-only endeavor. Rebellious teenager Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez, who had never acted before and trained for months in preparation for the part), succumbs to the lure of the ring unbeknown to her widower father.

“Hard Times,” dir. Walter Hill, USA, 1975; 93 mins., in English, Rated PG

In the middle of the Great Depression, Chaney (Charles Bronson) is just looking to catch a break. When he meets Speed (James Coburn), a promoter for bare-knuckle street fighting, Chaney thinks, with his fighting skill and Speed’s savvy, he might have a chance. But Speed has his own problems, and what seemed like a sure thing is not as simple. Directed by Walter Hill from his own script, and also starring Jill Ireland and Strother Martin, “Hard Times” is a legendary debut of one of most elegant and thoughtful stylists in American contemporary cinema.

“Rocco and His Brothers,” Dir. Luchino Visconti, Italy/France, 1960; 179 mins., in Italian with English subtitles

This film is a timeless story of modernity, class tension, and family drama spun across an epic canvas by director Luchino Visconti. Looking for opportunity, five brothers move north with their mother to Milan, find fame in the boxing ring and love with the same woman. Famously labeled by Scorsese as “one of the most sumptuous black-and-white pictures,” Rocco lives up to its praise with a new 4K restoration by the Film Foundation and the Cineteca di Bologna. With an all-star cast including Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori and Claudia Cardinale, this cinematic tale remains equal parts breathtaking and heartbreaking to behold.