|
The Gans-McGovern Fight
Also known as [McGovern-Gans Fight Pictures]
(1901) United States of America
B&W : 600 feet
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: Joe Gans [himself], Terry McGovern [himself], George Siler [himself, the referee], Joe Humphries [himself, the announcer]
The Selig Polyscope Company production; distributed by The Selig Polyscope Company. / Released 13 April 1901. / [?] 35mm spherical format. / The film was shot on 13 December 1900 in Chicago, Illinois.
Documentary: Sports: Boxing match.
Synopsis: [From Selig promotional materials] With the exception of this film there are absolutely no genuine moving picture films representing genuine prize fights on the market. The prize fight films, so-called, are either taken by the fight promoters and retained by them for exhibition, not on sale and cannot be procured, or else they are the boldest fake reproductions put up the day following the fight by cheap, so-called fighters, who endeavor, to the best of their ability and under the direction of the enterprising photographer, to represent or reproduce as nearly as possible the scrap which occurred the evening before between the genuine principles. It is easy to see how very little real value films produced in these ways possess for the average public, which quick to see that the so-called principles in the fight are not the men they are advertised to be, and the fight is not the real thing. This is not only a genuine picture taken while the fight was in actual progress, but the only picture of the kind which can be procured, and the only film which represents the Brooklyn Terror, Terrence McGovern, actually engaged in one of his most famous fights. All of our patrons do not approve of prize fights, but all must admit that no subject shows such wonderful spirit, motion, life and action as a genuine prize fight, and the enormous popularity which these films have enjoyed justifies our patrons in investing in a set of them. The Gans-McGovern fight took place in Chicago in the month of November, 1900 [sic]. The enormous arena was brilliantly lighted by over 600 electric arcs, making the scene as bright as day, and every detail from figures to the remotest corner of the auditorium, as well as the prize ring itself, is accurately and truthfully depicted in this wonderful film. The complete set embraces 600 feet of film, shows all the preliminaries of the fight, the care of the principals by their seconds and two rounds of as fast and furious fighting as was ever seen in the prize ring. McGovern pursued his usual tactics, went in to knock out his opponent without delay, and as Gans was clever on his part, one of the most brilliant and wonderful exhibitions of sparring ever witnessed was caught by our camera and is here reproduced for the benefit of our patrons. Exhibitors who have used this complete set of films will say that they have never shown anything which has been so enthusiastically received and proved so intensely interesting and exciting as the Gans-McGovern fight.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Athletes: Boxers - Sports: Boxing
Listing updated: 15 April 2024.
References: Film viewing : Musser-Emerge pp. 276, 292, 602 : FilmHistory-3-3 p. 253 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
|
