64 Day Hero: A Boxer's Tale
British Film Institute • 1h 33m
Directed by Franco Rosso • Documentary • 1985 • 92 minutes
In this compelling and thought-provoking documentary, sports writer and novelist Gordon Williams uses archive footage, as well as interviews with family members and friends, to investigate the troubled life of the mixed-race British boxing hero Randolph Turpin.
In 1951, after defeating the American Sugar Ray Robinson for the title Middleweight Champion of the World, 23-year-old Turpin became a national hero. He held the title for only 64 days before losing a rematch with Robinson. Turpin's reign as a sporting hero was over, and the subsequent years of scandal, bankruptcy and humiliation led him to an early death at the age of 38.
Up Next in British Film Institute
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A Bit of Scarlet
Directed by Andrea Weiss • Documentary • With Ian McKellen • 1996 • 74 minutes
Billed as 'a kind of post-modern queer soap opera for Britain', Andrea Weiss' documentary tells a sharp story. She evaluates the way gay and lesbian people have been depicted in mainstream British film and television....
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Southward with Prince Philip
Directed by Not credited • Documentary • With Prince Philip • 1957 • 12 minutes
Please note that this film contains disturbing scenes of animal cruelty.
In the late 1956 the Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh went on a tour of Antarctica and the South Atlantic, which included visits to Graham Land...
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Royal Children
Directed by Not credited • Documentary • With Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew • 1961 • 19 minutes
This compilation of newsreels sponsored by the Commonwealth Relations Office and the Central Office of Information, portrays the royal children at a young age. The f...
