Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story

On March 24, 1962, Emile Griffith and Benny “Kid” Paret stepped into the ring to fight for the world welterweight boxing championship. In the 12th round, the match was stopped after Griffith mercilessly pounded Paret in the head against the ropes (after which the latter slid to the mat unconscious, slipped into a coma, and died 10 days later). The word was that Paret had called Griffith a “maricón” (a derogatory term for a homosexual) before the fight. Dan Klores and Ron Berger's Ring of Fire tells an interesting, emotionally powerful, and ultimately redemptive story of a reluctant boxer who was originally plucked from his job as a hat designer working in Manhattan's garment district to be groomed into a prizewinning champion. Ironically, although he was extremely fast—in the fatal bout with Paret, Griffith landed over 20 punches in less than five seconds—Griffith seemed to completely lack the killer instinct, but nevertheless continued boxing well into the ‘70s. Featuring excellent archival footage and stills, backed by interviews with New York journalistic lions Pete Hamill, Jimmy Breslin, and the late Jack Newfield (who was also a co-producer), as well as boxing champ Jose Torres, Paret's widow and son, and Griffith himself, Ring of Fire not only traces Griffith's career (although Griffith remains rather coy about his sexuality) before and after the tragic Paret fight, it also looks at the renewed battle that started immediately after the bout to shut down professional boxing (the Griffith/Paret match was televised, and in the aftermath boxing would disappear from TV for 10 years), and captures a heart-wrenching contemporary meeting between Griffith and Paret's now-grown son. DVD extras include audio commentary by the directors, and 17 minutes worth of deleted scenes and outtakes. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)