Boxing history on film: John Gully (Henry Cooper) vs Otto von Bismarck (Oliver Reed).
1975, Henry Cooper plays the role of retired heavyweight John Gully in the film The Royal Flash. The film is centred around Otto Von Bismarck's visit to London in 1862. Von Bismarck was a highly gifted and ambitious Prussian aristocrat that played a central role in unifying Germany in the late nineteenth century. Upon arrival, Von Bismarck is mocked for his love of academic fencing (at which he excels) and the German culture for accumulating duelling scars as a badge of honour. In return, Bismarck mocks puglism as a contest involving "no skill" between two members of the "lower order". After being labelled "far too old" by Bismarck, John Gully is roused into obliging a request to demonstrate to Bismarck that boxing is indeed scientific, which quickly escalates.
