Triumph of the Spirit
Triumph of the Spirit | |
---|---|
Robert M. Young | |
Written by | Andrzej Krakowski Laurence Heath |
Produced by | |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Curtis Clark |
Edited by | Norman Buckley Arthur Coburn |
Music by | Cliff Eidelman |
Production company | Nova International Films |
Distributed by | Triumph Releasing Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $12 million |
Box office | $408,839 |
Triumph of the Spirit is a 1989 American
guards' entertainment.Plot
A
The film follows the early life story of Salamo Arouch, though it takes some artistic liberties including the early introduction of wife Allegra (a pseudonym for Marta Yechiel), whom Arouch did not actually meet until after the liberation of the camp.[1][2]
Cast
- Willem Dafoe as Salamo Arouch
- Edward James Olmos as Gypsy
- Robert Loggia as Poppa Around
- Wendy Gazelle as Allegra
- Kelly Wolf as Elena
- Costas Mandylor as Avram
- Kario Salem as Jacko
- Edward Zentaraas Janush
- Hartmut Becker as Maj. Rauscher
Production
Young was reluctant to make the film when he was first approached with the script, finding the topic too momentous to cover; he only agreed to direct when provided a script that focused only on one small element, "like a cork, bubbling on the surface of the sea."
Theme
The title of the film is suggestive of human triumph,[5] a view to which star Dafoe subscribed, but others, including actor Olmos perceived its impact differently: "[W]hat does...[the film] project? The moral decay needed to survive in the camp."[1] Lawrence Baron, the author of 2005's Projecting the Holocaust Into the Present, agreed, stating that "the cumulative impression...undermines whatever uplifting impact its title and publicity imply.... A closer scrutiny of the movie reveals that it is not about the triumph of the spirit but rather about 'choiceless choices', to use Lawrence Langer's term for the dilemma faced by death camp inmates, who were never offered any moral alternatives to prolong their survival."[6] Baron suggests that this message is crystallized in one scene where Arouch is set to fight his best friend Jacko, who has already been beaten by the guards, knowing that the loser will be consigned to the gas chamber; when he balks, his friend is executed on the spot.[7]
Critical reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 63% approval rating based on 8 reviews, with a rating average of 5.50/10.[8]
In its review,
See also
- List of boxing films
- Salamo Arouch
- Harry Haft
- Noah Klieger
- Victor Perez (Tunisian boxer)
- Antoni Czortek, a Polish boxer who fought for his life in Auschwitz. Once with a vastly heavier German member of the SS, who wanted to beat and kill him. Czortek won with his first punch, knocking the German to the floor.
- Tadeusz Pietrzykowski, another Polish boxer famous for his fights in Auschwitz
- The Boxer and Death, (1962) movie based on Pietrzykowski's fights in Auschwitz
- The Champion, (2020) movie based on Pietrzykowski's fights in Auschwitz
- The Survivor, (2021) movie based on Polish heavyweight Harry Haft's fights in Auschwitz
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e Taliabue, John (1989-05-14). "Fighting for life itself in a Nazi boxing ring". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Schindehette, Susan; Jack Kelley; Mira Avrech (1990-02-19). "Boxer Salamo Arouch's Death Camp Bouts End in a Triumph of the Spirit". People Magazine. 33 (7). Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ UPI (1989-03-17). "Notes and news from Hollywood". Deseret News. p. 35. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Broeske, Pat (23 April 1989). "Filming on a Killing Ground : 'Triumph of the Spirit' is the first film to be shot almost entirely at the Auschwitz death camp". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Baron, 90
- ^ Baron, 90-91.
- ^ Baron, 91.
- ^ Triumph of the Spirit, Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 2022-08-08
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1989-12-08). "The Camps as not often seen". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Travers, Peter (1989). "Triumph of the Spirit". Rolling Stone. No. 570. Archived from the original on November 20, 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (1990-01-08). "Hollywood On The Holocaust". Time. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Ebert, Robert (1990-02-02). "Triumph of the Spirit". Retrieved 2009-01-22.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Baron, 92.
- Bibliography
- Baron, Lawrence (2005). Projecting the Holocaust Into the Present: The Changing Focus of Contemporary Holocaust Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-7425-4333-1.