''Max Schmeling'' is a 2010 German biographical film directed by

Uwe Boll Uwe Boll (; born June 22, 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises which often starred international stars like Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, ...

. The film tells the story of German

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

Max Schmeling Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (, ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cultural ev ...

. It was released abroad under the title ''Max Schmeling: Fist of the Reich.''

Plot

A German paratrooper is seen being injured and receiving treatment in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

during the 1941 German invasion of the island during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He is then detailed to escort a British prisoner of war who recognises him as the famous heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling and asks him to tell his story. Schmeling's boxing matches in the 1930s are then portrayed along with his marriage to the Czech actress

Anny Ondra Anny Ondra (born Anna Sophie Ondráková; 15 May 1903 – 28 February 1987) was a Czech film actress. She began her career in 1920 and appeared in Czech, German, Austrian, French and English films. In 1933, she married German boxing champion M ...

(

Susanne Wuest Susanne Elisabeth Wuest (born September 26, 1979) is an Austrian actress. Career Initially a piano enthusiast as a child, Wuest has since carved out a career in film. She appeared as the vampire Lisa in the web-series, ''Judas Goat'' for the Ed ...

) who dislikes boxing, against a backdrop of the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

rule in Germany. Schmeling has no sympathy for the Nazi ideology and is seen to be protective of his Jewish manager Joe Jacobs (Vladimir Weigl). In 1936, a

fight Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

in New York City with the formidable

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He re ...

( Yoan Pablo Hernández) is arranged despite the opposition of the Nazi head of sport who fears he might lose, because

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

wants it to go ahead. Schmeling trains hard and studies film of Louis in preparation for the fight which he wins following a knockout in the 12th round. He returns home a hero but when he takes on Louis again in 1938, he is knocked out after 124 seconds. He returns home and helps some victims of

Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation fro ...

and when war breaks out in 1939, he obeys an instruction to enlist in as a paratrooper in the

Fallschirmjäger The ''Fallschirmjäger'' () were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. Throughout World War II, the commander ...

rather than fleeing abroad. The story returns to Crete where Schmeling allows the British prisoner to escape. Back in Germany in 1945, with the German Army on the brink of defeat, he returns to his wife. They abandon their country estate to the advancing Soviets and settle in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

. In 1947, Schmeling briefly returns to boxing after failing to find other work before retiring from the sport for good in 1948.

Critical reception

There was criticism of the acting performance of

Henry Maske Henry Maske (, ; born 6 January 1964) is a German former professional boxer and one of Germany's most popular sports figures. He held the IBF light heavyweight title from 1993 until 1996. Amateur career Maske was born in Treuen ...

as the title character, director Boll having selected a real life boxer rather than an actor to play the lead. The plot was also criticized for being "cliche-laden."

References

External links

* * * 2010 films 2010s sports films 2010s biographical films German boxing films German World War II films Films directed by Uwe Boll Films set in Germany Films set in Crete Films set in New York City Biographical films about sportspeople Cultural depictions of Max Schmeling Cultural depictions of Joe Louis 2010s German films {{sport-film-stub Films set in 1936 Films set in 1941

Plot

Critical reception

See also

References

External links