Invincible (German: Unbesiegbar) is a 2001 drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog. The film stars Tim Roth, Jouko Ahola, Anna Gourari, and Max Raabe. The film tells the story of a Jewish strongman in Germany. While based on the real-life figure, Zishe Breitbart (aka Ziegfried or Siegmund), Herzog uses the bare facts of Breitbart's life to weave fact and fiction (e.g., the story is set in 1932 Berlin, a full seven years after Breitbart's death in 1925) to create an allegory of human strength, knowing oneself, and honesty and pride in one's heritage.
Characters
The main characters are:
Plot
Seigmund Breitbart (Jouko Ahola) is the son of a blacksmith in rural Poland. He is fantastically strong, largely from working at hard labor all day. A talent agent sees how strong Breitbart is in his Jewish shtetl home and convinces him to move to Berlin where he can find work as a strongman.
Hanussen (Tim Roth), a con-man and supposed mystic, runs a cabaret variety show. Hanussen gives Breitbart a blonde wig and a Nordic helmet and calls him "Ziegfried" so as to identify him with the Aryan notion of physical superiority. This appeals to the largely Nazi clientele, and he is a big hit.
A visit from Breitbart's young brother convinces Breitbart to be proud of his Jewish heritage, and so, without warning, he takes off the blonde wig in the middle of his act and announces that he is not an "Aryan" and calls himself a new Jewish Samson. This has the effect of making him a hero to the local Jews who flock to the cabaret to see their new Samson. The Nazis aren't as pleased, and Hanussen tries to discredit Breitbart. He tries to make it seem that it was his mystic powers that were the true strength behind the strongman, and makes it look like even his frail female pianist Maria can break chains and lift weights if under his power.
Hanussen knows the Nazis dabble in the occult and hopes to become a part of Hitler's future government. Therefore, he hobnobs with the likes of Himmler and Goebbels. In the end, however, he is exposed as a Czech Jewish con artist named Herschel Steinschneider. As a result, Hanussen is kidnapped and murdered by the Brownshirts. Breitbart foresees what will become known as the Holocaust and returns to Poland to warn the Jewish people of its coming. Unfortunately, no one believes him and he accidentally dies from an infected wound, according to the final titles, two days before Hitler takes power in 1933.
Critical reception
Invincible received very mixed reviews during its North American theatrical run. On one end of the spectrum, Roger Ebert said it was one of the best movies of the year:
"Watching "Invincible" was a singular experience for me, because it reminded me of the fundamental power that the cinema had for us when we were children. The film exercises the power that fable has for the believing. Herzog has gotten outside the constraints and conventions of ordinary narrative, and addresses us where our credulity keeps its secrets."[1]
On the syndicated television show Ebert & Roeper, Ebert's co-host Richard Roeper was also enthusiastic, calling the film, "A tremendous piece of work."[2]
Jean-Luc Godard, who disregards Herzog's remaining film work, greatly admires Invincible, namely for its depiction of the Jewish identity. David Stratton described it as an uninteresting and overly-long take on a fascinating period of 20th century history. However he did appreciate the production values, which were 'solid', and the film had a 'predictably rich' music soundtrack.[1]
As of September 1, 2006, the film has a score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 61% among the 'Cream of the Crop.'[3]
Box office
Invincible opened in North America on September 20, 2002 on 4 theatres, grossing $14,293 USD ($3,573 per screen) in its opening weekend, ranking 85th for the weekend. At its widest point, it played at only 9 theatres, and its total gross is $81,954 USD. It was only in theatrical release for 35 days.
References
External links
