Invincible 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 (aka Ziegfried or Siegmund) Breitbart, 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:

• Hanussen - (Tim Roth) the owner and star attraction in a Berlin cabaret highlighting acts pertaining to the occult.
• Zishe Breitbart - (Jouko Ahola) a Jewish strongman that works in Hanussen's cabaret.
• Marta Farra - (Anna Gourari) a pianist who works in Hanussen's cabaret and is also his mistress.

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 mythic 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 admits that he is not 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 ministry and so he hobnobs with the likes of Himmler and Goebbels. In the end, he is exposed as a Jewish/Czech con man named Herschel Steinschneider. Hanussen is kidnapped and murdered by the Brownshirts. Breitbart forsees 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.

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 claiming that:

"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 and Roeper, Ebert's partner Richard Roeper was also enthusiastic, calling the film, "A tremendous piece of work."[2]

Eugene Novikov's review for Film Blather was typical for the other end of the spectrum:

"It's perfectly fine to hire unknowns as your leads; less so, to hire unknowns who cannot act. Jouko Ahola, a multiple-time participant in the World's Strongest Man competition, certainly looks the part but cannot deliver lines of dialogue with anything but the broadest outlines of emotion. Whatever Hollywood career he may have in store, he certainly cannot carry a movie; I laughed out loud when I read a review that called his performance 'unaffected.' If y'all say so...The script isn't much better, requiring incapable actors to deliver laughable monologues and carry on some truly cringe-worthy conversations."[3]

As of September 1, 2006, the film has a score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 61% among the 'Cream of the Crop.'[4]

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.

External links

• Invincible at the Internet Movie Database
• Backstory of producer Gary Bart's interest in story, by his sister Judy Bart Kancigor
• "A Tribute To Siegmund Breitbart, Written by Mr. Gary Bart of Forty-Three Productions and Siegmund's Great-Nephew"
• Letter to N.Y. Times regarding the facts of Breitbart's final confrontation with Hanussen

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