Invincible (2001 film)
Encyclopedia
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 Breitbart
(aka 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, with honesty also pride in one's heritage.
The film features original score composed by renowned German
film composer Hans Zimmer
, co-written with fellow composer Klaus Badelt
. Along with films like The Pledge
(also co-written with Zimmer) this marks one of the first projects of Badelt into the feature film industry
, and one of several collaborations with Herzog as well.
) 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, Benjamin (Jacob Benjamin Wein), 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 Marta 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. In the final scene he is in a delirium as a result of the infection. In a moving vision he sees his younger brother Benjamin flying safely away from the looming Holocaust.
said it was one of the best movies of the year:
On the syndicated television show Ebert & Roeper, Ebert's co-host Richard Roeper
was also enthusiastic, calling the film, "A tremendous piece of work."
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.
As of 24 August 2010, the film has a score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 61% among the 'Cream of the Crop.'
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film written and directed by Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
. The film stars Tim Roth
Tim Roth
Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
, Jouko Ahola
Jouko Ahola
Jouko Ahola is a Finnish strongman and actor. He won the 1997 and 1999 World's Strongest Man, and finished second in 1998. Ahola won the Europe's Strongest Man contest twice in 1998 and 1999, and finished fourth in 1996. Jouko won the World's Strongest Team in 1997 and 1999, and was second in 1998...
, Anna Gourari
Anna Gourari
Anna Gourari is a classical concert pianist.She received her first piano education at the age of five by her parents, professors at Kazan Academy of Music. In 1979 she performed her first public concert. From this year onwards she studied at further renowned piano schools and famous piano tutors...
, and Max Raabe
Max Raabe
Max Raabe is a German singer. He is particularly noted as the founder and leader of the Palast Orchester....
. The film tells the story of a Jewish strongman in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. While based on the real-life figure, Zishe Breitbart
Zishe Breitbart
Siegmund Breitbart , also known popularly as Zishe or Sische Breitbart , was a Polish-born circus performer, vaudeville strongman and Jewish folklore hero...
(aka 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, with honesty also pride in one's heritage.
The film features original score composed by renowned German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
film composer Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
, co-written with fellow composer Klaus Badelt
Klaus Badelt
Klaus Badelt is an award-winning German composer, best known for composing film scores.-Life and career:Badelt was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He started his musical career composing for many successful movies and commercials in his homeland...
. Along with films like The Pledge
The Pledge (film)
The Pledge is a 2001 American mystery film directed by Sean Penn. It is based on the 1958 novella Das Versprechen: Requiem auf den Kriminalroman , by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt...
(also co-written with Zimmer) this marks one of the first projects of Badelt into the feature film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
, and one of several collaborations with Herzog as well.
Characters
The main characters are:- HanussenErik Jan HanussenErik Jan Hanussen, born Hermann Steinschneider , was an Austrian Jewish publicist and clairvoyant performer who lied about his origins. Acclaimed in his lifetime as a hypnotist, mentalist, occultist, and astrologer, Hanussen was active in Weimar Republic Germany and also at the beginning of Nazi...
- (Tim RothTim RothSimon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
) the owner and star attraction in a BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
cabaretCabaretCabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
highlighting acts pertaining to the occultOccultThe word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
. - Zishe BreitbartZishe BreitbartSiegmund Breitbart , also known popularly as Zishe or Sische Breitbart , was a Polish-born circus performer, vaudeville strongman and Jewish folklore hero...
- (Jouko AholaJouko AholaJouko Ahola is a Finnish strongman and actor. He won the 1997 and 1999 World's Strongest Man, and finished second in 1998. Ahola won the Europe's Strongest Man contest twice in 1998 and 1999, and finished fourth in 1996. Jouko won the World's Strongest Team in 1997 and 1999, and was second in 1998...
) a Jewish strongman who works in Hanussen's cabaret. - Marta Farra - (Anna GourariAnna GourariAnna Gourari is a classical concert pianist.She received her first piano education at the age of five by her parents, professors at Kazan Academy of Music. In 1979 she performed her first public concert. From this year onwards she studied at further renowned piano schools and famous piano tutors...
) a pianist who works in Hanussen's cabaret and is also his mistress.
Plot
Siegmund Breitbart (Jouko AholaJouko Ahola
Jouko Ahola is a Finnish strongman and actor. He won the 1997 and 1999 World's Strongest Man, and finished second in 1998. Ahola won the Europe's Strongest Man contest twice in 1998 and 1999, and finished fourth in 1996. Jouko won the World's Strongest Team in 1997 and 1999, and was second in 1998...
) is the son of a blacksmith in rural Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He is fantastically strong, largely from working at hard labor all day. A talent agent sees how strong Breitbart is in his Jewish shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
home and convinces him to move to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
where he can find work as a strongman.
Hanussen (Tim Roth
Tim Roth
Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
), a con-man and supposed mystic, runs a cabaret variety show. Hanussen gives Breitbart a blonde wig and a Nordic
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
helmet and calls him "Ziegfried" so as to identify him with the Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
notion of physical superiority. This appeals to the largely Nazi clientele, and he is a big hit.
A visit from Breitbart's young brother, Benjamin (Jacob Benjamin Wein), 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
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
. 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 Marta 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
Goebbels
Goebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...
. 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. In the final scene he is in a delirium as a result of the infection. In a moving vision he sees his younger brother Benjamin flying safely away from the looming Holocaust.
Critical reception
Invincible received very mixed reviews during its North American theatrical run. On one end of the spectrum, Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
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."
On the syndicated television show Ebert & Roeper, Ebert's co-host Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
was also enthusiastic, calling the film, "A tremendous piece of work."
David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
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.
As of 24 August 2010, the film has a score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 61% among the 'Cream of the Crop.'
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
- 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