The Survivor
Harry Haft is a boxer who fought fellow prisoners in the concentration camps to survive. Haunted by the memories and his guilt, he attempts to use high-profile fights against boxing legends like Rocky Marciano as a way to find his first love again.
- Released: 2022-04-07
- Runtime: 129 minutes
- Genre: Drama, History
- Stars: Ben Foster, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard, John Leguizamo, Danny DeVito, Dar Zuzovsky, Saro Emirze, Zachary Golinger, Laurent Papot, Paul Bates, Svetlana Kundish, Sonya Cullingford, Michael Epp, Erik Contzius, Kingston Vernes, Sophie Knapp, Zachary Golinger, Charles Brice, Scott Alexander Young, John Guerrasio, Pablo Raybould, Amalina Ace, Bálint Magyar, Márk Szekulesz, Aaron Serotsky, Miklós Kapácsy, Andrew Hefler, Kristóf Widder, Patrick McCullough, Peter Linka, Hans Peterson, Katia Bokor, Stephen Saracco, Björn Freiberg, Nikos Brisco, Alan Jouban, Adam Zambryzcki, András Kovács, Gábor Czap, Anthony Molinari, Zsolt Erdei
- Director: Barry Levinson
Comments
- wvfempwolford - 30 December 2023
Ben Foster's performance....and ending with God Bless America
It took me three tries to finish watching this film. Such horrific conditions of survival are hard to imagine. That Harry Haft survived despite PTSD is really beyond admirable. His long-suffering wife has to be commended. I wonder how his son faired in future life. I will research that.
It's not a pleasant film to watch. A stark reminder of man's inhumanity to man. Not sure many people understand or even could imagine such circumstances.
Ben Foster's performance, his physical transformations throughout the film ....well, seem beyond what one could do for a role. I hope he received awards for his valiant efforts. - Vivekmaru45 - 26 September 2022
I highly recommend you also watch Triumph of the Spirit 1989 based on the true story of Greek boxer Salamo Arouch.
I am giving the highest possible rating for this movie for two reasons: sincerity and perspective. The film is the true story of a legendary boxer who survived the infamous concentration camp of Auschwitz, where he was forced to box fellow inmates by an SS overseer.
His name was Herschel Haft and was known by the ring name of Harry Haft. He fought the legendary and undefeated boxer Rocky Marciano in his prime. He lost the match historically by a knock-out in the first half of the third round after receiving a flurry of punches from Marciano. However Harry claimed in his biography, that he was threatened by the Mafia and forced to throw the fight against Marciano.
The movie follows the life of Harry in flashback from his time spent in the Auschwitz camp where he was forced to box fellow inmates to the time when he was given an opportunity to box Marciano. The film is a biopic that also shows the effects such survivors face without adequate rehabilitation. Indeed, Harry was never given rehabilitation. This lead him to suffer from flashbacks of his former prison life and grim struggles for survival. I think more movies like these aught to be made and people should be made aware of how lucky they are not to be born into an era of such hatred.
You may also like: The Great Escape 1963, Papillon 1973 and Escape from Sobibor 1987.
