MartinHafer "Invincible" purports to be the story of Zishe Breitbart, a Jewish man who made his living entertaining folks through feats of super-human strength. And, I enjoyed it very much, as the film was well acted (especially Tim Roth--who was wonderfully hateful) and the story was quite interesting. However, being an ex-history teacher, I did what I normally do when I watch biographies or historical films--I did some digging to find out about the REAL Breitbart...and was very disappointed. Let me explain...the film purports to be about a Jew who managed to thrive in pre-WWII Berlin despite the strong climate of antisemitism. It shows Breitbart arriving in the city from Poland JUST BEFORE the Nazis came to power in 1933. And, in the epilogue, the film states that Breitbart died JUST before this Nazi takeover. However, Breitbard died in 1925--when the Nazis were an insignificant force in Germany--particularly in areas outside Bavaria. There was no cabaret filled with jack-booted Nazis watching him perform and it is highly doubtful that Breitbart returned to Poland to warn them of the pending Nazi menace. And, he did NOT die in Poland but in Germany.The bottom line is that the film is all about the Nazis and antisemitism. But, this just wasn't the case and, sadly, tends to diminish Breitbart's life. Why not just tell it like it really was?!

yeah_sure I bought this DVD purely on a lets-give-it-a-try basis, knowing only a few supporting actors, and of course, Tim Roth and Werner Herzog.I cant say I was disappointed with any of the two: Roth delivers a solid performance as usual, and Herzog manages (although barely) to display his straightforward, albeit compelling, style of telling stories, that keeps both the average movie-going folks, and his more artsy fans, happy and debating the qualities and faults.This movie would work much better in German, instead of English - a poor choice of Herzog, in my opinion. The awkwardness does add to the atmosphere, up to a certain point, but not all the way.The same goes for the acting: Roth may seem a bit over the top, but there wasn't really much more that he could do - Ahola and Gourari are below any acting standard, and without pushing his part to the limit, the movie would be as plain as its storyline. To a great extent, Roth carries the story and the movie on his shoulders, from his appearance, until his chilling monologue at the court.However, much of the rest doesn't really make sense, especially after the first half, when our "hum, how refreshing and original" tolerance has worn out. Anna Gourari and Jacob Wein cant act to save their lives, and some scenes, especially towards the end, like the confrontation at the boat, or the speech at the village, seem just cartoonish and laughable.The story is also to blame. Some people may leave this movie convinced that they have watched a "true" story, but as any small research will tell you, Breitbart died years before, never met Hanussen, went to the USA, and sold his strength method, Charles Atlas' style. Herzog chose to make a lively tale out of this, where Breitbart foresees the nazi horrors, etc, while living a 'simple' life - but even without knowing better, the final result looks oversimplified.A final word for Jouko Ahola - at first, I thought he was just some weightlifter, casted somewhat by accident (after listening to Wein and Gourari, one loses all faith in this casting), but he does fit this role with great merit. Extremely real and likable, one doubts that he is even acting - is Ahola playing Breitbart, or is Ahola playing himself, with a borrowed name? He does add to the movie's magic, despite falling short in all the moments that demand more from his acting, than his muscles. But like with his character, I wonder if thats really his fault, or Hanussen/Herzog's fault - like he says, he is «just strong». So strong, in fact, that the real Breitbart looks small in comparison, and so do all the other characters, with the exception of Roth, that he lifts in the air like a child, but without whom he would be lost - in the story, and in the movie.Too bad, that his strong arms cant lift this movie above its rather simplistic premises. Just the first half, Herzog's attention to detail (the shtetl, 1930's Berlin), Roth and Ahola's performances, each for its own reasons, and a few lasting scenes - Breitbart's first performance, breaking the chains and bending the sword, with the music - make this movie a hard 7.

futures-1 "Invincible" (2002): I should always start by saying "Werner Herzog is one of my favorite film makers"… and then go into all the reasons (at least those for which I can find words). "Invincible" is based on a true story (in typical Herzog fashion), and focuses on two main characters – a man who claims to be the Psychic to the Nazis, and, a Jewish peasant strong man from Poland. They meet in 1932, just before Hitler takes power. As a true story, it is absorbing, that's for sure, but in the hands of Werner Herzog, he treats it with greater care and intentions – it becomes a parable, a story worthy of a religious text, a story with all the huge warnings and lessons in Life. Tim Roth plays the Psychic, recreating a wonderfully pompous, secretive, and nasty man at the height of his "powers". Jouko Ahola plays the plain, honest, earnest Peasant, a Strong Man, and the new Samson. His little brother plays a mystical role of near-narrator, a young prophet, a dedicated heart. "Invincible" is a grounded story, more in the style of Herzog's "Strozek" than, for example, his "Heart of Glass". Production values are high, unlike some of his superbly powerful, earlier, lower-budget films with film quality weaknesses I find distracting at times.

Theo Robertson A film broadcast at 2am on channel 4 and starring Tim Roth ! I remember the last movie broadcast on channel 4 with Tim Roth in the credits which was THE WAR ZONE , one of the few movies I've regretted watching due to the depressing content and since INVINCIBLE centres around the birth of Nazism I wasn't expecting too many uplifting moments but I certainly recommend Werner Herzog's strange and interesting drama based on a true story !!!! SPOILERS !!!! In a Polish town the circus arrives and blacksmith's son Zishe Brietbart beats the strongman in a competition and impressed with Zishe's physical strength a theater agent signs him up where he performs at Berlin's Cabaret Of The Occult which is owned by Danish nobleman Hanussen . Since it's 1932 the Nazis are on the rise so Hanussen reinvents Zishe as " Siegfried " and shows his predominantly Nazi audience the physical strength of this Ayran . Hanussen shows this as proof of Ayran superiority while at the same time impressing his audience with his own occult powers . However despite his own naked opportunist agenda Hanussen has a secret of his own that he doesn't want known to his audience ...Some people may claim how ridiculously ironic it is having a Jew pretending to be an Ayran strongman in order to put forward a racist agenda but this I feel is the whole point of the story which one has a feeling has been turned into a fable rather than a story that has stuck to rigid facts . Certainly the most bitter irony about the rise of Nazism is that one of the architects of Nazi philosophy Alfred Rosenberg had a Jewish name while Hitler , Heydrich and Eichmann were of Jewish descent themselves ( Though technically not Jews - According to tradition if your mother wasn't a Jew neither are you ) so people with an irony deficency will have a problem understanding this beautiful and intelligent film And I don't apologise for thinking this is a beautiful and intelligent film , it might not have the reputation of Herzog's other films like the painfully overrated FITZCARRALDO but it's one I can certainly recommend for a mainstream audience . However there is one serious flaw that stands out and that is the casting of Jouko Ahola as Zishe . You do get the gut instinct that Herzog wanted to cast a certain Austrian body builder turned politician in the lead role and it's impossible to watch Ahola without being reminded of Big Arnie except Ahola is an even more wooden actor and his lack of thespian skills is made even more obvious when he's playing opposite Tim Roth is one of his most impressive roles which slightly damages the movie