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Storyline
Fact based story about a former Greek Olympic boxer who was taken as a prisoner during World war II and placed in the Auschwitz prison camp. There he was permitted to survive as long as he fought for the amusement of his captors. His father and brother were also held as insurance that he would continue to fight. Written by
John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
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Trivia
This film's opening prologue states: "This film was inspired by the experiences of a young Greek boxer, Salamo Arouch, who was a prisoner in the Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camps during World War II."
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Goofs
The movie shows the end phase of life in Auschwitz and the forced death march as the camp is evacuated. Salamo Arouch is sent to work in the Sonderkomando in the crematorium where suddenly he witnesses the uprising and destruction of what is clearly crematorium II or III. In reality, the uprising occurred in October 1944, months before the evacuation. The SS dismantled the crematoriums over the preceding months and the forced death march evacuations occurred in late January. (In addition, the evacuation occurred in the middle of winter, the movie shows a nice sunny day, where in reality there would have been snow on the ground.)
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Quotes
Gypsy:
Listen, I'm only going to say this once. For those who can hear me tell the rest. First come the SS, our lord and masters. Then comes our block health manager, Kyr. Then come the assistants, Otto and me. Then come the rats. Then come the lice... and then come you.
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In my opinion this is the film that should have won the Oscars, unfairly awarded to the most over-rated film maker of all time, for the most overrated film of all time. Willem Defoe's performance outclasses any of those seen in Schindler's List. This film was made some four years prior to Schindler's List, and the brutal and horrific treatment served up on-screen has far more bite, because this film unlike Schindler's List tells it's story from the perspective of the victims. Which is the only perspective worth making a film of this kind about, otherwise your making an exploitation picture. Nothing wrong with nazi exploitation movies, but they hardly deserve to win Oscars. My score 10 / 10