"The Fight"

Friedie · Post by **Friedie** » 29 Sep 2006, 11:11

It's about The Story of the two Champions Joe Louis and Max Schmeling.

Did someone see this DVD...and it is worth to buy it ?

wouter · Post by **wouter** » 29 Sep 2006, 11:47

Yes it's a good documentary. It's quite frank about Schmeling and doesn't make him out to be the saint that most now seem to think he was.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 29 Sep 2006, 11:49

wouter wrote:Yes it's a good documentary. It's quite frank about Schmeling and doesn't make him out to be the saint that most now seem to think he was.

Hmmm.... Schmeling hid two Jewish boys in his hotel room in 1938 and then helped them to escape from Nazi Germany, risking his life in the process. But he never talked about it, not even after the war.

If there is any real hero in boxing it's Max.

TheRiverCityHippy · Post by **TheRiverCityHippy** » 29 Sep 2006, 11:56

didnt he pay for joe louis funeral too?

wouter · Post by **wouter** » 29 Sep 2006, 11:56

pundit wrote:
wouter wrote:Yes it's a good documentary. It's quite frank about Schmeling and doesn't make him out to be the saint that most now seem to think he was.
Hmmm.... Schmeling hid two Jewish boys in his hotel room in 1938 and then helped them to escape from Nazi Germany, risking his life in the process. But he never talked about it, not even after the war.

If there is any real hero in boxing it's Max.

He never condemned the Nazi system in public until after the war and didn't object to them using him as their Uebermensch of choice.

kick asner · Post by **kick asner** » 29 Sep 2006, 12:08

wouter wrote:
pundit wrote:
wouter wrote:Yes it's a good documentary. It's quite frank about Schmeling and doesn't make him out to be the saint that most now seem to think he was.
Hmmm.... Schmeling hid two Jewish boys in his hotel room in 1938 and then helped them to escape from Nazi Germany, risking his life in the process. But he never talked about it, not even after the war.

If there is any real hero in boxing it's Max.
He never condemned the Nazi system in public until after the war and didn't object to them using him as their Uebermensch of choice.

Now are you talking about Schmelling not Condeming Naziism while living under that system? I Don't think that was allowed.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 29 Sep 2006, 12:13

wouter wrote:
pundit wrote:
wouter wrote:Yes it's a good documentary. It's quite frank about Schmeling and doesn't make him out to be the saint that most now seem to think he was.
Hmmm.... Schmeling hid two Jewish boys in his hotel room in 1938 and then helped them to escape from Nazi Germany, risking his life in the process. But he never talked about it, not even after the war.

If there is any real hero in boxing it's Max.
He never condemned the Nazi system in public until after the war and didn't object to them using him as their Uebermensch of choice.

Sure -- he didn't want to die.
So?

Friedie · Post by **Friedie** » 29 Sep 2006, 12:30

headhunter wrote:didnt he pay for joe louis funeral too?

I don't know...but that could be true. Schmeling never talked out loud about helping other people. But I think some times he gave him money. I heard when Joe visited Max in Hamburg he spent him the Flight to come over.

There are some more people Max helped during the war (e.g. an English or American prisoner of war who was sentenced to death by the Nazis). He used all the left influence he had, coming not from political power (he never joined anny of the the Nazi-Organisations) but from his popularity he still had in Germany to help other people.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 29 Sep 2006, 12:39

wouter wrote:
pundit wrote:
wouter wrote:Yes it's a good documentary. It's quite frank about Schmeling and doesn't make him out to be the saint that most now seem to think he was.
Hmmm.... Schmeling hid two Jewish boys in his hotel room in 1938 and then helped them to escape from Nazi Germany, risking his life in the process. But he never talked about it, not even after the war.

If there is any real hero in boxing it's Max.
He never condemned the Nazi system in public until after the war and didn't object to them using him as their Uebermensch of choice.

He had a family didnt he... if he had spoken out, he or his family would have been imprisoned and killedfrom what I've read about him he was a very brave and honourable man... he helped out Louis in later years when he had no reason to...

wouter · Post by **wouter** » 29 Sep 2006, 12:57

I'm not saying Schmeling was the devil or a Nazi, I'm sure he was a very nice man. Him helping out those Jewish children is a very kind thing to do, but it also shows that he must (to some extent) have known what was going on. I just think him standing a bit less time with his right arm in the air and spending a bit less time hobnobbing with bigshot Nazi's would have been very kind things to so as well.

TheRiverCityHippy · Post by **TheRiverCityHippy** » 29 Sep 2006, 13:06

wouter wrote:I'm not saying Schmeling was the devil or a Nazi, I'm sure he was a very nice man. Him helping out those Jewish children is a very kind thing to do, but it also shows that he must (to some extent) have known what was going on. I just think him standing a bit less time with his right arm in the air and spending a bit less time hobnobbing with bigshot Nazi's would have been very kind things to so as well.

come on, those high ranking nazi`s probably loved being around max, all politicians love to invite sports stars, rock stars, actors etc to their various meetings or rallies.
except with the nazi`s the option of sending a `sorry, i cant make it` wasnt there.

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 30 Sep 2006, 01:51

..schmeling did not pay for joe louis' funeral. frank sinatra did. there was a story that siantra allowed max to chip in because he wanted to, but i checked this out and found it has no substance.

he and louis were in good terms though, after many years had passed after their fight.

maxie and the nazis??? a lot of conflicting stories exist....my take is that he did what he had to do to survive.....but managed to do some decent things too, still with considable risks to himself.

the book i have is BEYOND GLORY. i haven't had a chance to read any of the others.