Ring of Passion (1978 TV Movie) User Reviews (4)

okay

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 31 January 2009]

"Ring of Passion" is a 1978 TV-movie about the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling fights. It stars Bernie Casey as Joe Louis, Stephen Macht as Schemling, Britt Ekland as Mrs. Schmeling, and Allen Garfield as Damon Runyon. The Louis/Schmeling fights, which took place during the time of Hitler, had political implications as well as implications in the international fight arena. Though Schmeling was used by the Third Reich as a symbol of Nazi power, he was not a Nazi. He was, however, a proud German. Louis was an ambitious young man who wasn't very practical with his money. Both were very good men. Both were dynamos in the ring. Their 1938 rematch was considered America vs. Germany.

Though not covered in the film, the two became very good friends, with Schmeling helping Louis financially throughout the years. Schmeling died at the age of 99 in 2005; Louis died in 1981. The Brown Bomber, as he was known, held the world heavyweight title longer than anyone.

"Ring of Passion" has the stamp of a '70s TV movie. The performances are good, but the dialogue is uninspired and the pace is slow. Also, it was strange to see Germans in Germany speaking English with a German accent, which of course, they don't do. However, Stephen Macht, whose last name is German, sports an excellent German accent.

One historically incorrect thing: Schmeling and a tennis friend, Rodney, visit together. Rodney is about to play Don Budge, the American tennis champion. When he loses, Rodney and his family disappear. "Rodney" is undoubtedly Roderick Menzel, who indeed lost to Don Budge in 1938; however, he died in 1987. Apparently, in this movie, with the exception of Louis and Schmeling, if the real-life people were still alive, their names were changed (including Mrs. Schmeling, Anny, called Amy in the film).

My Legs! My Legs! I can't feel My Legs!

[sol1218 · 8/10 · 31 January 2009]

***SPOILERS**** Being considered nothing more then a sacrificial lamb being served up to the up and coming, in the minds of the American sports public, World Heavyweight Champ Detroit's "Brown Bomber" Joe Louis, Berine Casey, former World Heavyweight Champion Max Schmeling, Stephen Macht, shocked the sporting world by flooring Big Joe in the forth round with a pulverizing straight right. Slowly wearing the big guy down Schmeling cornered the "Brown Bomber" in the twelfth and finished him off with a barrage of lefts and rights putting him down for the full count. It was Joe Louis' first defeat as a professional boxer after winning 25 bouts in a row. The place was New York's Yankee Stadium the time June 19, 1936.

The movie "Ring of Passion" has the two fighters work their way back to a rematch two years later where at the time Joe Louis had become the Heavyweight Champion of the Word and Schmeling the #1 contender for his title. By the time the two fighters were to meet their championship bout would become a world wide event between the grandson of a former American slave Joe Louis and the poster boy of the Aryan Master Race Max Schmeling.

The politics that was involved in the Louis/Schmeling rematch was far more interesting then the match itself. Both Adolf Hitler, Barry Denner, and FDR, Stephen Roberts, took a personal interest in their fighters as if the winner would show the world at large who's form of government, Nazi Germany or the USA, is the most successful one. Schmeling for his part wanted nothing to do with Hitler and his Nazis having both a Czech wife Amy, Britt Ekland, and American Jewish manager Joe Jacobs, Mordecai Lawner, whom Hitler insisted that he, which Schmeling refused, get rid off.

Louis for his part was so obsessed in avenging his defeat to Schmeling that he for the first time dropped his usual business-like attitude of dispatching, as soon and as painless as possible, his opponent in the ring and really wanted to put the hurt on him. This in affect would be in Schmeling advantage in Louis losing his cool, by mindlessly going after him, and leaving himself open to his devastating right cross. The punch that put Louis to sleep two years ago.

The film accurately recreates the events of 1936-1938 in showing how the media, in both Germany and the USA, exploited the two fighters in making them bitter enemies, by planting false and misleading stories, to the point where they, at least in Joe Louis' case, were not only out to beat but murder each other in the ring. As the historic match began Louis who despite being a notorious slow started never gave his opponent a chance to breath. With Louis looking for a quick knockout he immediately opened up on the startled, who expected the uncoiling and snake-like Louis to slowly and methodical unwind, Schmeling who was then viciously bombarded with his left-right combinations. Schmeling completely caught by surprise and back peddling was then shoved into the ropes and plummeted unmercifully by the throwing caution to the wind and rampaging "Brown Bomber".

Taking a solid shot to the kidney's, while trying to cover up in a crouching position, left Schmeling almost paralyzed as he dropped to the ground but incredibly got up, twice, to take more of Louis deadly lefts and rights. The fight was finally ended at 2:04 of the first round giving Louis a TKO, the referee didn't bother to count the helpless Schmeling out, as well as revenge for his one and only loss, up until that time, as a professional boxer. Schmeling paralyzed from the waist down with damaged vertebrates and kidneys was rushed to the Bronx Jewish Hospital for emergency treatment.

Both Louis and Schmeling would later become the best of friends despite their bitter rivalry in the ring and later serving on opposite sides in WWII. Louis as a GI Joe spent his hitch in the US Army stateside giving moral boosting speeches, and exhibition bouts for the troops, for the US War Bond Drive. Schmeling served his country as an elite German paratrooper who was injured, when his parachute failed to open,in the battle of Crete and never saw action again.

P.S The decent and hard working Max Schmeling's boxing abilities were unjustly belittled, because of his German nationality, by many unfair US sports and boxing writers in them trying to make him out to be a loyal supporter-which he was not-of Hitler's racist policies. In spite their best, or worst, efforts Max proved to be one of the best heavyweight boxers of his time. Max Schmeling at age 30 beat, fair & square, the legendary "Brown Bomber" at his very prime when Louis was 22 years old. That unlike the two other boxers- 29 year-old Ezzard Charles & 28 year-old Rocky Marciano-who defeated Louis when he was well past his peak, at 36 & 37 years of age, with the devastating power in both his fists being nothing more then a memory of days long gone.

Great real-life story, but not great film realization

[reddpill · 6/10 · 12 February 2009]

I had recently commented to a friend of mine about the generally high quality of movies based on real-life boxing legends. While there were some truly bad films made about fictitious boxers, the biopics seemed quite reliable: Somebody Up There Likes Me; The Great White Hope; Raging Bull; even Ali and Hurricane I felt were decent films that were under appreciated. Thus, when I saw this film about Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, I figured I would give it a shot. While not a terrible film, it was a disappointment.

The story seems a natural: Joe Louis and Max Schmeling were each heavyweight champion of the world for a time in the 1930s (Louis continuing as champion through the end of the 1940s). Louis was a black boxer during a time of widespread racism. Schmeling was a German boxer during the early part of Hitler's reign. Due to the times in which they fought, each fighter's career took on meaning beyond the men themselves, although each wanted fans to focus on them just as boxers and keep the politics out of it.

Given the politics, the two meetings of these great boxers should have made for compelling storytelling, but the treatment here is only so-so TV movie fare. The script was too modest, with no flashes of brilliance to lift it up. The cast consisted of second-tier actors at best who could not breathe life into the film. I would like to see a great film made from this story, but Ring of Passion was not it.

a great retelling of history

[dtucker86 · 6 April 2002]

Someone once said of Joe Louis, "he is a credit to his race, the human race". In an age when we consider someone like Mike Tyson to be a champ, I really wish Joe were still with us. This man was a champ in and out of the ring. I saw this film over twenty years ago and still remember how good it was. Casey and Macht did a wonderful job bringing Joe and Max to life. People have forgotten the symbolism involving their 1938 rematch. Hitler had siezed power and was threatning the world. People saw this as a fight for America. Joe wasn't just fighting for his title and to avenge his defeat, he was fighting for all of us. What is so interesting is that they cast Max as the evil Nazi (people literally danced in the street when he was knocked out) but Schmeling was never a member of the Nazi party and he actually helped save a lot of Jews from the Holocaust! This is something that is not well known. Another fact that is not well known is that after their fights, Joe Louis and Max Schmeling became the best of friends! They were friends until the day Joe died. Max Schmeling is still alive today. He is almost one hundred years old. Someone asked him if he had any regrets and he said he had but one. I only wish Joe were still alive and we were still friends.