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Russell Crowe Triumphs in "Cinderella Man"
Newsmax ^ | June 2, 2004 | Jason Apuzzo & Govindini Murty

Posted on 06/03/2005 7:41:57 AM PDT by GPBurdell

1. Russell Crowe Triumphs in "Cinderella Man"

In "Cinderella Man" (opening Friday, June 3rd), Russell Crowe once again proves that old-fashioned masculinity does not have to be completely absent from the movies.

Directed by Ron Howard, "Cinderella Man" tells the uplifting, real-life story of Jim Braddock, the Depression-era boxer who rose from poverty and the soup lines to become heavyweight champion of the world.

The movie has excellent moral values, and Russell Crowe (Jim Braddock), Renee Zellweger (his wife Mae Braddock), and Paul Giamatti (his manager Joe Gould) all do a fine job portraying the 30s-era characters with conviction and authenticity.

The stand-out of the film, though, is Russell Crowe. The movie itself tells a simple tale of success, loss, and redemption - and Crowe elevates it with the complexity and depth of his acting. At a time when Hollywood seems determined to deride traditional masculinity, it's nice to see an actor like Crowe bring such strength, dignity, and self-confidence to the character of Jim Braddock.

Jim Braddock enjoys success as a boxer in the 1920s, but before he can advance to the top of his profession, a series of debilitating injuries and the stock market crash of 1929 (in which he loses all his money) cut Braddock¹s career short and send his life into a tailspin.

Unable to box, unable to find regular work in the terrible early years of the Depression, Braddock slides into penury. He loses his home and must move into a tiny basement flat with his wife and three children. He is barely able to feed them or keep the electricity on. The only work he can find consists of odd shifts on the docks - but the job requires him to use his broken right hand.

Unwilling to lose the work, Braddock disguises his cast and toughs it out. It still isn¹t enough to support his family, so Braddock must go on welfare and the soup lines in order to keep life and limb together.

After years of hardship, Braddock gets a second chance. His manager Joe Gould arranges a one-time fight for him in which Braddock is supposed to lose. Instead Braddock wins - even though he hasn't eaten all day, hasn't had time to train, and must fight in borrowed boxing gear. Braddock's victory here against tremendous odds is one of the most moving sequences of the film. Braddock literally wills himself to win the fight because if he doesn't, his family will go hungry.

Thus begins his climb back to the top, fueled by love of family, not by a need for fame. When a reporter asks Braddock why he fights, Braddock answers simply, "I fight for milk."

Braddock's commitment to his family is one of many important messages in this movie. Others include fidelity to his wife, perseverance in the face of tremendous odds, optimism, honesty, self-sacrifice and self-reliance.

When his family is hungry and his son steals a salami from the butcher, Braddock makes his son return it. When Braddock starts winning fights again, he returns to the welfare office and pays back all the money the government has given him. When the brutal Max Baer hits Braddock with illegal low blows during the climactic championship fight, Braddock fights back fairly and cleanly.

Braddock becomes a national hero - and a symbol for America's indomitable spirit of courage and optimism. Hollywood makes very few films with good values nowadays - which is why conservatives should support "Cinderella Man," and help ensure that more movies like it get made.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: baer; boxing; boxingmovie; braddock; cinderellaman; film; jamesjbraddock; jasonapuzzo; maxbaer; movie; moviereview; moviereviews; movies; ronhoward; russellcrowe; sports
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To: veronica

Let's see if we agree on something else...I think the HOTTEST actor out there is Julian McMahon. Do you ever watch Nip/Tuck? It's fabulous. That, and the Shield, are the best shows on TV. Well, two of the best. There happens to be alot of good TV these days.


81 posted on 06/03/2005 6:59:47 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: mountaineer
he doesn't explain that he became a hero to the Jewish people by defeating Hitler favorite Max Schmeling.

Max Schmeling wasn't a bad guy either. His story is going to be out soon in "The War to Come."

82 posted on 06/03/2005 7:01:24 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (I am not a romantic, I don't hero worship and no, as a matter of fact, I don't have a heart.)
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To: mountaineer

OOHH Juicy. The guy who played Baer was very good. In fact, so good that when I came home I went to IMDB to see who the actor was. I was suprised I had never heard of him. Crowe can't seem to do anything right, except act that is. He should just learn to keep his mouth shut when it comes to talking about other actors. It's just common sense, if you ask me. (But nobody asks me!!!).


83 posted on 06/03/2005 7:04:33 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: mountaineer
this sort of foppish, Long Island kind of actor-y idea

A Kiwi calling a Long Island boy a fop is like Liberace calling John Wayne a fag.

84 posted on 06/03/2005 7:09:42 PM PDT by Clemenza (The Ice Cream Truck in my Neighborhood Plays Helter Skelter)
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To: Hildy

I beg to differ. Crowe S-CKED in a beautiful mind. He came off essentially as a 2nd rate actor doing a caraciture of a schizophrenic. I like Russell, but Denzel deserve the Oscar that year.


85 posted on 06/03/2005 7:11:32 PM PDT by Clemenza (The Ice Cream Truck in my Neighborhood Plays Helter Skelter)
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To: Clemenza

Welp, we disagree. You don't think it odd that every other award went to that movie EXCEPT to the man who was in every single scene?


86 posted on 06/03/2005 7:12:55 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: Clemenza

Oh, I dunno. All that sheep-shearing they do builds up the arm and chest muscles.


87 posted on 06/03/2005 7:14:08 PM PDT by wimpycat (Hyperbole is the opium of the activist wacko.)
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To: Hildy
I'm sort of biased against most actors playing persons with mental problems. My mom used to work at a mental hospital and I have known real schizophrenics.

That being said, I'm hitting the 10:30 show tonight.

88 posted on 06/03/2005 7:14:36 PM PDT by Clemenza (The Ice Cream Truck in my Neighborhood Plays Helter Skelter)
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To: Clemenza

Let me know what you think. :)


89 posted on 06/03/2005 7:15:04 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: Hildy
Russell Crowe = Hubba Hubba

But even Crowe can't force me to sit through a racing movie, or a boxing movie.

90 posted on 06/03/2005 7:15:49 PM PDT by YaYa123 (@But Russell Is One Fine Hunk.com)
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To: antiRepublicrat

Leonardo DiCrapio gave the most astonishing performance I've ever seen as an autistic teenager in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. I've seen this movie a dozen times and everytime I am amazed at how accurate and consistant his portrayal is. I have an autistic nephew JUST like that. It was incredible.


91 posted on 06/03/2005 7:16:45 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: YaYa123

AHHH.. I love boxing. I really do.


92 posted on 06/03/2005 7:17:21 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: Hildy

"That is one of the most racist comments I have seen in quite some time here. If you believe that, you know NOTHING about acting. NOTHING."

Please. "Jamie Foxx" is hardly an actor. This sitcom star is just Will Smith-lite doing a comedy routine impersonating Ray Charles.

Hollywood has a grudge against anything that represents America without self-loathing: e.g. DiCaprio's cinematic image.


93 posted on 06/03/2005 7:18:56 PM PDT by anticommunist8
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To: Hildy

Mr. wimpycat and I will likely go see "Cinderella Man" next weekend--he can appreciate the boxing, and I can appreciate Russell Crowe.


94 posted on 06/03/2005 7:28:01 PM PDT by wimpycat (Hyperbole is the opium of the activist wacko.)
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To: anticommunist8

That's insane. And to say Jamie Foxx's performance was Will Smith lite not only shows how racist you are, it shows you know nothing about acting.


95 posted on 06/03/2005 7:37:12 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: anticommunist8

That's insane. And to say Jamie Foxx's performance was Will Smith lite not only shows how racist you are, it shows you know nothing about acting.


96 posted on 06/03/2005 7:37:13 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: anticommunist8
Hollywood has a grudge against anything that represents America without self-loathing: e.g. DiCaprio's cinematic image.

What on earth are you talking about? DiCaprio's cinematic image does not represent America. It represents the emasculated boy/man that is the Hollywood ideal. On screen or off he pretty much plays a pretty bone structure with nothing behind it.

97 posted on 06/03/2005 7:41:00 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (I am not a romantic, I don't hero worship and no, as a matter of fact, I don't have a heart.)
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To: Hildy
They weren't so kind to Max Baer, although he was gracious to Braddock after he lost.

Did you see posts 56, 61, 62, 64, 66, and 69? :)

98 posted on 06/03/2005 7:50:34 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

The link for this article no longer exists.

German Boxing Legend Max Schmeling Dies

February 4, 2005

By ROY KAMMERER, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN - Max Schmeling, the heavyweight champion whose two fights with Joe Louis set off a propaganda war between the Nazi regime and the United States on the eve of World War II, died at 99.

Schmeling, one of Germany's biggest sports figures, died Wednesday at his home in Hollenstedt, his foundation in Hamburg said.

The boxer was buried Friday next to his wife, Anny Ondra, in Hollenstedt at a ceremony attended by a small circle of friends, the foundation added. Pastor Olaf Koenitz said it was Schmeling's wish to be buried privately.

"He was a star, but he didn't let fame get into his head," Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.

German President Horst Koehler, on a state visit to Israel, lauded Schmeling as a "great example in sport" and for "his humanity." Formula One champion Michael Schumacher called Schmeling "a man of firm principles."

Schmeling's extraordinary career will be remembered for his bouts with Louis, which produced a lasting bond between the boxers despite a politically charged atmosphere when they fought.

Born Sept. 28, 1905 of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Schmeling became interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.

He became the first German — and European — heavyweight world champion when he beat Jack Sharkey in New York on June 12, 1930, after the American was disqualified for a fourth-round low blow. He was the only German to be world heavyweight champion.

Schmeling lost his title to Sharkey two years later on a disputed decision, but came back to knock out the previously unbeaten Louis in the 12th round on June 19, 1936, which the Nazi regime trumpeted as a sign of "Aryan supremacy."

Schmeling was a 10-1 underdog and his victory is considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. But in a rematch at Yankee Stadium on June 22, 1938, Louis knocked out Schmeling in the first round.

At first, Schmeling was popular in the United States. But by the time the rematch took place, he was viewed as a symbol of the Nazis. The fight was portrayed in both countries as good vs. evil. The Nazis sought to project Schmeling as an Aryan Superman. President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Louis to the White House to exhort the black boxer to beat Schmeling.

Louis, then the champion, sent the German challenger to the canvas four times and knocked him out in 2 minutes, 4 seconds of the first round.

"Looking back, I'm almost happy I lost that fight," Schmeling said in 1975. "Just imagine if I would have come back to Germany with a victory. I had nothing to do with the Nazis, but they would have given me a medal. After the war I might have been considered a war criminal."

After the loss, the Nazis distanced themselves from Schmeling. In 1940, he was drafted into the military as a parachutist. A year later, he was severely injured and hospitalized for months.

Despite the picture of him in the United States as a tool of the Nazis, Schmeling had run-ins with the regime even before the first Louis fight.

Although he had lunched with Hitler and had long discussions with his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, Schmeling angered the Nazi bosses in 1935 by refusing to join the Nazi party, fire his Jewish-American manager, Joe Jacobs, and divorce Ondra, a Czech-born film star.

During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Schmeling extracted a promise from Hitler that all U.S. athletes would be protected. He hid two Jewish boys in his Berlin apartment during Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) in 1938, when the Nazis burned books in a central square and rampaged through the city, setting synagogues on fire. He reportedly used his influence to save Jewish friends from concentration camps.

After the war, Schmeling was nearly destitute and fought five more times for the money. He retired after a 10-round loss to Walter Neusel in 1948 at 43 with a record of 56-10-4 with 39 knockouts.

Schmeling used the money from the bouts to buy the license to the Coca-Cola franchise in Germany and grew wealthy in the postwar era. He also marketed his name, retaining his huge popularity in Germany despite his problems with the Nazis.

Over the years, Schmeling treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American gifts of money. He also paid for Louis' funeral in 1981.

In his final years, Schmeling spent three or four hours a day watching television in his home in Hollenstedt. He remained married to Ondra for 54 years until she died in 1987. The two, who met on the set of a film in which Schmeling appeared, married in 1932. The couple had no children.

"I had a happy marriage and a nice wife," Schmeling said in 1985. "I accomplished everything you can. What more can you want?"


99 posted on 06/03/2005 7:57:55 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: EveningStar

Now that sounds like it would be an interesting movie!


100 posted on 06/03/2005 8:02:53 PM PDT by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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