Triumph of the Spirit (1989) on Netflix
Salamo Arouch is a boxer in Thessaloniki. In 1943 the SS send him, his family and his fiancée Allegra to Auschwitz, where the guards put him in the ring against other inmates.
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Trailer
Plot summary
Salamo Arouch works as a stevedore in Thessaloniki, Greece, and boxing is his passion. In 1943 he is seized along with his family and his fiancée, Allegra, and taken to Auschwitz. His father and the rest of the family are held in the camp with him. The SS guards keep him for their entertainment, pitting him against other inmates in the ring. A refusal would bring punishment on his relatives, a win earns extra rations that he can pass to them, and a defeat would send him to the gas chamber. His love for Allegra and his will to keep her alive are what he holds to.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Triumph of the Spirit (1989)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Filming at Auschwitz was done with permission; the production could use some surviving structures but had to recreate a crematory because of the condition of those that remain.
- Director Robert M. Young was reluctant to make the film, finding the Holocaust too momentous a subject, and agreed only when handed a script that focused on one small element.
- The film takes artistic liberties with the story, introducing Salamo Arouch's wife Allegra early; "Allegra" is a pseudonym, and Arouch did not meet her until after the camp was liberated.
