Ring of Passion

Fox's first television attempt to recreate the drama against the backdrop of two of boxing's most famous fights - Max Schmeling and Joe Louis. Max first defeated Joe in 1936, and the score was tied in the rematch in 1938. What does it matter that they both had interesting fates before these fights and even more interesting lives afterward? Although Joe was a very successful boxer, he was not very successful outside the ring. His tendencies to succeed in other sports never worked out well, and he ended up losing all his possessions. Max, on the other hand, caught a second wind after the war and was able to support his friend Joe for many years thanks to his job at Coca-Cola. Truly, these rivals in the ring were enthusiastic friends in regular life, and in doing so they finally buried any impact of American and German propaganda that liked to portray their relationship as politically or racially incorrect. The postscript of this miniature taking place over just two years is the interpretation of Anny Ondra by Peter Sellers' ex-wife Britt Ekland. Alongside other fairly naive performances, Ekland doesn't stand out in any way, while Stephen Macht and Bernie Casey are probably better athletes than actors. Someone even invented on IMDb that Anny is renamed Amy Ondra Schmeling, but that's not true. The captions speak clearly and the mistake is only in the database. Theoretically, the age could also fit. Ekland was 35 at the time of filming, which was how old Anny was in 1937. The costumes, make-up, and sets are pretty out there, and all we’re missing is Goebbels and Hitler with sideburns. The only thing that can be acknowledged with thanks is the mention that Anny was a working actress and that she came from Czechoslovakia. (08/09/2010)