There are few words that have not already been said to describe the horrors of the Holocaust of Jews before and during World War II.  What is rightly discussed alongside those atrocities are the sufferings of other peoples deemed enemies by the Nazi regime.  One of the populations to feel the first effects of the Third Reich’s reign of terror was Poland.  In addition to the millions of Jews living in the country, there were many other groups that the German state at that time considered undesirable in the wake of their occupation, beginning in 1939.  By the way, let us not forget that Poland was partitioned that year between Germany and the Soviet Union.  Thousands of Polish intellectuals and soldiers were murdered by the Russians in the forest of Katyn, and in other places.  I say all this not only to underscore the awful nature of what you are seeing in The Champion, but to also clarify what you are not seeing.  Yes, it shows the brutal extermination of Jewish civilians in the gas chambers.  However, the main characters you are seeing in the film come from other sectors of this devastated population.  I had to look it up, so do not feel bad if you watch this and it is not immediately obvious.

The Champion is Tadeusz “Teddy” Pietrzykowski (Piotr Glowacki), and he is a prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.  Before World War II, he had been a professional boxer in Poland.  That ends when he is arrested at his house and forced into this awful situation.  By the way, I should mention the caveat given early on stating that the film is “inspired by true events.”  The basic shape of the plot did happen, but it is difficult to understand why they decided not to make Teddy a captured Polish soldier as he was in real life.  At any rate, his group is told to begin construction of the barracks in which they will live at Auschwitz.  Early on, he hesitantly forms a bond with a young man named Janek (Jan Szydlowski), who too easily allows another prisoner to take his food.  Teddy suggests that Janek better guard his food because not eating means death.  Despite a somewhat cavalier attitude towards his fellow inmates, Teddy continues to help Kropp feed himself, stealing apples from the homes of one of the officers in charge of the camp and share them with Janek and a few others.  When that same officer, the Rapportführer (Grzegorz Malecki), finds out about the theft and finds the perpetrators, Janek and Teddy are taken outside and are about to be shot.  What saves them is Janek reciting a few lines of German poetry, which stays the Rapportführer’s hand, choosing instead to submit the two survivors to beatings.  In the wake of this, Janek becomes sick, prompting Teddy to try to find medicine.  None is forthcoming, particularly from those referred to as “kapos.”  They are German criminals forced to act as an extra set of guards.  They routinely subject the prisoners to random acts of cruelty.  Yet, one of them notices the ease with which Teddy slips punches and shovel slashes, knowing that the prisoner has a talent for boxing.  From this, the idea emerges that Teddy could provide some entertainment for camp personnel by fighting in the ring.  Because of the ignorant racial ideology of the commanding officers, they do not believe a Pole will last long against a string of contenders.  It should also be noted that while as tough as they come, Teddy is not the most thickly built man, his weight class being among the lightest.  Nonetheless, he is given a separate work duty from the rest of the inmates, laboring in the horse stalls.  While there, he is allowed to train between bouts and work.  Further, he is given extra food, which he distributes to his fellow prisoners, and is given access to medicine to help Janek recover from his illness.  For a period, things normalize as Teddy trades blows with a number of different opponents.  His successes bring hope to those being held in the camp.  This fact does not get past the attention of the commanders for long, and soon they begin bringing larger men for the relatively diminutive Teddy to face.  Despite the height and weight difference, he continues to win.  It is other events that disrupt this painful equilibrium.  One night, a girl on whom Janek is sweet is accused of taking supplies out of the infirmary where she worked as an assistant.  He sees her being taken to the gas chambers where she is told to strip naked as preamble to joining the rest of the recent arrivals about to be put to death.  Instead of suffering this humiliation, she manages to grab the pistol of a drunken guard yelling at her and kills him.  Of course, this results in her immediately being shot to death, along with the rest of the gathered Jews. Janek is horrified, seeking comfort from Teddy.  Not long thereafter, Teddy requests to box Hammerschlag (Michel Pluskota), a German boxer of some repute.  Instead of letting Teddy gain another victory, they spike his water and let him get pummeled.  Seeing that he cannot get up, the commanders request that Janek step into the ring with Teddy.  When Janek refuses to fight, the young man is summarily shot.  For his impertinence, Teddy is tied to a pole with his arms over his head for a day, the German word for “champion” written on a piece of wood draped around his neck.  Upon being cut down, he wanders the camp until he finds a charred item from the crematorium that reminds him of Janek.  This drives him back into the ring with Hammerschlag, beating the guard this time.  While the Auschwitz officers are embarrassed, the commandant of another camp is impressed and requests that Teddy be transferred.  This is essentially where the film ends.

When watching The Champion, one aspect that is largely left out of the story is faith.  Of course, given the setting, it is difficult to imagine how anyone can keep their trust in God when so much death and destruction is happening.  Ironically enough, this is something about which the Rapportführer wonders.  Rather than repeat the generality about the mysteriousness of God’s way, which is a perfectly valid point to make when dealing with a tragedy like the Holocaust, I will tell you about something rather surprisingly not covered in the film.  One episode left out is when Teddy challenges a fellow prisoner he witnesses beating another prisoner.  That other prisoner Teddy saved in this situation is St. Maximillian Kolbe.  He was a Polish Franciscan Friar martyred at Auschwitz.  However, not every Catholic the Germans encountered were sent to a concentration camp.  Those who essentially kept their mouths shut remained relatively unscathed.  St. Maximillian Kolbe ended up in Auschwitz because, like Teddy, he resisted German occupation.  His monastery provided shelter for a time for Jewish refugees, and printed anti-Nazi material.  Finally, like Teddy, St. Maximillian Kolbe took the place of a fellow prisoner.  In the movie, Teddy keeps Janek safe from the kapos.  For St. Maximillian Kolbe, he offers himself to be killed in the place of a man hoping to stay with his family.  What is also similar about St. Maximillian Kolbe and Teddy is that they never compromised their identities.  They kept fighting, Teddy with his fists and St. Maximillian Kolbe by administering the Sacraments until the end.  They should be admired for their courage, no matter your faith.  It is just a shame there is no mention of the Catholic considering their historical connection.

Any film that deals with these terrible events like those seen in The Champion is going to make for a tough watch.  Given some of the recent world events, it is still important to see movies like it.  It is not quite as graphic as other examples, but what you see is no less brutal.  May it be a reminder of why we should live in peace with our fellow man.  You cannot evangelize the dead.