Invincible (2001, USA)

Aichi Hokeni Shimbun

The historical figure Hanussen was a Jewish magician active during the Weimar era. He reportedly associated with Joseph Goebbels, served as a prophetic adviser to Hitler, and even coached Hitler in public speaking. At the dawn of the Nazi regime, he is said to have schemed to establish an “Occult Ministry.”

The film is set in 1932 in a small town in eastern Poland. Zishe, a young Jewish blacksmith, becomes involved in a brawl after being mocked for being Jewish. Unable to pay damages, he begins earning prize money through feats of strength. Discovered by the entertainment world, he is recruited by Hanussen and brought to Berlin, where he performs at the “Palace of the Occult,” a gathering place for Germany’s elite.

The pairing of Hanussen’s clairvoyance and Zishe’s extraordinary strength gradually gains influence within the Nazi inner circle. Yet Zishe begins to struggle with his identity and publicly declares on stage that he is Jewish. Though initially met with abuse, he soon becomes a sensation—hailed as a modern Samson, drawing long lines of spectators. Meanwhile, anti-Jewish persecution intensifies. It is eventually revealed that Hanussen himself is Jewish. On the verge of achieving his ambitions, he meets his end.

Zishe, grieving his farewell to a pianist he secretly admired, returns to his hometown. Driven by a sense of mission, he warns the public of the looming Nazi threat, but no one listens.

Even those who believe they have risen by aligning with power remain, in the end, mere performers. A life built on conformity to the spirit of the age dissolves into the debris of history. The film also suggests that when prophets and occult figures flourish, it signals the eve of fascism.