“The Survivor”, the upcoming film about boxer and Holocaust survivor Harry Haft, will premiere on HBO and HBO Max next month. The debut is scheduled for April 27th, Holocaust Remembrance Day, at 8 p.m. Eastern on HBO and streaming on HBO Max.
Bad Left Hook first shared news of HBO’s acquisition of the film after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. Now we have a release date, and an official trailer you can see right here:
WarnerMedia/HBO describes the film thusly:
[Ben] Foster stars in the title role as Haft who, after being sent to Auschwitz, survives not only the unspeakable horrors of the camp, but the gladiatorial boxing spectacle he is forced to perform with his fellow prisoners for the amusement of his captors. Unbeknownst to those who try to destroy him, Haft’s will to survive is driven by his quest to reunite with the woman he loves.
The film was directed by Barry Levinson, Academy Award winner for Best Director for “Rain Man”. Levinson also directed “Bugsy”, “Diner”, “The Natural”, and “Wag the Dog”.
Levinson’s post-2000 work has been decidedly less iconic. But, the trailer looks promising. The black-and-white Auschwitz material looks grim, and frequent Levinson collaborator/national treasure Danny DeVito is on hand to call Foster’s Harry Haft “boychik.”
If you’re still skeptical? It’s Boxing + HBO. Even without Jim Lampley calling the action, that’s an encouraging combination.