Search - Joe and Max on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Violence, Profanity Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 01/14/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 53 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 6 Genres: Drama, Psychological Drama, Sports Drama

In the 1930s and '40s, the rivalry between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling was one of the greatest in the history of professional boxing. Louis was one of the first African-Americans to win the Heavyweight championship, and he was a great symbol of hope and achievement for blacks before the advent of the Civil Rights Movement, while Schmeling was a German who many Nazi supporters cited as an example of the innate superiority of the Aryan race. However, what few people knew is that despite their rivalry in the ring, between bouts Louis and Schmeling were good friends, and that Schmeling was not only never a member of the Nazi party, but spurned the attention of Adolf Hitler and helped save the lives of several Jews during the Nazi pogroms. Joe and Max is a made-for-cable drama based on the true story of the friendship of Joe Louis (played by Leonard Roberts) and Max Schmeling (Til Schweiger), and Schmeling's secret heroism during World War II. The supporting cast includes Peta Wilson, Richard Roundtree, and Bruce Weitz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Leonard Roberts
Til Schweiger
Peta Wilson
John Toles-Bey - John Roxborough

Steve James' historical boxing film Joe & Max comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. A closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while a Spanish soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. Subtitles are accessible in both of those languages. Supplemental materials include trailers. This is a fine release from Columbia/TriStar that should please fans of sports movies as well as history. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide