Harlem (1943)

Plot Summary

This propaganda film was partly inspired by the story of the first Italian heavyweight champion Primo Carnera who, after winning the title with Al Capone’s help in 1933, was beaten the following year by the Jewish Max Bear and then again by the ‘Brown Bomber’ Detroit Joe Lewis in June 1935, on the eve of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. This match provoked numerous racial skirmishes on the streets of Harlem between the Black community and pro-Fascist Italian-Americans. The film overturns historical facts and here, obviously, it is the white boxer who wins in order to demonstrate the superiority of the “Aryan Italians” over the “sinister Jewish entrepreneurs” and the “savage Afro-American fans in Yankee Stadium”. In the film, these were played by South African prisoners-of-war interred in a work camp, which the German and Italian propaganda ministries had set up near Cinecittà “for cinematic purposes”.

Full Cast & Characters

Massimo Girotti

Tommaso Rossi

Amedeo Nazzari

Amedeo Rossi

Vivi Gioi

Muriel

Elisa Cegani

Gangster woman

Osvaldo Valenti

Chris Sherman

Erminio Spalla

Franckie Battaglia, the coach

Director & Crew

Where to Watch Harlem Online

Frequently Asked Questions