Movie Review: The Throwing Pope

Hammer throw coach Pál Németh, the subject of the documentary "A dobópápa."The last time I reviewed a movie I gave two thumbs up to Gladiator for my high school newspaper. Since it is not every day that I watch a movie about hammer throwing, I figured it was necessary that I review A dobópápa (The Throwing Pope), a 2007 documentary by director Ágnes Sós.

click here to watch the Throwing Pope documentary here

To my knowledge, this is the first movie about hammer throwing.  The hammer throw has made cameo appearances for comedic effect in some films.  Most notably, Agatha Trunchbull, the evil school headmistress and former Olympic thrower in Roald Dahl’s Matilda, was shown loading a hammer into her car’s trunk in that film (see 5:00 mark here).  More recently, Will Ferrell’s character in Kicking & Screaming was shown attempting and failing at the hammer throw in college.  The hammer throw has also been a star on the small screen, playing a feature role in the iconic 1984 Apple commercial.

The Throwing Pope focuses on a real person, legendary Hungarian throwing coach Pál Németh.  Born in 1937, Németh began throwing in his 20s and in 1964 he opened the famous throwing school in Szombathely, Hungary.  The school grew over the years and produced numerous international champions at junior and senior levels.  His most famous proteges were perhaps Tibor Gécsek, 1998 European Champion, and Krisztián Pars, 2008 Olympic silver medalist.  Rather than depict his life story, the film follows Németh around as he coaches Pars and other throwers.  The result is a great look inside the life and mind of a dedicated coach.  According to Németh, he has never missed a practice, and it shows.  The hard work has taken a toll on him.  At 70, he is depicted as old and feeble; he hobbles around and has to stop and catch his breath every few steps.  Nevertheless, he is up before sunrise in the cold with his stopwatch as his athletes go run.  And while his body has aged, his mind has stayed sharp; the athletes run on a route he has perfected to ensure they don’t cut corners like his former athletes did.

The film does well to show that success in throwing is often due to the coach and their dedication and love of the event.  Németh even says that if his club was given one million dollars, it would not help them produce better results.  He makes his athletes work hard with what they have (often dilapidated equipment) and it is his mind and their work that produces the results, not fancy new equipment.

The film is also successful in showing the loneliness of the throwing events.  His coaching demeanor is rarely excited and he will state both compliments and harsh criticism with the same matter-of-factness that fits the humble Hungarian surroundings. Németh is a solitary individual and doesn’t have much time to pursue his true dream: painting.  Nevertheless, he won’t give up and rises early each morning to paint.  His dedication eventually paid off with several exhibitions for his paintings, the last opening two days before his death. Németh also pushes his athletes as they work hard in their own isolated worlds to reach their goals. In this regard, the film reminds me of my favorite throwing documentary, Själen är större än världen (Soul is Greater Than the World), although focused more on the coach than the athlete.  When I visited Németh’s training school in 2004, I had the same impression of his group and the film captured it well.

The film is intended for a throwing audience, or at least a Hungarian audience that is familiar with him and several of his popular athletes.  Without this background, viewers might find the film lacking.  For instance, in one scene Németh points to a picture of him with two throwers at the Sydney Olympics and notes that when the picture was taken he had no idea these athletes would be leaving to form their own training group two weeks later.  What seems like an ordinary scene is actually more complex once you realize the two throwers are Róbert Fazekas and Adrián Annus, who created an international controversy with their new coach when  their gold medals were stripped for doping at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Perhaps the most memorable moments in the film are when Németh is talking about the future of the throwing school.  At one point, he states that the school will not be able to continue once he passes since he is their coach.  The scene is eerie knowing that he isn’t well and probably knows his death is coming soon.  Luckily, his prediction was not correct.  Though Németh passed away recently due to heart failure, his son has taken over as coach at the school and Németh’s work and legend continue on. This past September, the town of Szombathely hosted the inaugural Németh Pál Memorial International Hammer Throw challenge, and his former athlete, Krisztián Pars, won.

I would recommend this movie to all throwers.  At just 44 minutes in length, it is a quick and interesting watch.  Unfortunately, it is hard to find.  The only accessible online version is free, but without subtitles.  I’ve written to the director to see if it would be possible to watch the English version online too and will keep you all updated.

UPDATE (12 Nov 2009): A version with English subtitles is now available online through the above link.  I also forgot about the 1955 film Geordie, the comedic tale of a Scottish hammer thrower’s path to the Olympics.  Maybe I’ll review that too sometime.