Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
4.2 of 5 from 46 ratings
3h 34min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
This riveting two-part documentary follows Jack Johnsons remarkable journey from his humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas, as the son of former slaves, to his entry into the brutal world of professional boxing, where, in turn-of-the century Jim Crow America, the heavyweight champion was an exclusively white title. Despite the odds, Johnson was able to batter his way up through the professional ranks, and in 1908 he became the first African-American to earn the title Heavyweight Champion of the World. Johnsons victory set in motion a worldwide search for a Great White Hope to restore the title to the white race. And when no one could be found to beat the champion in the ring, his own government tried to destroy him in the courts, using his relationships with white women as the excuse to prosecute him. Determined to live his life regardless of the confines imposed by his color, Jack Johnson emerges as a central figure in Americas ongoing struggle to deal with the question of race. - Actors:
- Jack Johnson, Keith David, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Arkin, Philip Bosco, Kevin Conway, Brian Cox, John Cullum, Murphy Guyer, Ed Harris, Derek Jacobi, Carl Lumbly, Amy Madigan, Carolyn McCormick, Joe Morton, Alan Rickman, Studs Terkel, Jack Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Courtney B. Vance
- Directors:
- Ken Burns
- Genres:
- Documentary, Sports & Sport Films
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