Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

After the meandering and disappointing Horatio's Drive (VL-1/04), a rare misstep for documentary filmmaking wunderkind Ken Burns, Unforgivable Blackness, which chronicles the life and times of controversial early 20th-century heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, is--forgive the easy pun--a knockout. Born in 1888, one year after Reconstruction, Johnson literally fought his way up the ladder as far as he could go, but because the "color line" forbade white boxers from fighting blacks in professional matches, the towering Johnson had no shot at the top prize, until December 26, 1908, when he whipped de facto heavyweight champion Tommy Burns (who was handed the title after the champion Jim Jeffries--who refused to fight Johnson--went into retirement). Held in Sydney, Australia, the fight was described by writer Jack London as "a grown man cuffing a naughty child." Americans were stunned and the hunt immediately began for a Great White Hope to reclaim the title, leading up to one of the most famous matches in boxing history, between Johnson and the lured-out-of-retirement Jefferies in Reno, NV on July 4, 1910--a decisive victory for Johnson that sparked racial incidents across the country. All of this is related in the first part of Burn's epic "Rise," but it's the second half of the film, "Fall," that really places Johnson's story in the wider context of Jim Crow America, as it follows the champion's livin' large lifestyle and his personally and professionally fatal attraction to fast cars and white women (in many ways, Johnson's personal behavior was no different from that of contemporary sports stars, but the times were radically different, and as black leader W.E.B. Du Bois would point out, it was Johnson's "unforgivable blackness" that would galvanize the witch-hunt fervor that ultimately put the champion behind bars). Presented in the trademark Burns' style--archival photos and amazing fight footage interwoven with voiceovers and interviews--Unforgivable Blackness benefits from excellent readings by Samuel L. Jackson (as Johnson), Billy Bob Thornton, and Ed Harris; outstanding interview clips with the raucously funny and superbly insightful Stanley Crouch, biographer Randy Roberts, actor James Earl Jones, former heavyweight fighter Jose Torres, and the late George Plimpton; and a brilliant jazz/bluegrass fusion score from Wynton Marsalis. Much more than just a portrait of a man many consider to be the greatest boxer who ever lived, Unforgivable Blackness is also an excellent, no-holds-barred exposé of American hypocrisy. DVD extras include a handful of deleted/alternate scenes, a 16-minute "making-of," and a music video montage. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)