Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

As a youngster I heard about this man Jack Johnson. Even then I thought those same stories were fiction. Afterall, no one could convince me that, in the early 1900's a black, Negro, could have possibly conducted his life in such a way to disdain social mores not only to the degree in and of itself, but more so in his audacity.

Marrying and dating white women?? Come on. And he did not get killed? It shows that even for those times, America had this certain elasticity in dealing with a unique personality such as Johnson's.

This movie weaves his life thoughtfully, slowly (a 2 disc set after all) and with dignity. The voices that contributed to this story is so widely varied that I implore you to check the movie's credits. From Ed Harris, Kevin Conway, Samuel L. Jackson and the lead narrator, Keith David. But these voices aren't the complete range of contributors. For this kind of talent to come together is a testament to the power of the story and the pull that director Ken Burns commands.

Unforgivable Blackness ... is a powerful, thought provoking part of the American Experience. To that end, PBS deserves continued credit for bringing history to the masses.

Humbly Submitted and with deep emotions, Ron W.

Ken Burns has done an amazing documentary on the life of Jack Johnson -but even more amazing is the story he tells of the times in which Johnson lived. There is still racism in this country, for sure - one wants to believe that at least in most parts of the country, it is a little more circumspect than racism was during Johnson's life. This documentary provides a truly astounding look at this country at the beginning of the century, and a lot of it is unattractive. Johnson, called "The Ethiopian," could not go after the heavyweight title because the white fighters swore no black man would ever have it. When he finally did get it, Jim Jefferson, the undefeated champion, who had refused to fight Johnson, was dragged out of retirement 10 years and 100 pounds later to try to reclaim the title. He failed, and commented that in his prime, he could never have beat Johnson.

In his belief system, Johnson came up against a contemporary, Booker T. Washington, who believed that, rather than worry about segregation, blacks should build a power, education, and money base first. Johnson preferred to live as if segregation did not exist. He lived in white neighborhoods, moved his mother into one, flaunted his money, and consorted with white women. His quest for individualism cost him dearly. He bucked a system that simply would not stand for it.

This is a fascinating piece of our history, one that should not be missed.

I saw this film at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. It may seem hard to believe, but I've never seen a Ken Burns film. I've always meant to, of course, but watching a multi- part documentary series is something of a commitment. So I jumped at the chance to see an entire film in one sitting. Clocking in at an impressive 218 minutes (and including a short intermission and a lively Q&A session, I was in the theatre for almost 4½ hours), I was hoping that the quantity would be matched by the quality. I was not disappointed.

Jack Johnson was a true original. The first black man to hold the heavyweight boxing championship, he was a self-assured man who dressed well, drove fast cars, and kept white women as girlfriends. While not unusual now, this was highly irregular a hundred years ago, at a time when black lynchings were at their peak and the press regularly printed offensive cartoons to go along with its racist rhetoric. In the ring, he was a highly intelligent boxer, favouring a defensive style unknown in his day. He was also incredibly sensitive and articulate, especially for a man with only five years of formal education. But the struggles Johnson faced were almost insurmountable. No white champion would agree to fight a black man. Jim Jeffries preferred to retire undefeated rather than face Johnson, and Johnson had to travel around chasing champ Tommy Burns, hounding him to give him a title shot. When Burns finally agreed to a fight in 1908 (for a purse of $35,000, an unbelievable sum in those days), the contest wasn't even close, with Johnson dancing around, taunting his opponent, and talking to people in the ringside seats. The police stepped in during the fourteenth round to prevent him from knocking out the badly beaten Burns.

Johnson held the title from 1908 until 1915, with his most famous bout in 1910, against ex- champ Jeffries, whom he soundly defeated. This led to race riots all over the country, and many people were killed. From the moment he won the championship, it seemed that white society looked for ways to discredit him. The press were relentless, printing hostile editorials and calling for a "Great White Hope" who would return boxing's crown to its rightful place (and race). When a 37-year old Johnson finally lost the championship to Jess Willard, a giant man ten years his junior, it seemed to many that the black race had been taught an important lesson.

Johnson's life was troubled, and he continued to face persecution from the press and even law enforcement, who prosecuted him on charges related to his "debauchery" with white women. He eventually served a year in prison. There would not be another black heavyweight champion until Joe Louis, 22 years later.

This is a remarkable film for many reasons. First of all, in the little-known story of Jack Johnson, Burns has found a microcosm of the racial situation of the day, and one that has many echoes even now. Muhammad Ali, after seeing James Earl Jones portray Johnson in the Broadway play "The Great White Hope" (later made into a film), declared that Johnson's life story was similar to his own. A black man choosing to live as a free individual on his own terms is something that is still hard for some white people to tolerate.

Burns' film is also remarkable for the way in which it uses actual archival film of Johnson's bouts. Using silent film, Burns and his crew have added sound effects such as crowd noise and the sounds of blows connecting, and it gives these scenes the visceral punch they require. Finally, the superb "talking heads" (including the late George Plimpton, James Earl Jones, and the witty Stanley Crouch) and voice talent (Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of Johnson; others include Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Jacobi, Brian Cox, and Alan Rickman) bring the extraordinary story of Jack Johnson vividly to life.

As an added bonus, you get to hear James Earl Jones say "balls". Twice.

(9/10)

The story of boxing's first black heavyweight champion of the world.

Ken Burns does a great job at telling the story of Jack Johnson, who was not only an incredible boxer, but a man who stood up for himself in every aspect of life, especially at a time in US history rife with blatant racism and the continued subjugation of black people. The challenges Jack faced every day of his life would seem insurmountable to many of us, yet he heroically stood his ground.

Most important of all, Burns shows Jack as the person he was; a colourful character who smiled, joked, lived extravagantly, drove fast, and never apologized for his many appetites. And hearing Jack's own words from his letters was a treat; an intelligent man of insight. But Jack wasn't perfect and the documentary did not shy from that either.

I missed hearing more about his youth, friends and family, as well as the women in his life. Perhaps sources are scarce but the film seemed to only scratch the surface.

Jack's story is one that deserves a proper movie version. Yes, there was "The Great White Hope" back in 1970, but that was from a play inspired by him and not exactly authoritative. Rather, Jack's real life is far too fascinating to "make up". Hollywood need look no further for a story that excites. Let's just hope they don't screw it up....

Filmmaker Ken Burns is the Master of the Documentary! Here is yet another prime example of his masterful skills!

We have a masterpiece of a documentary here! One thing this reviewer loves about Ken Burns is he never sugar-coats things; he always tells the stark truth. Burns always makes certain to rustle the skirts of the Prudes; jostle the Pretentious; awaken those who have fallen Morally Asleep; and, most importantly, inform the ignorant with Cold, Hard Facts!

Jack Johnson is probably the greatest, most skilled boxer who ever walked the planet. What Ken Burns accomplishes so adeptly is he accurately brings to life the uniquely American Social Matrix in which Jack Johnson shone like a peerless comet in the night sky!

What is the greatest achievement of Jack Johnson? Perhaps that he accomplished everything he did in the midst of powerful, anti-Black racism.

White Americans did not know how to cope with the likes of Jack Johnson - who took orders from no one; who, from the age of 12, saw himself as special; who was supremely skilled as a boxer, and used boxing as a means to "get out of" Galveston, Texas; who dated, and in a couple cases, actually married White women (Mr. Johnson once said, "I sleep with who I want to"), and this was in the 1910s & the 1920s! Mr. Burns relates all this information in a cinematic fashion so skillfully, the viewer doesn't even fully realize how much he/she is learning!

Whites promoted White boxer after White boxer to challenge Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson - each successive White challenger being called "The Great White Hope" by supportive Whites. Well, Jack Johnson mowed them all down like grass. Whites started referring to Jack Johnson as "The Black Peril." After nearly every Johnson victory, some Whites would riot, out of anger & frustration.

Considering all this, it's no wonder Jack Johnson received numerous Death Threats, sometimes, in the middle of a bout!

As far as Jack Johnson's "demise" is concerned, he never really had an actual demise. This reviewer will defer to the masterful Ken Burns to tell the conspiracy-laced story of how the U. S. Government "took Johnson down".

The contributions from boxing historian Bert Sugar & the commentary by James Earl Jones are especially valuable!

Ken Burns has created a documentary masterpiece. 10 out of 10 stars! Don't miss this one.