Ken Burns' latest

[pmw]

Anyone heard anything about Ken Burns' latest
"Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson"?

Im a little skeptical of biting off giant subjects like Baseball or the Civil War (which I really enjoyed nonetheless), but this one seems to have a very specific topic.

Jack Johnson was a black boxer of extraordinary character in the 1900's who challenged the theretofore white world of boxing.
His controversial career culminated in his historic fight against white hero Jim Jeffries in Reno on July 4th, 1910.


Looks like the film is about 4.5 hours long and is on PBS tomorrow
night. Music by Wynton Marsalis. Check your local listings.

[JustaFied]

Originally posted by pmw
Jack Johnson was a black boxer of extraordinary character

From what I've read, his character was far from unblemished. The description on pbs.org says that he drank too much and beat his wife, who was a former prostitute. Most of his female companions were prostitutes (and white ones, at that).

That said, the way he was treated by white society was horrific, and this series should be a sad reminder of our nation's checkered past. I'm looking forward to watching these two episodes (starts Monday, I believe) to learn more about this man and this period in our history. It sounds like he first and foremost wanted to an individual, not necessarily a messiah to the black community and certainly not a villian to white society.

I enjoyed the Ken Burns' series on the Civil War, both for the broad overview of the war's events and the individual anecdotes from those interviewed. My U.S. history teacher in school skipped over many of the actual events of the war (particularly the battles), instead focusing of the causes and effects of the war. With Burns' series, I finally was able to gain a better understanding of the war itself, the Generals involved, and the battlefields where thousands died.

[JustaFied]

Amazing story. Can't wait for part 2 tomorrow.

[pmw]

Yeah, really interesting. I'll stick with "extraordinary character," although not as I had previously intended.

What a guy. Surrounded by so much hate and swats it all away with a smile and stiff punch.

Tomorrow looks good.

[oscar jubis]

Two comments:
*I am not uninformed about the history of race relations in our country. Yet I was surprised at the degree to which being white (even in the North) was such an important variable in terms of self-concept.
*I obviously love jazz. The most horrific moment was a little snippet at the end about how 10 year-old Louis Armstrong could have been a casualty of the riots that erupted on 7/5/10.

[JustaFied]

Yes, I agree with you that he was "of extraordinary character" in the sense that an ordinary person couldn't have withstood the abuse he took. He was also apparently "an extraordinary character" in that he was so dynamic and charismatic.

What I was backing away from was any attempt to portray him as a kind of saint. He'd probably have been the first to admit that he wasn't that. He was too much in the life.

[pmw]

What was the word they used, a "sport" or "sporting man"?
It was funny to hear that hanging with prostitues was regarded as "the sporting life."

Poor Jack Johnson. He was a real character who refused to be beaten down by the man. And in his case it was truly "the man."

Very nice documentary. I dont love Ken Burns but generally you can just absorb the topic of the film and not think about filmmaker.
That's very much to his credit. It was well worth watching. And nice to learn about an important figure in history. I think its a timely film because much of our current climate feels dangerously close to unmitigated racism our perhaps culturism. Were Iraq a white man's country I seriously doubt we'd be in there with our guns a blazin.

The race riots that broke out after Johnson's victory over the white man's champ really blew me away. What an incredible reaction to a sports victory. The hatred that people are able to harbor is amazing.

[JustaFied]

"A sporting man". That was the description I was trying to remember. Great euphemism. Drinking, gambling, and prostitutes, that was the activity description.

To briefly complete the thought I brought up earlier, he may not have been morally perfect (i.e. a saint), but that shouldn't discount the impact of the racism he encountered. I find portayals in films like "The Green Mile" very condescending in that the black man as victim needs to be seen as dumb and innocent and pure to receive our full sympathy.