The Jacksons - An American Dream
The Jacksons - An American Dream is a two-part biography produced in 1992 , which tells of the early years in the life of the future King of Pop , Michael Jackson , but also due tribute and recognition to the other members of the Jackson family and the Jackson Five pays tribute. The plot is based on the family biography of the same name written by Katherine Jackson.
action
Joseph Jackson met Katherine Scruse in Chicago ( Illinois ) in 1945 , with whom he fell in love and married her. The couple moved shortly afterwards to Gary ( Indiana ). The two start a family and have ten children. Joe Jackson is initially not doing well professionally. He often loses his jobs, most recently as a worker in a steel factory. But he doesn't give up. He wants his children to be better off one day than he is, and so five of his sons are brought together to form a musical group that will be called The Jackson Five . At first they only appear at smaller festivals and one day they perform at the Apollo Theater in New York City . This became a complete success, so that Berry Gordy , chief producer of the Motown record company , noticed the group and signed them immediately. A steep career begins for the five boys, although this means that they are challenged and pushed to the limit by their father Joe. But over time, the group diverges. Tito and Jermaine get married, and even Michael Jackson, the real star of the troupe, begins to compose and sing his own music with titles like Billie Jean and the album Thriller . The family is also not spared from strokes of fate - Katherine Jackson learns that her husband is cheating on her. Michael also injured his hair during an appearance by pyrotechnic fireworks. But despite all adversities, Michael succeeds in the end, so that the American dream comes true and an African-American family with slaves as ancestors manages to become famous.
Background information
Although the film was partly shot with original costumes and props, and the Jackson family also acted as advisors, there are still some errors in the script. In an insert, Michael Jackson's year of birth is given as 1959 - 1958 would be correct. The title of the first single released by the Jackson Five was Big Boy and not Kansas City , as shown in the film .
The film was shot in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles . The US premiere was on November 15, 1992.
The film was produced by Jermaine Jackson , brother of the pop star Michael Jackson who died in June 2009 . He is embodied in the film by his then 17-year-old son Jermaine Jackson II .
The adult Michael Jackson is played in the film by Wylie Draper , an actor who looked very much like the real King of Pop. Draper died of leukemia just a year after the shooting, in December 1993, at the age of 24 .
In the English original, the film is 240 minutes (4 hours) long. In German, the film has a length of 186 minutes.
Film awards
Awards
- Emmy , for the best choreography
- Young Artist Award , for Best Young Leading Role: Alex Burrall and Jason Weaver
Nominations
- Emmy, for the best in hair styling
- Emmy, for Best Miniseries
- Emmy, for the best tone
- Image Award , for Best Actor: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
- Young Artist Award, for Best Young People Leading Actor: Bumper Robinson
Web links
- The Jacksons - An American Dream in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Jacksons - An American dream in the German dubbing file