He didn't want to be a slave

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Television broadcast
German title He didn't want to be a slave
Original title Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Country of production United States
original language English (AE)
year 2004
length 220 minutes
genre documentation
idea Geoffrey C. Ward

He did not want to be a slave (Original title: Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson ) is a documentary that was produced in 2004 by Ken Burns in the United States . The original narrators are Wynton Marsalis , Samuel L. Jackson and Alan Rickman . The film is based on a book of the same name by Geoffrey C. Ward (2004). The documentary was first broadcast in two parts on January 17 and 18, 2005 by the television station PBS .

content

The documentary describes the rise and fall of the first African American heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson . He made it from a poor background as the son of former slaves to the top of the sports world. His indomitable character and dandy lifestyle in the midst of a deeply racist society led the white establishment to persecute him with questionable legal means, bringing down his career. The film consists of interviews, contemporary newspaper reports and original recordings of World Cup fights. In the newspapers Johnson was mostly referred to as the Negro or the Ethiopian . He was also depicted as a Zulu warrior. Are mentioned e.g. For example , to tighten Seaborn Roddenbery's proposals to prohibit interracial marriages. In addition, excerpts from the racist film The Birth of a Nation will be shown, a film that stirred up hatred of black people and which became a gigantic success. The documentary ends with Johnson's death and shows the crowds who paid their final respects to him.

Award

Burns won an Emmy Award for best director in a documentary in 2005 with this film . David won an Emmy for best speaking role.

See also

The Great White Hope , Howard Sackler's 1967 film about Jack Johnson.

Web links