Unforgivable Blackness

USA 2004, 220 minutes
Dir. Ken Burns
Rating: [PG]
Genres: Documentary

Topics: African-American, Sport, Indigenous & Minority Cultures.

Aroview: Engrossing and provocative look at the greatest black American boxer of the early 20th century, Jack Johnson, renowned equally for his physical superiority, skill and spectacular lifestyle.

Becoming world heavyweight champion in 1908, Johnson celebrated his reign with unashamed hedonism, flaunting expensive motorcars and a harem of women, white and black alike, becoming in the process a hero to many black people and a figure of hate for a racist establishment. Amazingly, this PBS documentary maintains the standard of Ken Burns' long run examining American events and heroes which began in 1989 with THE CIVIL WAR, again using his patented combination of voiceover, archival footage, interviews and above all, stunning still images.

NZ International Film Festival 2005