The Great White Hope (1970)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Howard Sackler (play)
Howard Sackler (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 October 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

He could beat any white man in the world. He just couldn't beat all of them.

Plot:

A black champion boxer and his white female companion struggle to survive while the white boxing establishment looks for ways to knock him down.

Plot Keywords:

Boxer | Boxing | Love | Champion | Racism

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

James Earl Jones	...	Jack Jefferson
Jane Alexander	...	Eleanor Backman
Lou Gilbert	...	Goldie
Joel Fluellen	...	Tick
Chester Morris	...	Pop Weaver
Robert Webber	...	Dixon
Marlene Warfield	...	Clara
R.G. Armstrong	...	Cap'n Dan
Hal Holbrook	...	Al Cameron
Beah Richards	...	Mama Tiny
Moses Gunn	...	Scipio
Lloyd Gough	...	Smith aka Smitty, Evening Mirror Reporter
George Ebeling	...	Fred
Larry Pennell	...	Frank Brady, Boxer
Roy Glenn	...	Pastor (as Roy E. Glenn Sr.)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, and for language including racist dialogue.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hungarian | German | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (1997)

Filming Locations:

Cedar Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In addition to Jack Jefferson being based on Jack Johnson, several other characters are based on real life individuals. Frank Brady is a stand-in for Jim Jeffries, the former heavyweight champion who came out of retirement to try to end Johnson's title reign, Cap'n Dan is based on "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, the racist former champion refused to fight black men as champion, and the Kid is a stand-in for Jess Willard, the fighter who eventually beat Johnson for the title in Havana in 1915. Eleanor is a composite of two white women Johnson married, Etta Duryea (who, like Eleanor, committed suicide), and Lucille Cameron, who he fled the country with after being convicted.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first scene in which we see Jefferson practicing, the sweat on his shirt changes from shot to shot in a way that wouldn't be predicted by evaporation.

Quotes:

Goldie: [after they convince Brady to fight Jefferson] Good. So it's fixed Cap'n Dan.
Cap'n Dan: The man's in a hurry, Fred
Pop Weaver: What about terms?
Goldie: What? We're no babies here. You know my Jackie would fight your boy for a *nickel*.
Pop Weaver: 80-20, Goldie.
Goldie: What? A world's championship?
Fred: 80-20, that's it.
Goldie: God bless America.
Pop Weaver: And Cap'n Dan to be the referee.
Goldie: You're kidding me.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Jeffersons: Homecoming: Part 2 (#5.3)" (1978)

Soundtrack:

Let Me Hold You In My Arms Tonight

James Earl Jones in his first starring role

I first saw the play at least 35 years ago when it debuted at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., with James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in the lead roles. Recently, Arena revived the play, and I thought it was dated and a dud. But the film, which has just appeared on PBS, reminded me of the power, not so much of the play which has elements of caricature, but of the acting. Jones and Alexander were both outstanding in the movie, Jones as the black heavyweight champion (Jack Johnson in thin disguise)and Alexander as his white lover. The two of them deserved the stardom that came with these roles when the play moved from the Arena Stage to Broadway. It may not even be the best movie about boxing, but it's worth seeing because of Jones and Alexander. Moreover, the virulent racism directed at Jack Jefferson (Jones's character) and the role of the Federal government in prosecuting him under the Mann act are useful reminders of the way our country was at the beginning of the 20th Century. long ago.