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Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Geoffrey C. Ward (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 January 2005 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
They couldn't knock him out, so they tried to tear him down.
Plot:
The story of Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight boxing champion. | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
Perfect more (8 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Jack Johnson | ... | Himself (archive footage) |
 | Keith David | ... | Narrator (voice) |
 | Samuel L. Jackson | ... | Jack Johnson (voice) |
 | Adam Arkin | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
| Philip Bosco | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Kevin Conway | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Brian Cox | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | John Cullum | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
| Murphy Guyer | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Ed Harris | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Derek Jacobi | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Carl Lumbly | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Amy Madigan | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
 | Carolyn McCormick | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
| Joe Morton | ... | Other Voices (voice) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
214 min | USA:220 min (DVD version)
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Fun Stuff
Movie Connections:
Features The Birth of a Nation (1915) more
Soundtrack:
Love and Hate more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (8 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| This Bike is a Pipe Bomb | nrtopliffe |
| Great 'mint julips' quote | scazza |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Documentary section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
What a perfect documentary. What a master Ken Burns is. Unforgivable is the story of the indestructible Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, whose legendary style downed even the toughest white contenders inside the ring, and sent almost every white American into a frenzy of racial contempt for him, outside the ring.
Jack Johnson is such a rich subject; it seems we could never tire of him. He was the rags to riches American dream. He was the champ who repulsed an entire generation of whites - refuting their fundamental belief that blacks were by nature inferior beings. He was the pioneer that paved the way for future black athletes, who had formerly been relegated to Negro leagues. And he was the social trailblazer as well, integrating with whites in unprecedented and often dangerous ways.
Now Burns has reconstructed his life in and outside the ring through this wonderful collection of photos, interviews, film reels and archival documents. In short, I've seen no other documentary that so pungently depicts the black struggle to be accepted, and indeed, free in America.