Review of Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Along with a compelling portrait of the first black World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, "Unforgivable Blackness" presents a dynamic history of America at the turn of the Twentieth Century and the prevalent attitudes toward race relations only a half decade removed from the Civil War. In his quest to become champion, Jack Johnson infuriated white America by the way he lived his life, and at certain points, managed to earn the enmity of fellow blacks as well while consorting with white women and living a flagrant lifestyle. Most remarkable, to me at least, was the actual boxing footage from the early 1900's, preserved to an astonishing degree while presenting Johnson's skill in the ring and his ever apparent smile while destroying opponents and challenging the world to accept his equanimity in the face of physical and verbal abuse. When one thinks about it, it's probably a miracle that the man survived his near decade as champion without enduring an assassination attempt. At nearly three and a half hours, Ken Burns has once again done his homework in presenting a narrative that's as compelling as any drama, and offers a rich history for sport and history buffs alike.