Jack Johnson (1970)

When Jack Johnson fought for his world title against Tommy Burns in 1908, it looked a bit like David and Goliath and starts quite a fascinating journey for us through not just the history of boxing (replete with elements of racial bigotry and hatred) but also an almost encyclopaedic look at the evolution of the coverage of the sport on film. This documentary offers us a surprisingly comprehensive chronology of the man, with little by way of useful narrative but with plenty of Miles Davis to immerse us thoroughly in this era. Dominant throughout the early part of the twentieth century, he struggled on the personal front and when his wife committed suicide he sought refuge in Paris as the Great War clouds gathered. In his mid forties, he was tempted back to Cuba for a fight under the “insidious” heat of the sun for a best-of-45 round world title fight against the far younger Jim Jeffries and as this proceeds, you can almost see the strength and vitality sapping from his legs. Aside from the boxing, there is plenty of social commentary as the effects of his successes stimulated inspiration, celebration and division in equal measure, with even the US Congress having to legislate to prevent the televising and even the staging of prize fights to counter some of the more reactionary behaviour that accompanied his bouts. It takes a look at his other ventures, and his numerous convictions for everything from running a speakeasy to lewd behaviour, and yet with this fairly clear impetus from the government continuously rowing against him, he retained a determination to succeed. Having been brought up with nothing, he shows a clear intention to make money, and more money, and then even more and though this certainly does not portray a saintly man, it does portray one who was prepared to put in the graft and who doubtless encouraged many to try to escape from their poverty traps.