I'm reminded of the tag line to the 1962 Western film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" - "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend".
"The Great White Hope" is a thinly veiled portrayal of the first black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, who reigned from 1908 to 1915. The 'real' story put to celluloid would have been even more compelling than what was presented here, and I have to wonder why virtually every boxing story about real fighters put to film follows this pattern of poetic license. It was true as far back as 1942's "Gentleman Jim" (about champion Jim Corbett) right up to the modern era's "The Hurricane" (Rubin Carter). An exception might be the 1956 film "Somebody Up There Likes Me"; former champ Rocky Graziano gave the picture thumbs up regarding his life story.
Apart from the historical aspects though, and treating the picture as a fictional story, the movie is actually quite compelling and provocative. I must say, I never considered James Earl Jones as the athletic type, but he's really sensational as Jack Jefferson. His physique supports the idea that he's a formidable boxer, though not in the same way as Stallone's Rocky who was cut to the crisp in "Rocky III". As Jack's girlfriend Eleanor, Jane Alexander delivers a stunning performance culminating in that Mexican breakup scene that's heart rending in emotional impact. That has to be one of the most intense personal scenes ever put to film, the result of which ends in tragedy that's almost unbearable.
Even though this is a largely fictional film portrayal, I was still left somewhat frustrated by the lack of historical perspective as to when events were taking place. Reference was made at one point to the onset of World War I, but even then it was referred to as 'the war' which might offer some doubt to the casual viewer. For those interested in the picture's real life counterparts, former champ Brady (Larry Pennell) coming out of retirement represented James J. Jeffries (it didn't happen that way); Cap'n Dan (R.G. Armstrong) is a stand-in for former champ Gentleman Jim Corbett, and Jefferson's final rival in the ring, simply called The Kid, would have been Jess Willard, who actually did take the title away from Jack Johnson in Havana on April 5th, 1915. That fight went twenty six rounds and ended in controversy for many years, furthered by Johnson's signed statement that he threw the match in exchange for fifty thousand dollars (which he never got) and a government promise not to hassle him any more. In reality, the 'Galveston Giant' as he was known, simply ran out of gas and fell to a thunderous right to the jaw.
"The Great White Hope" is a thinly veiled portrayal of the first black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, who reigned from 1908 to 1915. The 'real' story put to celluloid would have been even more compelling than what was presented here, and I have to wonder why virtually every boxing story about real fighters put to film follows this pattern of poetic license. It was true as far back as 1942's "Gentleman Jim" (about champion Jim Corbett) right up to the modern era's "The Hurricane" (Rubin Carter). An exception might be the 1956 film "Somebody Up There Likes Me"; former champ Rocky Graziano gave the picture thumbs up regarding his life story.
Apart from the historical aspects though, and treating the picture as a fictional story, the movie is actually quite compelling and provocative. I must say, I never considered James Earl Jones as the athletic type, but he's really sensational as Jack Jefferson. His physique supports the idea that he's a formidable boxer, though not in the same way as Stallone's Rocky who was cut to the crisp in "Rocky III". As Jack's girlfriend Eleanor, Jane Alexander delivers a stunning performance culminating in that Mexican breakup scene that's heart rending in emotional impact. That has to be one of the most intense personal scenes ever put to film, the result of which ends in tragedy that's almost unbearable.
Even though this is a largely fictional film portrayal, I was still left somewhat frustrated by the lack of historical perspective as to when events were taking place. Reference was made at one point to the onset of World War I, but even then it was referred to as 'the war' which might offer some doubt to the casual viewer. For those interested in the picture's real life counterparts, former champ Brady (Larry Pennell) coming out of retirement represented James J. Jeffries (it didn't happen that way); Cap'n Dan (R.G. Armstrong) is a stand-in for former champ Gentleman Jim Corbett, and Jefferson's final rival in the ring, simply called The Kid, would have been Jess Willard, who actually did take the title away from Jack Johnson in Havana on April 5th, 1915. That fight went twenty six rounds and ended in controversy for many years, furthered by Johnson's signed statement that he threw the match in exchange for fifty thousand dollars (which he never got) and a government promise not to hassle him any more. In reality, the 'Galveston Giant' as he was known, simply ran out of gas and fell to a thunderous right to the jaw.