lasttimeisaw THE GREAT WHITE HOPE is a successful play by Howard Sackler first, premiered in 1967 and both Jones and Alexander won Tony Awards for it. Then this film adaptation sticks with the two leads and is directed by Martin Ritt, whose works are generically significant in requiring dramatic acting predisposition (THE LONG, HOT SUMMER 1958, 6/10; MURPHY'S ROMANCE 1986, 7/10). The scenario is about the black boxer Jack Jefferson (Jones), whose real-life archetype is Jack Johnson, the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion (1908-1915), his up-and-down life orbit and the relationship with his white financé Eleanor (Alexander). And the title signifies his opponents' urgent solicitation for any white boxer who can reclaim the golden belt from him.To be expected, the first half is a prolonged battle against the racist's bias inside the US nation, Jack's gregarious and often jokey public image is his weapon to counteract the provincial prejudice, but when he faces his own kinds, he takes umbrage at their equally biased minds, which shows how in-your-face and sapient is Sackler's script, external hostility is disrespectful, to be sure, but it is the internal rift that hurts the most (usually due to jealousy). Fortunately, their unconditional love is the remedy for this part, Jack wins the champion title but soon to be deliberately persecuted by authority figure sand has to sneak away from homeland and go into exile in Europe, with a daring scheme to get away under the police's eyes after receiving his mother's blessing, Jack escapes with Eleanor, his agent Goldie (Gilbert) and loyal trainer Tick (Fluellen).The second part of the film is an extensive hubris study, from a national champion to a down-and-out exile, Jack and Eleanor's affinity is under severe strains, from Great Britain, France to Hungary, Jack persistently refuses to go back for a lose-it-all match in exchange of getting his charges revoked, he dismisses Goldie and they relocate in Mexico, it all goes down to Jones and Alexander's heartbreaking bickering scenes which is unsparingly painful to watch, and at the cusp of the tension, a tragedy would unexpectedly ensue, and finally Jack caves in, fights for a match he is doomed to lose. The spectacular performance is the bona-fide highlight of this theatrical piece, both Jones and Alexander are remarkably scintillating and intensely heart-rending, they were worthily Oscar-nominated that year, as her screen debut, Alexander has a borderline leading role but her plaintive mien and inviolable finesse proves that acting is her vocation. Jones, before he would become the universally beloved voice of Darth Vader, clearly goes all out in a hard-earned leading role for a black actor at then, he scopes out both the charisma and the weakness of his character quite remarkably, although physically he doesn't bear a convincing resemblance of a brawny boxer. If you are a sport fan and into boxing matches, the film would let you down mercilessly, by modern standard the final showdown is conspicuously fake, all the jabbing and punching are laughably posed, but it would be a different matter for theatrical connoisseurs, for me, I didn't see the ending coming as it is enacted in the film, a nice conceit indeed, he doesn't fake to lose the game, purely he is not that champion any more, he is a man destroyed by this unjust world, a tragedy of his time and a tale of woe resounds profoundly.

MartinHafer In 1968, the play "The Great White Hope" debuted. In 1969, it received the Tony award for Best Play and Best Actor. In an unusual move, Hollywood brought this film to the screen and kept the two leads--James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander.The story is a fictionalized version a portion of the career of Jack Johnson. Names were changed (Johnson became Jefferson)--and I assume this was to avoid legal difficulties if the play and film differed from Johnson's real life. However, despite a few changes, it clearly IS the career of Jack Johnson from just before he won the Heavyweight Championship through his legal troubles because he had the temerity to sleep with a white woman during an era of rabid racism.The second half of the film concerns Jefferson's exile. After a trumped up charge for violating the Mann Act (intended for prosecuting the prostitution trade), he and his friends flee the country. During this time, work is hard to come by and slowly Jefferson's spirits begin to fail--and he begins lashing out at everyone. First, it's his trainer and friends and then he becomes vicious towards his white girlfriend--very, very, very vicious. This part of the film is harder to watch and seems a bit slow, though I admire how the film didn't try to portray the man as an angel or just stoically accepting his fate, as Johnson's life did spiral out of control following his legal problems. He became an emotional mess--just like Jefferson.Overall, this is a good film about race prejudice but it's not perfect. I would have rather they'd just dropped the 'Jefferson' stuff and simply made a biography of Johnson. Also, there is a lag in the film's tempo and the film drags a bit in portions of the second half. Still, it's a powerful film and you'll see Jones at his very best.By the way, at the 53 minute mark, you see Mr. Jefferson and his entourage watching the guards outside Buckingham Palace. In the distance, you can see MODERN buses and cars--not ones from the early 20th century. It's probably not apparent on smaller televisions, but on the 58" one I saw this film on, it was VERY clear--and must have been even more obvious to folks who saw it in the theaters! Also, in case you were wondering, at the outdoor beer hall in Germany the German soldier kept shouting 'Kameradschaft'. This translates to 'to Comradeship' or 'camaraderie'.

dbdumonteil The title is no misnomer:although the movie tells the story of a black champion,"they " get out of their way to thwart this living "threat " for the white race;as users noticed it ,do not watch it if you expect "rocky": it's its exact contrary ,a failure story.James Earl Jones portrays this fighter with a great dignity till the last pictures:he is bullied ,humiliated,persecuted;the best scene is for me that ridiculous performance of "Uncle Tom's cabin" on stage,with Jones and Alexander wearing wigs ,and playing the slave and Evangeline .If Jones is not Rocky,Jane Alexander is not Adrian either;first of all ,she is white and well meaning were not prepared to accept it at the time (we are far from "guess who's coming to dine" in which a white bubble head girl is to marry a black future Nobel Prize).Alexander's transformation is extraordinary: a shy elegant lady in the first sequence,then a defiant woman during her "questioning",a partner who accompanies the champion in all his sufferings and humiliations -she is sublime as Eva ,the part of a little girl- and finally a broken human being,living in poverty,beaten by the man she loves in spite of all.This is a movie for people with a strong heart ,and Martin Ritt was always an activist director ;I'd tone it a bit : he had always thought that France was the country where there was no racism (see also "Paris blues ,1961):it's wishful thinking.That said ,you should not miss this courageous work.

bkoganbing The drama and issues of the Scopes Trial was preserved when the record was used for the play and film Inherit The Wind. The life of the first black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson became encapsulated in the play and film The Great White Hope. In both cases the names were changed to protect somebody.Actually by changing all the names and scrambling the sequence and combining some characters some dramatic cohesion was gained in the telling of both those stories. In this film for instance Jane Alexander's character is a combination of two of Johnson's four wives, one who committed suicide and another with which he was charged with the Mann Act violation. How could Johnson be charged as such? Very simply, a whole lot of states during the Roosevelt-Taft-Wilson years did not recognize interracial marriage.With a shaved head and being quite a bit younger than what were used to seeing now, James Earl Jones makes a perfect Jack Jefferson aka Johnson. That voice is still there with that Darth Vader quality that is unmistakable. Only five years of Johnson's story is told, from his match with former champion Larry Pennell as Frank Brady to his defeat at the hands of the Kid played by then current boxing contender Jim Beattie. Johnson met and beat everybody until 1915 when he may or may not have thrown the heavyweight title to Jess Willard, the real life Kid. America was quite the racist country in those days, but for some reason the idea of a black heavyweight boxing champion stirred some craziness in some people. Black champions like Joe Gans in the lightweight division and Lampblack Joe Walcott in the welterweight didn't particularly stir up any ire, but Johnson was not a man who played by any rules and mores. His reign as champion coincided with the founding of the NAACP by W.E.B. Dubois and the filming of The Birth Of A Nation and the reception it got. I don't think either was completely coincidental.The Great White Hope is not chronologically correct, but you are seeing the real Jack Johnson and his times in this film which author Howard Sackler adapted for the screen. On Broadway James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander got Tony Awards as did the play. The play also won a Pulitzer Prize for Howard Sackler. Both Jones and Alexander got Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Actress, but lost to George C. Scott and Glenda Jackson respectively.This film was also the farewell appearance of Chester Morris who had not done a feature film in 14 years. In that time the screen's former Boston Blackie had done a lot of television work and and stage appearances as well. He plays the part of a fight promoter based on the legendary Tex Rickard and he does pretty good in the part. 14 years earlier Morris's previous big screen appearance had been some god awful science fiction film called The Revenge Of The Creature. I'm glad at least he didn't leave the earthly mortal coil with that as an epitaph.One other person should get a mention. Johnson married four times, the last three were caucasian. But Marlene Warfield plays his first wife who was a prostitute. She has one scene toward the beginning, but this woman really put some bite into this small role. You will remember her.I hope that seeing The Great White Hope might make some check out the life and times of Jack Johnson rated by some boxing historians as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. In The Great White Hope his legend is preserved albeit under an alias.