Introduction
The Great White Hope is an American biographical film based on the life of boxer Jack Johnson and his first wife, Etta Terry Duryea. The film is centered on Johnson and Duryea’s lives and the controversy surrounding their relationship and marriage. The Great White Hope was directed by Martin Ritt and produced by Lawrence Turman. The film was released on October 11, 1970, in the United States, and it is based on Howard Sackler’s play of 1967 with the same title. The main cast includes James Earl Jones, who plays Jack Jefferson, and Jane Alexander, who plays Eleanor Bachman. The Great White Hope is 103 minutes and has been acted in English. The film depicts how racism in the United States is openly practiced and has adverse effects on the lives of the victims.
General Background
The Great White Hope is based on Jack Jefferson, the reigning world’s heavyweight boxing champion, and set between 1910 and 1915. Jack Jefferson is the first black person to hold that title which bothers the white majority in the United States. The white press and racists seek a “great white hope” that will defeat Jack Jefferson and reclaim the title. At the same time, the story addresses the relationship of Jefferson and Eleanor Bachman that were regarded as prohibited and illegal amid racism.
Plot
The story begins when Jack, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, is preparing for a fight with a white opponent. Supported by Eleanor, he is confronted by Clara, Jack’s common-law wife, who accuses a couple of their relationships. Nevertheless, Jefferson announces his engagement with Eleanor, and later, during their vacation, when the couple stays together, Jack is arrested for the violation of the Mann Act for his relationship with a white woman. In order to escape punishment, Jack and Eleanor move to Europe (Ritt). However, multiple events related to racial challenges, conflict with the law, and disagreements with fellows lead to tension and inner aggression of Jack that resulted in abuse and Eleanor’s subsequent suicide. In the end, Jefferson enters the boxing ring with a white man and loses the title.
Turning Points
In general, the story’s exposition includes the relationship of Jack and Eleanor and their engagement that leads to arrest. Rising actions are the couple’s escape, conflict with the law, the concerns of Jack’s friends and helpers about his success, white people’s hatred, Jack’s jealousy, and racism with related disrespectful activities. The story’s turning point that has changed its direction is Jack’s arrest caused by his seeming violation of the Mann Act. This event forced Jefferson’s escape from the United States and led to multiple challenges that subsequently defined the story’s resolution. Another turning point is Eleanor’s abuse when Jack is beating her with a towel; this action presupposed the tragic outcome of the climax.
Climax
The story’s climax is Eleanor’s suicide after she is beaten by Jack and accused by him of dragging him down (Ritt). Finally, the story’s falling actions and resolution include Jack’s failure in the boxing ring.
Protagonist
The Great White Hope is a film based on Jack Jefferson, the protagonist in the film and the first black man to win the heavyweight boxing championship. Jack Jefferson, the main character in The Great White Hope, is an athlete fully devoted to the sport who wins the championship belt and threatens the white supremacy rule. Being a fighter and a strong man, he refuses to comply with society’s rules and follows his heart, knowing that it may negatively impact not only his career but his life as well. He fiercely wants respect for themselves from whites despite enormous pressure and harassment against him. Eleanor Bachman is also a protagonist for standing with Jack Jefferson against the oppression of the white racists. She is supportive, however, she does not realize the issue of interracial relationships and suffers from disrespect, prejudice, and pressure from whites as well.
Antagonist
The antagonists are the white press and the racists who are angered with the successes of Jefferson, a black man, which was unusual. Jefferson is a hero to the black community, and because of this, the white racists and press want to eliminate him. Jefferson becomes a hero in the essence that he provides hope for the black community to rebel against oppression. Jefferson gives the black people hope of achieving a better life. Due to Jefferson’s successes in several fights, the white antagonists seek “a great white hope” who will defeat the former and reclaim the heavyweight championship for the whites.
Through Line
In general, it is possible to say that The Great White Hope is a relatively solid story. Its through line that pulls the audience from the beginning to the end holding people’s attention is a love story of Jack and Eleanor and multiple challenges they face in the United States and during their stay in Europe. Subplots may include short relationships of Jack and Clara at the beginning of the story when Jack’s common-law wife accuses him and Eleanor of illegal and disrespectful action, and Jefferson’s way as a boxer from the first Black heavyweight boxing champion to a desperate person who loses his title (Ritt).
Main Themes
There are several themes in the film, and most of them are centered on social injustices against the main character. The dominant theme in the movie is racism and hate targeted towards Jack Jefferson, who defies the odds and wins the heavyweight championship. Jefferson is a winner, a hero, and a leader of the revolution of change. The white press and the racists try to eliminate Jack Jefferson for his successes. The District Attorney tries to trick Eleanor to accuse Jack of taking advantage, which would lead to his arrest. Jefferson detests the oppression, motivating him to box until he is free from the oppression because of his color. Racism is evident in the film – for instance, black men cannot buy tickets to watch how their fellow black man fights (Ritt). The black people are segregated, and they do not live in similar surroundings with the white people.
Another theme evident in the film is unity and love. Eleanor and Jefferson are united in love, and they stick together through the challenges, including the trial (Ritt). The black people are also united in love as they cheer on when Jefferson keeps on winning. The community helped Jefferson escape to London after he was arrested while visiting his mother. The black community celebrated with him after he won the championship belt.
Symbolism
There is a similarity between The Great White Hope character of Jack Jefferson and Muhammad Ali. The Great White Hope was released during the period Muhammad Ali is has been stripped of his heavyweight championship title because he gets inducted into the US army. Muhammad Ali refused to join the military and fight in the Vietnam War as he claimed that he had no fight or quarrel with the Vietnamese people (Lucks 211). Muhammad Ali was banned from fighting, and this is a similar case in which Jack Jefferson endures in The Great White Hope. It is similar to what many black people faced in the United States during that period and continues until they become successful. Jack Jefferson was haunted by the white racists because of his successes and having the audacity to marry a white woman when it was still heavily frowned on.
Conclusion
The Great White Hope tries to portray the success of the first black heavyweight champion yet fails to do so as it shows the challenges he faced. It depicts the life of Jack Jefferson and his love for Eleanor Bachman. In the film, Jefferson becomes a victim of the racism of his time that tragically changed his life. As a result of racism, Jefferson’s career takes a downside during his exile, and he has lost his beloved woman.
Works Cited
Lucks, Daniel. “African American soldiers and the Vietnam War: no more Vietnams.” The Sixties, vol. 10, no. 2, 2017, pp. 196-220. Web.
Ritt, Martin. The Great White Hope. 20th Century Fox, 1970.