Athlete. Actor. Activist.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
As a football player, he broke through defensive lines as if they weren't there. As an actor, he broke through color barriers to become a black action hero. As an activist, he broke down closed doors to bring about change.In a movie produced and directed by acclaimed film director Spike Lee, Jim Brown, joined by many of his friends and associates, speaks openly about his life and career, times of fame and fortune and times of trial and trouble. Born to become a sports phenomenon, Jim Brown brought a steely passion and resilience to the game. His acting career in such movies as 100 Rifiles and The Dirty Dozen, revolutionized the image of black actors on film. As a political activist, he strove to create a dialogue for change in the turbulent 1960s, creating the Negro Industrial & Economic Union, and in the late 1980s forming "Amer-I-can" to reach out to young gang members and the growing prison population. For over 40 years , he has been playing the game and winning on the field, on the screen and in the world, teaching all Americans what it means to be All-American.
Editor's Note
Self-professed sports fanatic Spike Lee steps back into the documentary arena (4 LITTLE GIRLS) with this reverent tribute to one of Black America's most notorious cultural icons. At New York's exclusive Manhasset High School, Jim Brown shattered school records as a triple-threat athlete, where he excelled in lacrosse, basketball, and football. After a successful four-year reign at Syracuse University, Brown embarked on one of professional football's most celebrated careers. A devastatingly imposing physical specimen, Brown's strength, quickness, and mental toughness enabled him to intimidate opponents before he even stepped onto the field. Stepping off the gridiron nine years later, Brown used his overflowing masculinity and sexuality to establish his name in Hollywood, starring in films such as THE DIRTY DOZEN and THREE THE HARD WAY. Throughout all of this, Brown remained a staunch activist in the black community, dedicating himself to foundations such as the Negro Economic Union and the Amer-I-Can program, where he continues to devote his time. Leaving no stone unturned, Lee's film blends archival footage with interviews conducted with major players in Brown's life--including former coaches (Ed Walsh), teammates (Paul Warfield), and co-stars (Raquel Welch)--to paint a comprehensive, revealing portrait of the controversial, misunderstood legend.
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