Directed by:
Martin RittScreenplay:
Howard SacklerCinematography:
Burnett GuffeyCast:
James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Lou Gilbert, Joel Fluellen, Chester Morris, R.G. Armstrong, Hal Holbrook, Beah Richards, Moses Gunn, Marcel Dalio (more)Plots(1)
Based on Howard Sackler's Broadway play about the life of flamboyant boxing great, Jack Johnson, THE GREAT WHITE HOPE stars James Earl Jones as Jack Jefferson, a fictional counterpart for Johnson. Jefferson, the first-ever African-American heavyweight champion, fights racism, hostile fans, and aggressive promoters to become the top fighter in the world in the early 1900s. However, once at the top, Jefferson finds that he has provoked the anger of the government, labor unions, and the boxing racket itself because of his race, talent, and his romance with a white woman, Eleanor (Jane Alexander). Under investigation by the government, Jefferson travels the world fighting for a promoter whose main focus is to find a white fighter who can match Jefferson's prowess in the ring--that is the definition of "the great white hope" of the title. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
James Earl Jones
USA
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Jane Alexander
USA
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Lou Gilbert
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Joel Fluellen
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Chester Morris
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R.G. Armstrong
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Hal Holbrook
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Beah Richards
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Moses Gunn
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Marcel Dalio
France
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Scatman Crothers
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Karl-Otto Alberty
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Robert Webber
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Hans Meyer
South Africa
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Donald Buka
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Arthur Malet
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Bill Walker
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Oscar Beregi Jr.
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