Film

Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed

2008 · 1h 15m · Documentary

IMDb

7.5

An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial consciousness: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of White sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis's patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of Louis by the IRS for the following 15 years. In his last years, he's a casino greeter, a drug user, and the occasional object of scorn for young Turks like Muhammad Ali. Appreciative comment comes from boxing scholars, Louis's son Joe Jr., friends, and icons like Maya Angelou, Dick Gregory, and Bill Cosby.

Joe Louis

Self (archive footage)

Joe Louis Barrow Jr.

Self

Dick Gregory

Self

Jack Johnson

Self (archive footage)

Liev Schreiber

Narrator

Randy Roberts

Self

Gerald Early

Self

Maya Angelou

Self

Bill Cosby

Self

Jimmy Carter

Self

Paul Schulder

Self

Lester Rodney

Self

• Ouisie ShapiroWriter · Director
• Ultan ByrneEditor

Release date

February 23, 2008

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

1h 15m

Rated

NR

Genres

Documentary

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