The Great White Hope

film by Ritt [1970]

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July 16, 2026

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The film The Great White Hope (1970), directed by Martin Ritt, is based on the life of the first African American heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson. The title refers to the societal hope for a white boxer to defeat Johnson, symbolizing the pervasive racism of the era. The film, adapted from Howard Sackler's play, chronicles Johnson's struggles from 1908 to 1915, including his relationship with a white woman and his defiance against a rigged fight that would have stripped him of his title. James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander, who starred in the original Broadway production, reprised their roles in the film. Ritt was known for his socially conscious films, often featuring underdogs battling societal norms.123

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Martin Ritt
Films of the 1970s
Ritt’s version of The Great White Hope (1970), adapted from the Broadway play by Howard Sackler about the triumphs and struggles of the great African American boxer Jack Johnson, featured the stars of the original stage production, James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. Both were nominated for Academy…
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Ritt’s version of The Great White Hope (1970), adapted from the Broadway play by Howard Sackler about the triumphs and struggles of the great African American boxer Jack Johnson, featured the stars of the original stage production, James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. Both were nominated for Academy…
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boxing
Boxing in art, literature, and film
…subject of another boxing film, The Great White Hope (1970, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Howard Sackler). As for fictional movies about boxers, they outnumber all other sports films. Although most early fight films followed a set pattern of a poor boy who battles his way out of…
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…subject of another boxing film, The Great White Hope (1970, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Howard Sackler). As for fictional movies about boxers, they outnumber all other sports films. Although most early fight films followed a set pattern of a poor boy who battles his way out of…
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James Earl Jones
Theater career
He also starred in the film version (1970), for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination. Jones received critical acclaim for the two-character stage play Paul Robeson (1978) and in the title role of William Shakespeare’s Othello (1982), opposite Christopher Plummer’s Iago.
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He also starred in the film version (1970), for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination. Jones received critical acclaim for the two-character stage play Paul Robeson (1978) and in the title role of William Shakespeare’s Othello (1982), opposite Christopher Plummer’s Iago.
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