BLACK MAGIC - 2008
RATED - NR but probably G.
RATINGS - 3 Amazon (5/5), 251 Netflix (2.4/5).
STARRING - Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe, Dan Klores (Director), many players and coaches as themselves.
THEMES - Relationships, racial prejudice, justice.
STORY - The first thing viewers have to understand is that this is NOT simply an ESPN basketball highlight film. It is that, too, but much, much more. It is a serious, historical documentary about race and sports, particularly basketball, in our nation as seen through the eyes of those athletes who attended Historical Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU). HBCU's were formed after the civil war to give African-American young people the opportunity for a college education that they were denied at the public & private segregated schools. Examples would be Howard, Grambling, Tennessee A & I, Southern University, etc. There were about a hundred schools. For many decades they produced outstanding students and athletes whose careers were limited by the racial situation in our country after they graduated. This film concentrates on those basketball players who played at one of the HBCU schools. Many you have never heard of and some went to become stars such as Earl Monroe, Bob Love, Avery Johnson, etc. The film moves back and forth between three main tracks: 1) letting the athletes tell their stories about growing up black and trying to succeed in a white world, 2) the civil rights movement that was happening parallel to their careers (including clips from various high and low points in that movement), and 3) their successes on the basketball court as players and coaches (lots of highlights-some of the footage is older and not of high quality but is all that is available). Hearing their stories always makes one wonder 'what if' our world had been different then....? These were some of America's greatest athletes hidden behind the curtain of racial prejudice from ever getting the recognition they deserved. It's a lot like the Negro Baseball League. Ironically, when integration finally happened it became the downfall of the HBCU's as white schools swooped in and recruited many of the best athletes. If you've watched any of Ken Burns's documentaries, this has the feel of one of those. The music is excellent and appropriate. If you really want to understand where much of black American has been, this is an important addition to that conversation and if you like basketball, that's icing on the cake. Enjoy. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11/8/2008.
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