Joe Louis in the Fights of His Life

By Esther Iverem
SeeingBlack.com Editor and Film Critic

Before Muhammad Ali became the greatest, there was Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, who fought at a time when African Americans looked to a Black heavyweight champ to potently symbolize our fight, might and possibility of victory.

"Joe and Max," premiering on the Starz movie channel, March 9 at 8 p.m., is a better than decent attempt at telling the story of Louis's life as it intertwined with that of Max Schmeling, the German boxer with whom he fought two pivotal fights during his career. Schmeling and Louis battled during a tension-filled time during the 1930's when the United States and Germany were almost, but not yet, fighting each other in World War II. At the same time, both boxers had to contend with being used for national propaganda purposes but ultimately abused within their home country. Remarkably, despite the tensions of the times, the two established a bond as athletes and men that remained until their deaths.

In the United States, open racism was the order of the day. Even though the country gave lip service support to the undefeated Louis during the first fight with Schmeling in June of 1936, many in the crowd at Yankee Stadium turned on Louis and cheered for his opponent as Schmeling began to pummel and, ultimately, knock out Louis. In the stadium, there were fights between Black and White spectators. Nearby in Harlem, Black folks rioted after listening to the bout on radio, convinced that the outcome was somehow rigged.

In Germany, Hitler and his Nazi crew used Schmeling's victory in the first fight as a propaganda tool to support Nazism. The icy minister of information wanted Schmeling, who was also the European champion, to say that he "detected a weakness in the Negro" that allowed him to win. Schmeling became the toast of the country, which was slipping further into Nazi rule and stepping up persecution of Jews and political opposition. When Louis knocked out Schmeling in a rematch, fortunes changed for Schmeling, who was ultimately sent to the frontlines to fight allied soldiers itching to claim his dog tags as a prize.

Leonard Roberts ("He Got Game," "Hoodlum," "Love Jones") ably handles the role of Louis as he matures from a baby-faced youth to a weary, old man. Roberts rocks a sort of crazy afro, which was not exactly how Louis carried it in 1936 but certainly gives Roberts a dated look for this part. Til Schweiger ("The Replacement Killers," "Driven") is given more to work with in the more detailed tale told of Schmeling's personal and professional life.

The boxing scenes are well staged and edited. And while care was taken with scenes in Germany, most moments in the Black community, in Harlem or the South Side of Chicago, look like a movie set or backdrop for a stage play. Similarly, the story, though worthwhile overall, could have benefited from more description about the social conditions among African Americans during the time that Joe Louis was in his prime.

Esther Iverem's film reviews also appear on the entertainment pages of BET.com

-- March 14, 2002

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