(2016 American docuseries which explores race and celebrity
through the life of O.J. Simpson; directed by Ezra Edelman)
by Live Music Head
I remember watching those police cars chase that white Ford Bronco
through the streets of Los Angeles (or was it an escort?)
on my news-breaking television set that day, back in 1994.
I also remember being glued to that very same set day after day,
after day after day,
for almost a year,
watching unfold what became known as the Trial of the Century.
It was truly an unbelievable and unforgettable event;
an event that almost every single human being everywhere
was thinking about and talking about.
I found it interesting recently to read that
John "The Pope of Trash" Waters
watched and discussed the Bronco television chase
while talking on the phone with
the Symbionese Liberation Army-Kidnapped/
turned Tania the Fugitive,
also known as Patty Hearst,
who was watching it too.
My boyfriend at the time, who watched it with me
was a private investigator,
and his enquiring and analytical mind simply exploded!
In 2016, this news-breaking event
was brought back to my attention,
thanks to the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,
when they screened Part 1 from the new docuseries
OJ: Made in America, directed by Ezra Edelman.
Once again, I was completely mesmerized by
this re-examination of history, some 22 years on.
Sitting in the cinema,
utterly captivated by the incredible depth
to which the filmmakers delved in telling
this tragic tale of race and celebrity
behind that once very talented, very good-looking,
charming and beloved athlete,
O.J. Simpson.
An athlete who very deservedly became everyone’s hero,
but who was then very shockingly accused of murder,
and then received a not-guilty verdict that was considered
nothing more than the American justice system’s payback
for all the innocent black lives
they abused and/or incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit.
This story went on to become even more fascinating in 2007,
when this very same acquitted man
was accused of and convicted of robbery
and received a sentence so severe,
it was considered nothing more than
the American justice system’s payback
for letting him off the first time.
Oh, the thought that this provokes, this amazing film,
exposing the extent of American racial tensions
and revealing a fractured and divided nation.
During my ongoing COVID-19 pandemic self-isolation this week,
I was very pleasantly alerted by Roku
that they had added Crave to my smart tv,
putting an end to my 4 year wait to finish watching
the other 4 parts of this series.
For Part 1, I gave most of my kudos,
but now that I've seen the whole thing,
I agree with Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times,
when he says this critically-acclaimed,
Academy Award-winning docuseries is
"EXCEPTIONAL. A movie so COMPELLING,
you never want it to end."
The trailer for OJ: Made in America...
