“The Jim Brown Story,” which airs in December, takes its audience into the funny, bewildering and sometimes frightening world of one of the most controversial athletes of the 20th century, who just happens to be currently incarcerated. Shortly before filming started, Brown was charged with domestic violence and ordered to do community service, which entailed picking up trash on a California highway. He refused and is serving six months.
The documentary recounts Brown’s poverty-stricken life on St. Simons Island, Ga., and his move to New York in high school. It was during this time that he became a star athlete–but was also exposed to his mother’s harsh life as a single woman. Different men were a constant, and so was abuse. Lee doesn’t shy away from how this shaped Brown’s life, including his relationship with a woman whom he allegedly threw off a balcony during an argument. “Jim doesn’t duck the hard stuff,” says Lee. Neither did the director: Lee tracked the woman down in Germany for her account. Though Lee’s been nominated for an Oscar for “Do the Right Thing,” his best shot at one may come from the detailed eye he has for the past.
