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Tyson: the man and the myth
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Theatrical poster
Held over for a second week at Land Park's Tower Theatre, James Toback's documentary "Tyson."
"Tyson" (2008) has just opened in theatres across the country this spring even though it premiered at the Theatre Debussy at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. After the film ended, there ensued a standing ovation, an ovation that both emboldened and humbled the ever present former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.
"Tyson" is a masterful documentary where the elements of the biopic and the revealing confessional meet. It is obvious to an astute observer that Toback and his subject have a trusting and candid relationship, both off and on camera. Toback never appears on camera nor do we ever hear any of his questions but the questions he uses, his effective probing techniques soften "Iron Mike" and Tyson, indulges in stream of consciousness candor. By any measure, this is Toback's attempt to imbue a pathos for Tyson and it works. Tyson is articulate in discussing his adoration for not only his trainer and mentor Cus d' Amato but also for the greats of his sport: Rocky Graziano (who d'Amato trained in the early years), Jack Demsey, and Muhammad Ali. Tyson endeavors to live up to the mythology of boxing, to be in the pantheon with his heroes, even assimilating to the womanizing and substance abuse behavior of those before him. And this documentary, attempting to humanize him, is a vehicle to ensure his place among the greats rather than to be remembered for his rape conviction.
Toback intersplices Tyson's telltale story with archival photos from his youth in the violent Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, his detention at an upstate New York juvenile center, and from his time spent staying with Cus d'Amato and his family. These archival stills also show Tyson's sorrow and distress when d'Amato dies. It's as though with the death of his de facto father and mentor, it's inevitable that there will be a coup d'grace. This is both the tragedy and tragic flaw of Tyson. Even with his focus on being the youngest undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion, to gain that champion belt in honor of d'Amato, Tyson is still not comfortable or confident in his own skin. And his story after all, is one that is fixed in corporeality, of the struggle and victory of the body's strength over the weakness and fragility of the mind and emotions.
Yet even though I was compelled by Tyson's candor and the accomplishment of this film, I cringed during the sections where he began to discuss his relationships with women. As he states, "my mother was promiscuous, all the women in my neighborhood were promiscuous" and then he discusses his ill-fated marriage to Robin Givens, maintaining it was their "youth" that proved problematic and the public scrutiny. And let us not forget Desiree Washington. His eyes turn steely, cold and he seethes with restrained anger when he calls her "a swine of a woman." As is his prerogative, he still maintains his innocence of the rape charge and subsequent conviction but his discussion of women is one of a uber-macho misogynist. Women, like his boxing opponents, were to be conquered, annihilated.
Yet admittedly his story is in line with the stories of many of boxing's greatest heroes (or antiheroes depending on your perspective). Whether he is consciously or unconsciously perpetuating this mythos is anyone's guess. This is an engaging and revealing documentary and for boxing aficionados out there, this is a must see film. Whereas "Raging Bull" provided a biographical film of Jake La Motta and the "Rocky" franchise created the fictional legend of Rocky Balboa, La Motta and Balboa remain distant from you as a viewer. But Tyson, he is inviting you to sit with him on his Freudian sofa, confessing the sweet and not-so-sweet nothings. As he states near the end of the film, "my past is history, my future is a mystery." I suspect that we'll sees more of Tyson on the silver screen.
For an insight into James Toback's making of this film, see Seattle Film Examiner Brian Zitzelman's two part interview with Toback.
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