Cannes Film Festival
Mike Tyson Documentary ‘Tyson’ at Cannes
“I had no idea this thing was ever going to make it to this grand scale here,” I feel totally overwhelmed. I’ve lived a wild and strange life. I’ve used drugs, I’ve had physical altercations with dangerous people, people were angry. I’ve slept with guys’ wives, they wanted to kill me. I’m just happy to be here. It’s just a miracle. I feel good about being here with you.”Selecting from hours of footage and mixing fight sequences with interviews and photographs, Toback tells the story of the boxer’s climb from his impoverished New York childhood to the pinnacle of his sport and his dramatic fall. Like Serbian director Emir Kusturica‘s documentary on Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, showing out of competition next week, “Tyson” paints the picture of a charismatic but troubled champion whose image transcended his sport. There is no doubt Mike Tyson’s life has enough material in it to make a full length film, and as such “Tyson” will surely be gripping viewing once it is released to the general public. Sure to be a box office triumph, the documentary has been getting good reviews from credible sources.
“In the course of the film, Tyson moves from someone you might think you’d want to steer well clear of to a man you might actually want to meet and speak with, which is a significant accomplishment.”Apparently, the film treats Tyson as a tragic but also noble figure. The film focuses (among other things) on the youngest ever heavyweight champion’s ascension to the world title, his subsequent conviction for rape, his regaining of the world title, and his biting of Evander Holyfield‘s ear. “I’ve always analysed my life,” said Tyson. “I’ve always been pretty objective about myself, I’ve always been a harsh critic about myself.” Humiliated as a child for his distinctive high lisp, he suffered much bullying until he began to fight back. He was rescued from the streets of Brooklyn by veteran trainer Cus D’Amato, who helped channel his raw power and aggression and made him one of the most devastating punchers the sport had ever seen.