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Arena: Bob Dylan's Legends - Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
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Arena: Bob Dylan's Legends - Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
IDFA 2005

Arena: Bob Dylan's Legends - Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

Jane Price
England
2005
16 min
International Premiere
Festival history
In 1976, Bob Dylan launched one of his biggest hits, "Hurricane." This protest song was based on the conviction of Rubin Carter, aka The Hurricane, a boxer who was competing for the world middleweight championship in 1966 when he was arrested for a triple homicide at the Lafayette Grill in Patterson, New Jersey. Witnesses had seen two black men leave the bar, so the police apprehended two black men: Carter and his friend Artis. A survivor of the shooting stated that these two men were innocent, after which they were released, but four months later they were arrested again, because two criminals had testified against them. Carter and Artis got life sentences, but were released in 1985 when the case was reopened. The documentary is divided into six rounds, as if it were a boxing match. In this way, director Price wants to prove once more that Carter was an innocent man who fell victim to racism. At a young age, Carter got into trouble with the law, but found fulfilment in boxing. His life story, which was previously adapted for the screen in a film featuring Denzel Washington, is reconstructed with the help of archival footage of boxing matches, photographs of the victims, quotes from Carter, and of course Bob Dylan's song.
Credits
Screening copy
    Lone Star Productions
    Lone Star Productions