O.J.: Made in America (2016)

A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

Director:

Ezra Edelman

Stars:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali

Won 1 Oscar. Another 47 wins & 35 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	...	Self (archive footage) (as Lew Alcindor)
Mike Albanese	...	Self
Muhammad Ali	...	Self (archive footage)
Marcus Allen	...	Self (archive footage)
Bea Arthur	...	Self (archive footage)
F. Lee Bailey	...	Self
Danny Bakewell	...	Self
Paula Barbieri	...	Self (archive footage)
Rona Barrett	...	Self (archive footage)
Joe Bell	...	Self
Carrie Bess	...	Self
Tom Bradley	...	Self (archive footage)
Nicole Brown Simpson	...	Self (archive footage)
Jim Brown	...	Self
Tanya Brown	...	Self

Storyline

It is the defining cultural tale of modern America - a saga of race, celebrity, media, violence, and the criminal justice system. And two decades after its unforgettable climax, it continues to fascinate, polarize, and even, yes, develop new chapters. Now, the producers of ESPN's award-winning "30 for 30" have made it the subject of their first documentary-event and most ambitious project yet. From Peabody and Emmy-award winning director Ezra Edelman, it's "O.J.: Made in America," a 10-hour multi-part production coming summer of 2016. To most observers, it's a story that began the night Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were brutally murdered outside her Brentwood apartment. But as "O.J." lays bare, to truly grasp the significance of what happened not just that night, but the epic chronicle to follow, one has to travel back to a much different, much earlier origin point, at not the end, but the beginning of the 20th century, when African-Americans began migrating to California ...

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Plot Keywords:

celebrity | running back | brentwood | year 1973 | 1990s | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | History

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

As well as airing in five parts on ESPN in the United States, the documentary was also shown over five consecutive nights on BBC Four in the United Kingdom.

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Goofs

Robert Shapiro says in an interview with Barbara Walters that O.J. Simpson was found innocent. Simpson was found "not guilty", not "innocent".

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Quotes

Peter Hyams - Interviewee: [talking about the studio decision regards to casting O.J. in Capricorn One] I thought there were worthy African American actors who had paid their dues as actors, who had shown their talent. My first choice was either Robert Hooks or Bernie Casey, so my reaction was less than enthusiastic. I had seen The Towering Inferno. I thought he was not going to frighten Daniel Day-Lewis. O.J. was a celebrity of enormous stature, and somebody who had not shown the chops to play the part. My goal was to ...

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Connections

Features Circus of the Stars #13 (1988)

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Soundtracks

Jump (For My Love)
Written by Stephen Mitchell (uncredited), Marti Sharron (uncredited) and Gary Skardina (uncredited)
Performed by The Pointer Sisters.

User Reviews

in-depth examination

ESPN tackles the subject of O.J. Simpson in an in-depth documentary start from his football career to his L.A. life to the trial and finally his conviction in a different case. After the compelling American Crime Story, this is a great way to provide the context. This is not simply a sports doc or a doc about the trial. This digs into the pervasive racism in the LAPD and the history of race conflicts in the area. It's also very in-depth in its examination of O.J.'s personality. This doc lays it all out very well. The trial itself is less in-depth but it's interesting in a couple of ways. There are two of the jurors as well as a harrowing explanation and pictures of the crime scene. They really bring out more reality out of the trial. This fills out everything surrounding the case. The ACS is a fun pseudo-reality drama. This doc is great at filling out the actual reality.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2016 (Spain)

Also Known As:

O.J.: Made in America

Company Credits

Production Co:

ESPN Films, Laylow Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

467 min (5 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1