This week during the Cannes Film Festival in Paris, filmmaker James Toback will unveil his new documentary, "Tyson," an in-depth look at the life of Mike Tyson. The film contains segments from over 30 hours of interviews with the former champ, plus highlights and lowlights from his career.
"I look at it now and I'm embarrassed I did it," Tyson told the New York Times. "There's a lot of information people didn't need to know. I don't know who I am. That might sound stupid. I really have no idea. All my life I have been drinking and drugging and partying and all of a sudden this comes to a stop. I never thought I would live to this age."
The film will not only talk about the successes the soon to be 42-year old Mike Tyson had in his career, but also his marriage and bitter divorce from actress Robin Givens, his three-year prison sentence for rape and his squandering of 400 million dollars on his way to bankruptcy. Tyson's drug abuse is also looked at in the film, but he's currently been clean for 15 months and is looking to get his life straight and narrow. There's no word on when the film will be hitting theaters in the states, but it said to be a powerful film.
1. I'd encourage Mike not to feel embarrassed about this documentary about his life. It indeed takes courage to live your life in the open under the constant, judgemental gaze of the media, the general public, and leeches who exploit your God given abilities for their own profitable benefits. It takes a wise, mature, individual to admit that they aren't quite certain as to who they are thus far in this journey we call life. It's a daily process of learning from our mistakes, as well as our successes. Imagine attempting to discover who you are under a magnifying glass that's intrusive with folk having access to every moment of development in your life who have never truthfully understood who you aspired to be from the start! They seem to know you better than you know yourself, define you as to what their definition of a champion is; placing you upon a pedal and then quickly knocking you off of it for their entertainment and amusement as well. I say Mike look up and just continue to survive! Look ahead and not backwards. Life is a mystery. No one person has all the answers to what our life is to be or become. Don't be ashamed of being the genuine human being that you are. Feel that which you need to feel, experience that which you need to experience, and be that which you are. To thine ownself be true! That's half the battle within all of us! You're okay man!Continue to be a seeker in this journey we call life. Perhaps someday we'll all find out who we are to be and our purpose. In order to do that? We must continue to live. Much Love & Respect
Vincent L. at 2:36PM on May 14th 2008