Denzel Washington’s career scrutinized in a poignant documentary on Arte

Denzel Washington’s life is akin to a real immersion in American popular culture. The emblematic roles that have forged his career are in themselves the reflection of the history of a country and this through several decades, between glory and questions. By broadcasting this documentary, the Franco-German channel immerses us in the life of an actor with an extraordinary career. Denzel Washington has the reputation of devoting himself body and soul to his profession. For him, being one with his characters is a necessity and, for this, he always wants to bring his own vision of the role, in order to identify as much as possible with his characters. Many are the fictions which prove this strength of character, starting with Glory (and the emotion which it releases there), work in which it pierces the screen by the intensity and the accuracy of its play. A performance which him logically won the Oscar for best supporting role in 1990. A political filmography The values ​​that the artist advocates through some of his interpretations pay homage to the painful past of a country which still bears the marks of an era and which is struggling to overcome his demons. The police violence with which the country has been confronted as well as the numerous deaths caused by the police against African-American and/or racialized people are formal proof of this. From Rodney King to George Floyd and others more recently, the country has always been shaken by these shocking and unfortunately still relevant stories. cults such as Malcolm X and Philadelphia marked the cinema (but did not earn the actor the slightest distinction). The feature film Training Day in which he delivers a more visceral performance will honor him with the coveted Oscar for best actor in 2001. He thus joins the very closed club of black people rewarded in this prestigious ceremony, alongside Sidney Poitier who had received the award in 1964. “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington!”, said the late comedian Chadwick Boseman of him at the 20th American Film Institute Awards. The rest of his speech reveals how crucial their meeting was for the interpreter of Black Panther: Washington graciously offered him his tuition for a drama program at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University. .