Review of Maynard (2017) by Larry S — 11 Sep 2018

This is an important documentary highlighting the life and career of Maynard Jackson, the three term mayor of Atlanta, Ga. Jackson, at the very young age of 35, became the first African-American mayor of that city and also was the first black mayor elected in any major city in the South.

The film illustrates Jackson's difficult upbringing and how he and his family had to endure the terribly degrading segregationist laws of the time. Once becoming Atlanta's mayor, Jackson would use his office to try and rectify this and was a trailblazer in affording minorities equal opportunities in the city, through many public works projects, including expanding the international airport there. The movie also shows the struggles he had, as well, with ingrained racism, crime, and the horrific serial killer murders of 28 black children, known as the Atlanta Child Murders.

The doc uses standard techniques, including many interviews with those who knew and worked with Jackson, as well as vintage film and still photos of the time, From the powerful testimonials at the end of the film, it is obvious that to this day his charisma and brave persona is still missed by many (Jackson died in 2003 of a heart attack at the age of 65).

Overall, I thought this was an important doc, directed by Samuel D. Pollard, which brought to the screen a vivid picture of a brave and dedicated trailblazer in our nation's history.

To note, there were no subtitles on my DVD copy, but I was able to access them through the closed captions on my remote.