Knock Out! The True Story of Emile Griffith

Emile Griffith, a gay Black immigrant, embodied an often-marginalized trifecta in the decades before civil rights legislation and the Stonewall riots for LGBTQ+ rights. A talented designer of women’s hats, Griffith was pressured into boxing because of his physique and ability, remaining for the money and fame. But his sexuality especially made him the target of a fatal incident that changed two lives forever. Kleist’s (Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness) account finds the aging boxer, battered by street thugs, revisiting his earlier life as encouraged by an enigmatic hooded figure. Then, as Griffith sinks further into his memories, he comes to face the tragedy that has haunted him for decades. A master of stark, black brushwork without greys or halftones, Kleist creates with fluid realism the brutal ballet of the boxing ring plus the joys and struggles of Griffith’s life outside it. Ethnologist Tatjana Eggeling’s fascinating afterword furnishes background.