BBC Documentary Attempts Nuanced Examination of Michael Jackson's Troubled Legacy
The BBC's new three-part documentary, Michael Jackson: An American Tragedy, makes a valiant attempt to navigate the complex and contradictory legacy of one of music's most iconic figures. This comprehensive examination arrives just ahead of the release of Michael, the family-approved biopic starring Jackson's nephew, and seeks to contextualize the entire arc of Jackson's life from child prodigy to global superstar to controversial figure.
The Many Facets of an American Tragedy
The documentary poses a fundamental question: In what specific way does Michael Jackson represent an American tragedy? Is it the downfall of the world's most famous man into financial ruin, addiction, and disgrace? Does the tragedy belong to the children who have alleged sexual abuse? Or is it about the bottomless need of a child star who desperately craved love after enduring an abusive father?
Perhaps it's the sacrifice of genius at the altar of the brutal music industry, or maybe it's fundamentally a tragedy about race in America. According to the documentary, it encompasses all these elements and more. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Jackson's former spiritual adviser, observes that "the tragedy was that this man who got more attention than any human being was still so utterly lonely."
A Three-Part Structure Exploring Fame, Reckoning, and Resurrection
The documentary divides Jackson's story into three distinct episodes: Fame, The Reckoning, and The Resurrection. The first episode properly acknowledges Jackson's musical genius while exploring his humble beginnings in northwest Indiana, where the Jackson children slept in crowded conditions under the strict rule of father Joe Jackson.
La Toya Jackson offers a nuanced perspective on their father, stating, "He wasn't as cruel as people think," while acknowledging that "Michael had a fear of my father - we all did." The documentary features an overwhelming array of talking heads, including family members, childhood friends, producers, publicists, and even Donald Trump, who defends Jackson after the 2003 molestation charges.
Weaponizing Race and the Aftermath of Allegations
One particularly fascinating insight comes from Shana Mangatal, part of Jackson's talent management team in the 1980s and 1990s, who reveals that after the first child abuse allegations emerged, the company strategy was to "endear Michael to the black community." This hints at the complex racial dynamics surrounding Jackson's career that the documentary touches upon but doesn't fully explore.
The Reckoning episode opens with Jackson looking at photos of children and declaring, "what has saved my life is children." It closes with the fallout from Martin Bashir's documentary, which Rabbi Boteach describes as causing "absolute shock" when Jackson confessed to sharing his bed with children. Dieter Wiesner, Jackson's former manager, goes further, claiming "that documentary led to Michael Jackson's death."
The Ongoing Battle Over Legacy
The final episode, The Resurrection, deals with Jackson's attempted comeback, his death in 2009, and the unprecedented impact of the Leaving Neverland documentary, which altered his reputation so profoundly that many fans have struggled to listen to his music since. What becomes particularly telling is how the focus remains on how allegations have affected Jackson's reputation, empire, and legacy rather than on the alleged victims themselves.
The documentary concludes that what we're witnessing today, seventeen years after Jackson's death, represents "the most extraordinary effort to uncancel someone in history." It ends with a bizarre but understandable image of Jackson as a religious icon, given the magnitude of his god-complex, with Jackson himself stating, "I really believe that children are God."
An Attempt at Balance in a Story of Extremes
While the documentary makes a genuine effort at balance, the question remains whether the middle ground is appropriate for a story characterized by such wild extremes. The danger of an all-encompassing approach is that moral clarity can become lost in broad strokes. The documentary doesn't break new ground or contain previously unreleased material, but it does attempt to contextualize the entire phenomenon that was Michael Jackson.
The final words are given to the alleged victims who claim Jackson abused them, seven of whom are currently in litigation with his estate. This serves as a reminder that, despite the documentary's comprehensive approach, the fundamental questions about Jackson's legacy remain unresolved and deeply divisive.
