Clarence B. Jones, the attorney and writer who helped the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. achieve many of the victories of the Civil Rights Movement, died this year at the age of 95. But his memory lives on in “The Baddest Speechwriter of All,” a new documentary co-directed by NBA champion Stephen Curry and Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot that played to a rapturous reception Saturday at the Woods Hole Film Festival.
Jones’ son, Ben Jones, was on hand to discuss the film and honor his father’s memory. He said showing it to audiences helps him mourn his father, who died May 22 at the age of 95.
“t’s been really helpful, and it becomes more helpful as the days go on,” Ben Jones told MovieMaker, soon after he and the film received a standing ovation. “This type of support from the community and doing things like this really helps to grieve.”
As he spoke, an old friend emerged from the audience to re-introduce himself. Jones has longstanding ties to Massachusetts, and Woods Hole: When he was a child, he visited the idyllic Cape Cod village to see the famous deep-sea submersible Alvin, operated by the famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In his early teens, he visited Martha’s Vineyard, a ferry ride away from Woods Hole, and saw the filming of Jaws.
That classic Steven Spielberg film, still beloved today, is a testament to the long memory of cinema. Jones hopes his father’s legacy will similarly reach new audiences, for years to come, thanks to The Baddest Speechwriter of All.
The Origin of the Clarence B. Jones Documentary ‘The Baddest Speechwriter of All’
The film came to be, Jones explained Saturday, when his father gave motivational speeches to Curry’s team, the Golden State Warriors. Listening to Jones’ stories, many agreed that he should be the subject of a documentary.
“And lo and behold, Stephen Curry made that happen,” Ben Jones said.
Curry teamed up with two-time Oscar-winning documentarian Proudfoot to direct the film.
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All” uses several recurring motifs — a spiral staircase, Jones’ experience as a jazz clarinetist, a promissory note — to beautifully explain Jones’ motivations, and evoke moments that connect the many stages of his fascinating, impactful life.
The film is structured around an interview with Clarence B. Jones himself, conducted in his 92nd year. Audiences can hear Curry occasionally ask — and answer — questions from behind the camera.
Ben Jones says his father was delighted with the process, and happy that people can still learn about the history he helped create.
“I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with my dad, and also into the last months and weeks, and I know that one of the things that he was focused on in those last weeks and months — looking back at his life and thinking about the country today and thinking about the future… he was always trying to do the right thing and carry the right messages,” Ben Jones said. “He knew that through power of cinema, digital media, his life can have an unlimited, absolutely unlimited lifespan.”
Later he added: “I was with him when he passed. He is thrilled that that is going to pass through the ages. He is thrilled.”
During a Q&A, Ben Jones was asked about his father’s preference for remaining in the background for most of his life. He noted that you don’t have to be in the spotlight to enact positive change, and that all of us can do our part.
“You don’t have to be in the front to make the most impact,” he said. “You can be part of the team.”
You can read more about the Woods Hole Film Festival here and follow our festival coverage here.
The Baddest Speechwriter of All will stream on Netflix later this year.
Main image: Clarence H. Jones, the baddest speechwriter of all. Netflix
