OJ: Made in America 30 for 30 producers guild

ESPN

“O.J.: Made in America” broke a record at the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday night as it won the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category — it is now the longest ever film to win an Oscar.

According to the New York Times, the then-Soviet Union film “War and Peace” was the previous record-holder at 7 hours, 11 minutes (431 minutes), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1969. “Made in America” runs 7 hours and 47 minutes (467 minutes). Before that, 1939’s “Gone With the Wind” held the record, clocking in at 238 minutes.

“O.J.: Made in America,” which screened as a seven-and-a-half-hour feature in order to qualify for the Oscars, and was also released as a 5-part miniseries on ABC and ESPN. The film’s nomination sparked some debate about the increasingly blurred line between the two mediums.

Also Read: 'OJ: Made in America' Wins Top Prize at IDA Documentary Awards

The other nominees in the category, “13th,” “I Am Not Your Negro,” “Life, Animated” and “Fire at Sea” were all full-length documentary films. “Made in America” was released as a five-part miniseries on ESPN as well.

“O.J.: Made in America” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and debuted on ABC the following June.

'OJ: Made in America': The 5 Biggest Shockers (Photos)

The first episode of ESPN's "OJ: Made in America," focuses on OJ Simpson's early years, and only hints at the tragedy to come. Here are five surprises, and why they're significant.

Also Read: How ‘OJ: Made In America’ Is Better Than Any Other OJ Simpson Retrospective
ESPN Films
1. He Married His Best Friend's Girlfriend

Childhood friend Joe Bell recalls how Simpson "stole his best friend's girl" -- convincing his first wife Marguerite to marry him instead of Al "AC" Cowlings.
ESPN Films
Cowlings, of course, was the endlessly supportive friend who took the wheel as Simpson fled police in the white Bronco.
2. He Knew How to Get Out of Trouble

In high school, when a coach caught Simpson and his friends shooting dice and took them to the principal's office, Simpson waited a few beats and then followed the coach out. Bell recalled him explaining, "I was just helping Mr. McBride bring these guys down here. And Dean Smith let him go."
ESPN Films
The film suggests that Simpson's gift for getting out of tight situations have him a false sense that he was indestructible.
ESPN Films
3. OJ's Father Was Gay

Bell also recounts his discovery that Simpson's father was gay: "Back in our day, that was the worst thing you could ever think about an African-American man," Bell said.
ESPN Films
Prosecutors say Simpson once beat Nicole Brown Simpson for letting a gay man kiss his son, Justin, during a family trip to Hawaii.
ESPN Films
4. "I'm Not Black. I'm OJ."

Sociologist Harry Edwards -- featured prominently in "Made in America" -- tried in the late '60s to get black athletes to take political stands.

"We were trying to get black athletes to understand they have a role in the current Civil Right movement," Edwards said. "His response was, I'm not black. I'm OJ."
ESPN Films
Edwards inspired two track stars, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, to give the black power salute at the 1968 Olympics. Simpson wondered if they had been used by the movement.
ESPN Films
"OJ's quest was to erase race as a defining factor in his life and that was the basis upon which white society not only accepted him but embraced him," Edwards says in the film. "Now there are problems with that because what enabled OJ to be OJ and not be black was that so many Negroes and black people stood up, made the sacrifice, paid the price."
ESPN Films
Though Simpson was skeptical of the gesture at the '68 Olympics, one of the jurors in his case -- a former Black Panther -- raised a fist to Simpson after finding him not guilty of murder. (The moment was dramatized in "The People v OJ Simpson")
FX
5. He Was Rough With Nicole on Their First Date

Her friend, David LeBon, remembers her returning from her first date with Simpson with her jeans ripped. "And she goes, well, he was a little forceful."
ESPN Films
Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, were murdered on June 12, 1994. Simpson was charged in the killings and acquitted the next year.
ESPN Films
Even if you've seen OJ: Made in America and "People v OJ Simpson," here are 5 OJ Simpson Facts You Still Don't Know.
And if you've read this far, you might also like our look at 10 Bizarre Facts "The People v OJ Simpson" Got Right.

Also Read: ‘OJ: Made In America,’ and the 30 Other Game-Changing ’30 for 30’ Films
ESPN Films

1 of 15

Episode 1 of ESPN’s “OJ: Made in America” only hints at the insanity to come

The first episode of ESPN's "OJ: Made in America," focuses on OJ Simpson's early years, and only hints at the tragedy to come. Here are five surprises, and why they're significant.

Also Read: How ‘OJ: Made In America’ Is Better Than Any Other OJ Simpson Retrospective

View In Gallery