Andrew Pulver 

The Battle of the Sexes – review

Its significance may be overstated, but the famous tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs retains its fascination, writes Andrew Pulver
  
  

Billie Jean King
High class entertainment … Billie Jean King was carried onto court by four men for her 1973 showdown with Bobby Riggs. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

A fascinating excavation of a crossover sports/pop culture moment from the early 70s – the novelty tennis match between Billie Jean King and 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. Perhaps slightly less crucial to the women's movement than this film implies, the encounter was nevertheless fraught with mindboggling gender politics and highly entertaining hucksterism. It really couldn't have happened today.

 

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