FACING ALI and Other Impactful Films About the Man Who Floated Like a Butterfly and Stung Like a Bee
Recently, I received a message of condolences from my good friend, Brad Jurkovich, about the death of Muhammad Ali. Brad’s message was meaningful for two reasons, one, he knew I would be mourning the passing of the only idol I’ve ever had, and two, he articulated something I was having difficulty articulating for myself--how to share with others what Ali meant to our Baby Boomer generation. Even though Brad and I come from two different sides of the “race” divide, we both had admiration for Ali from our different perspectives. Brad expressed the frustration of trying to convey to his teenage son Ali’s impact on people from all backgrounds in this country and around the world.
I’ve been experiencing the same frustration.
It’s impossible to convey to those who did not live through his life events just how “greater-than-life he was; no one today even comes close. Also, you cannot tell the Ali story without capturing the context of the times by which he came to prominence. Did he make the times or did the times make him?
Now that the Champ has been laid to rest, he can only be remembered by the lives he touched and the stories told about him. We’re fortunate that so much of his essence is available to us via social media. As a self-proclaimed “Muhammad Aliist” I’ve read most books on him, watched all of his fights, and have seen most movies on him. With this in mind, the following movies are the four I most recommend for those who want to begin getting a greater insight into a man that at one time was the most popular person in the world.
1. When We Were Kings
If you were to only watch one film on Ali, Leon Gast’s documentary, When We Were Kings, would be it. This Oscar- winning film for Best Documentary took 23 years to make it to the big screen and it was well worth the wait. Almost all of the footage was shot in 1974 for Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman in Zaire. It’s important to share that this fight was created in the backdrop of Foreman’s brutal demolishing of Ali’s greatest foe, Joe Frazier, so much so that almost all boxing experts picked Foreman to win.
The footage was originally shot for the all-black concert in Zaire featuring the likes of James Brown, B.B. King, and the Spinners. Fighting experts say Ali’s “Rope-A-Dope” strategy is what won the fight for him, but I’ve always thought it was his faith and his connection with the people of Zaire that went by unnoticed.
My favorite parts of this documentary are watching Ali work his magic with the people. This documentary unveils just how much a cut over Foreman’s eye influenced the outcome of the fight—Foreman flew back to America and Ali stayed in Zaire giving him a chance to better connect with the people. What distinguishes this film from all others is it is the only one that truly captures how what Ali did outside of the ring influenced what he did inside it. This only flaw of this film is that we were robbed of Ali’s enchanting interaction with Howard Cosell because the Cosell family refused to share their rights with the producers—shame on you Cosell family. Ali Bomaye, Ali Bomaye!
2. Facing Ali
What better way to get to know the champ than by talking about him with his foes? Pete McCormack’s documentary, Facing Ali, does this. McCormack weaves pre-fight trash talking with archival fight footage and post-fight commentary. We get an up close and personal view of the champ and his impact on their lives by 10 of his greatest foes as only they can share.
3. Ali
This Michael Mann biography separates itself from other films on Ali, maybe to a fault, by providing an intimate portrayal of the Champ. Mann, one of my favorite directors, gives a rare glimpse behind the curtain of Ali from 1964 to his victory over Foreman in 1974. Mann’s minimalist skills are on full display here via titling, close ups, and his use of music.
The fight scenes feature the most accurate choreography of Ali’s bouts captured on film to date. Will Smith garners an Oscar nomination in what many believe is his best performance matched only by an equally deserving Oscar nomination for Jon Voight as Howard Cosell.
In a recent Variety article, Mann discusses the contributions of the film by Ali, himself.
Mann states, “When we made ‘Ali,’ Will Smith dedicated a year to become Ali. No director ever had a better, more stand-up partner. In the early days, in one of my meetings with Ali, he said one of the most important concerns to him was that there be no idolatry. No sugarcoating. He made mistakes and he wanted all of them included. His life was his life, and he was proud of the totality of it and would not want it diminished by hagiography. That was when the serious depth and character of the man first opened up to me. It led me to ask what mistake he most regretted. It was his rejection of Malcolm X. Malcolm had been expelled from the Nation of Islam and Ali had been convinced by Elijah Muhammad to renounce his friend and mentor.”
4. The Greatest
This is a below average movie, made from the critically acclaimed book “The Greatest: My Own Story” which was written by Richard Durham and edited by Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Toni Morrison. What makes this movie worthwhile is that you will get to see Ali play himself and you will learn some of his key life stories. You might be asking, “Why would I put a subpar movie on this list”? Strangely enough, so much of what we learn about Ali comes from others—The Greatest has the distinction of being one of the only movies that shares the life stories that he thought were important to tell.
