Muhammad Ali Movies

Presented in conjunction with the landmark "Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match between famed pugilists Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, Zaire '74 was a three-day music festival in Kinshasa that was organized by South African musician Hugh Masekela and American record producer Stewart Levine, and featured performances by such famed musicians as James Brown, Bill Withers, and B.B. King, among others. Many of the American musicians performing at Zaire '74 had been emboldened by the American Civil Rights movement, and saw their journey to Africa as a unique opportunity not just to perform for a new set of enthusiastic fans, but to explore their roots as well. However, while the forward-thinking promoters of Zaire '74 hired a talented team of documentary filmmakers to capture everything from the setup to the performances to everyday life in Kinshasa, the project ran into trouble when the Liberian investment group that financed the festival and film ran into some rather serious legal disputes. For the next three decades, the remarkable footage would sit untouched and unedited -- a valuable sociohistorical artifact seemingly forgotten, and left to succumb to the ravages of time. Later, in 1996, the rights were settled in order to help facilitate the completion of When We Were Kings, an Academy Award-winning documentary focusing on the very same Ali/Foreman match that took place alongside the Zaire '74 music festival. Recognizing the need to assemble the neglected Zaire '74 footage while it was still possible, When We Were Kings editor Jeffrey Levy-Hinte made it his own personal mission to see the long gestating project through to completion. The result is not simply a concert film featuring some of the most popular African and American musicians of the era, but also a pure cinéma vérité glimpse into a time when the musical crossover between the two nations was just beginning to emerge. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

While some athletes only have an impact on the world of sports, the legacies of others can extend far beyond their profession to have a lasting impact on all of society. In this original ESPN special, filmmakers examine precisely how boxing great Muhammad Ali's success transcended the boxing ring at a defining point in American history. In addition to the illuminating documentary, Ali's 1960 Olympic Gold Medal bout against Poland's Sbigneiw Pietrzykowski and 1975 match against Joe Frazier are also included in their entirety. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director Joseph Blasioli documents one of the most memorable fights in boxing history in the documentary The Last Round: Chuvalo Vs. Ali. The memorable fight featured the underdog Chuvalo going a full fifteen rounds with the heavily favored champion - considered by many the greatest heavyweight in the sport's history. In addition to archival footage, the film employs interviews with many people who were involved with the fight including Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee, boxing expert Bert Sugar, and columnist Jimmy Breslin. The film also features clips of other famous fights these boxers had against such other famous names as Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Muhammad Ali has been called the greatest athlete of his century, but he was much more than a great boxer; he was one of the most compelling figures of his time, a leader in the civil rights movement, a fiercely principled man who nearly traded in his career rather than violate his religious beliefs, and a figure of remarkable charm and charisma in a sport hardly known for producing articulate men. Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World is a feature-length documentary which uses vintage films clips and interviews with his friends, family, and admirers to tell the full story of Ali's life and career. Celebrity interviews include James Earl Jones, Billy Crystal, Rod Steiger, and Billy Connolly. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Champions Forever is filmmaker Dimitri Logothetis' bouquet to past boxing greats. Adopting a "then and now" approach, Logothetis alternates clips of these fighters in their prime with recently filmed interviews. The five boxers spotlighted herein are Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman--whose "prime", it would later turn out, hadn't quite passed yet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

See some of the best Grand Slams in this action video from the WWF. ~ All Movie Guide

A medical student decides to enter the world of boxing and dives into a life of superficial values and corruption in this remake of the 1947 classic. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

With Muhammad Ali cast as himself, The Greatest covers Ali's life from his "Cassius Clay" days to the celebrated Ali/George Foreman bout. Along the way, the film focuses on Ali's conversion to Islam and his potentially career-breaking decision not to serve in the Army. Ernest Borgnine palys Ali's first trainer Angelo Dundee, while Roger E. Mosley shows up as Sonny Liston. The Greatest was the final directorial effort from the late Tom Gries. The same subject would later be covered in Michael Mann's Ali, starring Will Smith as the champ. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thought by many fans to be the most exciting boxing match (and certainly one of the most violent punch-fests) in sports history, this almost-primal fight in the Philippines, arranged by flamboyant promoter Don King, featured longtime rivals Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, who had many basic ideological differences and were manifestly not the best of friends. The fight, attended by a number of celebrities, went on at high intensity for 14 vivid, grueling rounds. As Ali said: "It'll be a chilla, and a killa, and a thrilla, when I get the gorilla in Manila." The documentary is introduced by veteran sports commentator Jim Lampley, contains the entire fight, and includes on-scene commentary from former champion Ken Norton, the legendary "Voice of Boxing" Don Dunphy, comedian Flip Wilson, and actor Hugh O'Brian. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide

This documentary contains the entire highly publicized match in Kinshasa, Zaire, between the impressive new champion, George Foreman, and an older Muhammad Ali in front of an excited, almost frenzied, crowd. Ali had recently lost a number of fights after experiencing a three-year layoff (imposed because of his conscientious objector stance toward the war in Vietnam), but he went into this contest with a glow of confidence and drew on his long experience to overcome his strong and skillful young opponent, taking Foreman's powerful punches without showing pain, causing him to expend extra energy, and using his own developed talents to outmaneuver him. Finally, Ali knocked Foreman down for the count -- the fight was over. Ali had regained the championship and Foreman continued with his career. The documentary is narrated by veteran commentator Jim Lampley, and post-fight interviews are included in the program. This match and the events that surrounded it are also the subject of the 1996 film When We Were Kings. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide

This strange, disjointed feature film boasts a performance by Muhammed Ali as himself, clowning his way around a Black rodeo held near Harlem at Randall's Island, NY. Among the features of this film is an extended discussion by actor Woody Strode on the long-suppressed history of the Black Cowboy. Another unusual feature of the film is the running commentary by rodeo spectators, as they relate what it means to them to be at such an event. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This documentary combines black-and-white with color photography to tell the story of heavyweight boxing champion Mohammed Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay before his religious conversion to the Black Muslims. Richard Kiley narrates, and personal accounts from Joe Louis and Ali himself firmly puts Ali in an elite group of boxers that is second only to Louis in the sport's popularity and stature. Fights from director Jim Jacobs film library show Ali against Henry Cooper, Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry and the controversial knockdown of Sonny Liston. Ali proclaims himself to be both the greatest and the prettiest fighter ever to enter a boxing ring. Legendary trainer Cus D'Amato is on hand to keep his prizefighter focused and takes his boxer's self-promoting flamboyance in perspective. The late Malcolm X gives his opinion about Ali, and the champ meets one of his childhood heroes from Hollywood, comedian Stepin Fetchit, whom Ali credits with providing him with a knockout punch lifted from the actor's screen antics. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide