Main Cast: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, James Brown, B.B. King, Norman Mailer
Release Year: 1996
Country: US
Run Time: 84 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In 1974, boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman came to the still-emerging and politically unstable African nation of Zaire for what Ali called the "Rumble in the Jungle," a highly publicized world heavyweight championship fight. Documentarian Leon Gast flew to Zaire to film both the fight and a music festival (featuring B.B. King, The Pointer Sisters, and Miriam Makeba) organized by promoter Don King. Gast's footage was shelved for 22 years due to legal and financial problems, but when it was finally released in 1996, When We Were Kings provided a vivid portrait of the controversial Ali. At 33, he was considered past his prime for the Zaire fight, and his refusal to serve in the U.S. military on moral grounds was still an issue in the minds of many. But here, Ali displays strength, skill, intelligence, and tremendous charm, making it clear how he became one of the most renowned figures in the world of sports. And, while George Foreman is best known today as a genial commercial pitchman, he's seen here as a strong, forbidding opponent, not especially articulate and seemingly unstoppable. The film also features interviews with several notable fight fans, including Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, and Spike Lee. A fascinating document of a great moment in sporting and cultural history, When We Were Kings received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Special Jury Recognition Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Filmmaker Leon Gast caught an ironically lucky break when the footage he shot of the famed 1974 heavyweight match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman got tied up in legal red tape for the better part of two decades. With the passage of time, the fight has taken on even larger dimensions than its status as one of the more dramatic upsets in boxing history: It was one of Ali's last big hurrahs; it humbled the chiseled and glowering Foreman, who was eventually reborn as a roly-poly, genial, bald fighter; it was wily promoter Don King's coming-out party on the world stage; and it provided Norman Mailer with material for one of his best books, The Fight. Starting with its title, When We Were Kings has the character of a bottle of vintage wine, allowed to age until all the facets of its true flavor can come out. Gast has assembled all the archival footage you could want, and he scores a great one-two punch by interviewing Mailer and George Plimpton 20 years after the fight, and then freezing a frame of film to show the two men in 1974, ringside and slack-jawed in disbelief as Ali wades in with his final flurry of punches to win the bout. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Vikram Jayanti - Co-producer, Keith Robinson - Co-producer, Leon Gast - Director, Taylor Hackford - Editor, Leon Gast - Editor, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte - Editor, Keith Robinson - Editor, Leon Gast - Producer, David Sonenberg - Producer, St. Claire Bourne - Unit Production Manager
The film shows the buildup to the fight. Ali is shown talking about his beliefs regarding Africans and African-Americans, speaking of the inherent dignity of the native Africans and his hopes for African-Americans in the future. His relationship with the people of Zaire is shown, with the mutual love between Ali and the people of the nation contrasted with Foreman's awkward and unsuccessful efforts to build his own popularity. Promoter Don King is shown working on his first big promotion, and singers James Brown and B. B. King performing in Zaire. The film contains footage of the "black Woodstock" soul music festival accompanying the fight, which is more fully documented in the 2008 film Soul Power.[1] The film also emphasises the questionable ethics of locating the fight in Zaïre, as it was funded by the brutal dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko.
Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, Spike Lee and Thomas Hauser gave interviews for the film, describing their impressions of Zaire, the fight itself, and particularly their impressions of Ali. The film itself contains these interviews, with many news clips and photos.
The film shows much of the fight itself, particularly Ali's famous "rope-a-dope" which caused Foreman to expend too much energy and resulted in his eighth-round knockout. It describes in detail Ali's repeated use of the "right-hand lead" in the early rounds, a rarely-utilized punch in professional boxing because it opens the boxer up for easy attack, and therefore the punch that Foreman was least prepared for. Ali is shown taking what look like heavy blows from the hard-throwing Foreman, which are lessened by Ali's quick reflexes and use of the ropes. As Foreman throws with power, Ali is able to use his trademark quick hands to damage the heavyweight champion, and in the eighth round Ali knocks out the exhausted Foreman, regaining the championship taken from him for his refusal to be drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War.
A soundtrack album was released in 1997. It features live festival performances in addition to new music by Zelma Davis, the duet When We Were Kings performed by Brian McKnight and Diana King, and "Rumble In The Jungle", the final recording done by The Fugees, in a collaboration with A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes.
Awards and recognition
When We Were Kings is frequently regarded as one of the best boxing documentaries ever, having received strong reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert[1] and Edward Guthmann[citation needed].
The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[2] At the presentation, both Ali and Foreman came up to join the filmmakers to make it clear they had long made peace since that match, with Foreman even helping Ali up the stairs.
