January 02, 2002
Great Film for "The Greatest"
By Wanda Sabir
What I enjoyed most about Ali, besides the fond memories of Ali on television during those pivotal years 1964-1974, was the stellar roles so many black actors had in this production.
The wonder of seeing Africa for the first time is captured quite well on screen as Ali trains for the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight with George Foreman in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Republic of the Congo.)
What I enjoy most are the great scenes between Ali and Belinda Boyd (his second wife), where she tells him about the "parasites" he calls friends who are only interested in what Ali can do for them, dead or alive.
The camera is trained on Ali, from the brief moment when he's training during opening scenes, to the inward journey of Ali the child as he boards a bus in Louisville, where the "colored only signs" indicate where he and his parent can sit. On the cover of the newspaper is the story of Emmit Till, illustrated with graphic details.
There are other great close-ups of Smith/Ali's face in the ring, on the street, in conversation. Also, though the film is rated R, there is no nudity, no gratuitous profanity or violence - except for the fighting action in the ring.
Another aspect of the film I appreciate is the fact that there are no caricatures. The Nation of Islam spy and his FBI contact, are not depicted as overtly evil, Elijah Muhammad is not vilified for his treatment of Malcolm and then Ali, nor are there any race-based politics in Ali's camp. Ali has friends who were black and white, just as he had enemies who were black and white.
"I'm a free man. I don't belong to nobody." Ali said repeatedly, apparently with good reason. When I was a girl, the idea of a black man telling the world "I am the Greatest" was so empowering. I just loved to hear him say this. Ali still is the greatest. Unlike many other athletes, he did make the transition from entertainer to politician. Smith's Ali says in the film to Howard Cosell, "I'm not a Stokely Carmichael." "No you're just the World Companion," Cosell replies.
At that moment I could see Smith's Ali shift or grow in character. All of a sudden Ali became the spokesperson for black people. He reflected on national television on how the "Vietcong weren't the enemy of the black man, America was."
The film is fun, because Ali knew how to have fun. He liked music, hanging out with his family and friends, and he loved his people. He said that he was the "people's champ," and in this film as in life he is. It's really something that after coming to fame more so for his wit than his gloves Ali (now 59), who suffers from Parkinson's disease can barely speak. Perhaps this is why the film "Ali," with Smith is so important at this time.
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Posted at January 2, 2002 10:58 AM