34 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
34 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
naturally , at the core of leon gast's " when we were kings " is the fight itself , for what a fight it was .
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thanks to the business savvy of don king , an ageing muhammad ali was pitted against the formidable hulk of heavyweight champion george foreman .
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fans were treated to an 8 round battle of endurance and strategy , as much as brute strength , that immediately entered boxing lore .
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with the benefit of the first-hand recollections of that old ex-pug norman mailer , this classic conflict is brought back to life .
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but " when we were kings " tackles issues that are harder to pin down than the simple facts of a boxing match .
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questions of political power and social justice appear throughout this documentary .
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gast could hardly choose otherwise , considering the vocal , uncompromising politics of muhammad ali .
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a member of the controversial black separatist movement the nation of islam , ali opens gast's film with a forceful swipe at the united states .
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when ali hollers " damn america' , the audience knows the imprecation is heartfelt ; the brutal yet casual way it is uttered leaves no doubt that ali is speaking his mind .
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his decision to buck the draft for vietnam is defended with the same admirable fury : " no viet cong ever called me nigger " , ali reasons .
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despite showcasing ali's proud unequivocal politics , one of the most impressive features of " when we were kings " is the subtle way in which the documentary considers the difficulties inherent in the overarching philosophy of black unity and black symbolism that ali and his supporters champion .
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listening to the film's numerous commentators , it is clear that the geographic location for this " rumble in the jungle " is etched more in the imagination than anywhere you could place on a map .
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spike lee tells us that the event was a pilgrimage , a " coming home " to africa .
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foreman reminds us that africa is the " cradle of civilisation " .
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fair enough , but this homeland is a specific nation cursed with a less than inspiring reality .
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it is the newly founded zaire and it is ruled by president mobutu , a brutal dictator .
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while ali respects mobutu's ability to forge an independent african state , mailer notes that beneath the stadium in which the titans battled lay hidden the presidents well-stocked torture chambers .
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mailer's insights are lost on most of the film's commentators .
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george plimpton recalls that he always felt he was in the congo , rather than the newly christened zaire .
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with admirable restraint , gast quietly suggests that for many the grandeur of myth and history all but obscured the reality of zaire' s squalid ruling elite .
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mobutu is not the only dubious character to benefit from the heady symbolism of black power .
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don king , resplendent in yellow kaftan and at ease with the " messiah " label attributed to him by a loyal disciple , passes himself off as the voice of a new black international solidarity .
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understandably , foreman believes he has gotten a raw deal .
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he may be , as one sympathiser notes , " blacker " than ali , but he is denied the iconic status shared by ali , the thuggish mobutu , and the tacky huckster don king .
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africa , zaire , inspirational leader or vicious dictator , all is left undifferentiated , unconsidered , in this optimistic celebration of black unity .
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little wonder that the people of zaire were shocked to find that ali's opponent wasn't white .
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admittedly , these issues are only hinted at , rather than substantially explored .
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the audience must consider the significance of these issues themselves , in their own time .
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there is just too much to cover , too much that is truly worthy of celebration , for a protracted political analysis to be justified .
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the excitement of james brown and b . b king in concert , for instance .
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and of course there's always ali to consider , as he shamelessly , and hilariously , hams it up in front of the camera , shadow boxing and uttering one inspired rhyme after another - " we gonna get it on coz we don't get along ! " .
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doubtlessly , considering the multi-faceted nature of the extravaganza they chose to cover , the makers of " when we were kings " faced numerous difficulties in deciding what issues , and what personalities , best deserved their attention .
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fortunately , by refusing to simplify their complex subject matter , they have captured the richness and excitement of this unique event .
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