Ali - The Fighter
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Movie Reviews of Ali - The Fighter
Movie Review: Ali-Frazier I Buildup and Battle Misses a Punch
Summary: 3 Stars
This DVD should actually be titled something like Ali-Frazier I Prefight and Fight. The DVD is actually a movie that was first released in either 1971 or 1972 about the first fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
There's some great footage that captures the personalities of both Ali and Frazier. There is also some great training footage of each fighter. The tension of the prefight buildup is captured beautifully. The presentation ends with the actual fight.
So why am I giving this product just three stars?
Because the video quality is very poor.
The producer of this product did no editing to clean it up or digitize it. There are too many scenes where you can't clearly see the faces of the individuals. The visuals are somewhat distorted and the film appears very grainy.
If the producers ever decide to digitize this film, it would be a five, easily.
Movie Review: Not one of the better Ali docs
Summary: 2 Stars
The approach of this documentary is more "Don't Look Back" than "When We Were Kings". We see all the behind the scenes preparations that led up to the historic first Ali/Frazier fight. This means we get to watch Ali drive around town taking pictures with fans and joking with them in restaurants. We get to see Frazier attend church services and fend off the press who are always in his face looking for a soundbite. Unfortunately the greedy fight promoters get a fair amount of screen time. At one press conference a reporter asks the promoter how he responds to fan backlash over the high price of tickets. The promoter maintains that the prices must be that high otherwise the profit would be twenty five cents. He goes further by wishing for a perfect world in which everyone could afford ticket prices, everyone was employed, and that children would stop being born crippled. His conscience seems to have calmed down by fight night though since we get a scene of him holding a cocktail party with his other obnoxious, rich friends. The highlights of the documentary occur when Ali is delivering speeches at a college and in the ring at his training camp. He jokes with the crowd in front of him that they will be first to hear his fight predictions before the press who are snapping away with cameras behind him. The best line in the film is when Ali tells his fans that this fight is the only official way that someone can take his title from him. "In the ring." he says referencing his being stripped of the title for refusing to be drafted in the Vietnam war. The exhausting fifteen round fight is shown in it's entirety. The film is only an hour and a half and the last hour is dedicated to the fight. It's fun to see celebs like Frank Sinatra, Howard Cosell, and Woody Allen settle into their ringside seats. Since there is only a half hour of time leading up to the fight the previously mentioned promoters get most of that time leaving very little for any great Ali moments. The limited footage that there is though is fantastic and shows his unlimited charisma and natural talent as a showman. There are better Ali docs available but this is probably the most in depth one for this particular fight. On a final note : What the hell is Burt Lancaster doing here? It appears that he is a special correspondent covering the fight and he is shown talking to Ali over the phone and then interviewing Frazier in a sauna. On fight night he even gets boxing lessons from one of the announcers.
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