''I Am Ali'' is a 2014 documentary directed by Clare Lewins. It covers the life of professional boxer

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

. The film tells his story using personal audio recordings Ali made himself during the 1970s. Additionally, interviews of friends, family members, and people associated with professional boxing, combined with archival footage of Ali, are used throughout the movie. Notable appearances in the film include

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...

, and

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

Overview

The film begins with a phone call between Ali and his daughter Hana that took place on November 30, 1979. In the call Ali tells Hana, a young child at the time, that he might fight in one final boxing match. Hana tells him not to do it. The film then transitions to Ali's last professional fight, which took place in 1981, two years later. According to director Clare Lewins, she did not want to cover Ali's entire life in a linear manner, but instead wished to start with his decision to accept that final professional fight. From there, glimpses of Ali's life are shown through archival footage, interviews with friends and family, and many more of Ali's personal audio recordings. Notable periods of his life are covered by interviews with those who knew him best, and others who considered themselves fans and admirers. Through these devices the documentary looks back at Ali's life, beginning with early childhood. Scenes include a retelling of the theft of Ali's bicycle when he was a child. That crime played a key role in his entering the sport of boxing when he was twelve years old. Ali's brother Rahaman states that even from those early teen years Ali felt he would become one of the greatest boxers of all time. Numerous audio clips from various sources featuring Ali's voice are presented throughout the movie. A wide range of moments are covered in these recordings. They include Ali singing with his daughter Hana, his discussions with the White House, and a conversation with a pizza delivery man who stopped by Ali's home. The documentary also focuses on Ali's relationship to the boxing world. Ali's boxing matches with various rivals, including

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...

, and

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( 1930 – December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson i ...

are discussed. Former heavyweight champion

talks about how he aspired to fight at the same level as Ali. George Foreman shares how Ali would tease and taunt him during their boxing matches. Singer Tom Jones talks about his admiration for Ali's boxing skills and persona. Former business manager Gene Kilroy weighs in on several topics. Also interviewed is photographer Carl Fischer, who took photos of Ali for the cover of ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

''. Another topic touched on is Ali's conversion to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, including why he changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. That line of exploration also includes Ali's

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

status to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, and his refusal to join the military based on his religious beliefs. '' Ebony'' described the film as follows:

''I Am Ali'' shows the rarely seen personal side of a man who outside of changing the world and moving like a butterfly inside the ring, managed to bring together a family through phone calls strengthened by blood and purpose.

Reception

Of the film, Ali's daughter Hana felt her father would be happy with Lewins' direction of the film, especially the depiction of Ali's "loving side." ''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' said, "At its best, ''I Am Ali'' offers something the big-budget biopic ''Ali'' could not: casual intimacy." '' NPR'' stated, "What distinguishes Lewins' entertaining-if-not-terribly-revelatory film from the many Ali documentaries that have come before is its focus on this most public of personalities as a friend and father." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called the film "warm hearted and respectful" and a "very watchable tribute" though it felt it might not live up to other films about Ali.

Music

There was no soundtrack album issued with the music of the film. The tracks featured in the film were the following:
I Am Ali
',

Soundtrack.Net Soundtrack.Net (originally SoundtrackNet) is a website dedicated to film and television music. History Created in 1997 by Amélie E. Koran and Dan Goldwasser at Carnegie Mellon University, Soundtrack.Net has grown over the past decade to become ...

*"Driving South" (composed by Jimi Hendrix) performed by Jimi Hendrix *"I Wish" (Stevie Wonder) by Stevie Wonder *"Louisville KY" (Sonny Skyler) by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

*"Upside Down Cake" ( Thomas Newman) *"Vanessa and Hugh's Tune" (Simon Bass,

Geoff Dunn Geoffrey Edwin Dunn (born 26 February 1961 in Clapham, London, England) is an English rock drummer. From 2002 until his departure in 2007, he was the drummer with the rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Before joining the Earth Band, his long ...

Jonathan Noyce Jonathan Mark Thomas Noyce (born 15 July 1971) is an English musician. He is primarily bass guitar player. Noyce is known for being a member of British rock group Jethro Tull for 12 years, and also for his collaborations with guitarist Gary Moo ...

, Simon Bates,

Carl Hudson Carl Hudson (born 22 October 1983 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England) is a British pianist and keyboardist who has performed with numerous acts including Leroy Hutson, Leon Ware, Professor Green, Emeli Sande, Beth Rowley, Jocelyn Brown, Tina Arena ...

) *"I'm Ready" (

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) by Muddy Waters *"Walters Blues"
Tim Oliver
*"Moon Over Miami" ( Edgar Leslie, Joe Burke) by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

*"The Orchard" (Thomas Newman) *"Sweet As" (Simon Bass) *"Skip Skank" (Tim Oliver) by Tim Oliver *"Rak & Ruin" (Simon Bass, Geoff Dunn) *"Sportin Soul" (

Keith Roberts Keith John Kingston Roberts (20 September 1935 – 5 October 2000) was an English science fiction author. He began publishing with two stories in the September 1964 issue of ''Science Fantasy'' magazine, "Anita" (the first of a series of stor ...

) by the Peter Dennis Orchestra *"Signed Sealed Delivered" (

Lee Garrett Lee Garrett (born June 30, 1943, in Mississippi) is an American rhythm and blues singer-songwriter, most famous for co-writing the classic song "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". He recorded a handful of solo singles during the 1960s, one of ...

, Syreeta Wright,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, Lula Mae Hardaway) by Stevie *"Eve of Destruction" (

P. F. Sloan Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015), known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many Billboard H ...

) by P. F. Sloan *"Is It Because I'm Black" (G. Watts, J Jones, S. Johnson) by Syl Johnson *"Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

*"Always Waiting" (Michael Kiwanuka, Paul Butler) by Michael Kiwanuka *"Tell Me A Tale" (Michael Kiwanuka, Paul Butler) by Michael Kiwanuka *"Respect Yourself" (

Luther Ingram Luther Thomas Ingram (November 30, 1937 – March 19, 2007) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. His most successful record, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and No. 3 ...

Mack Rice Bonny "Mack" Rice (November 10, 1933 – June 27, 2016), sometimes credited as Sir Mack Rice, was an American songwriter and singer. His best-known composition and biggest hit as a solo performer was " Mustang Sally". He also wrote " Respe ...

) by

The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21 ...

*"The Lucky One" (

Robert Lee Castleman Robert Lee Castleman (born July 14, 1952) is a Nashville singer and songwriter. He released his debut album, ''Crazy as Me,'' on Rounder Records in 2000. At the Grammy Award in 2002, he won Best Country Song category as the writer of the song " ...

) by

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

& The Union Station *"Whisper of a Thrill" (Thomas Newman) *"My Son" (Thomas Newman) *"Grace & Mercy" (Tim Oliver) by Tim Oliver *"Tomorrow" ( Salif Keita) by Salif Keita *"Nuvole Blanche" ( Ludovico Einaudi) by Ludovico Einaudi *"Dedicated to the One I Love" ( Lowman Pauling, Ralph Bass) by The Mamas & The Papas *"Best of My Love" (

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

Al McKay AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

) by The Emotions *"Still Looking for Tomorrow" (Tim Oliver) by Tim Oliver *"Together in Electric Dreams" ( Philip Oakey,

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

) by Phil Oakey *"Road to Perdition" (Thomas Newman) *"Worry Walks Beside Me" (Michael Kiwanuka, Paul Butler, Holly Eliza Martin) by Michael Kiwanuka *"The Bahamas" (Simon Bass) by Simon Bass *"Hard to See" (Michael Kiwanuka) by Michael Kiwanuka *"See the Sun" (

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard (; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique ( ...

, Pieter Bourke) by Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke *"Cathedral" (Thomas Newman) *"Just Another Ordinary Day" ( Patrick Watson, Robbie Kuster, Simon Angell, Mishka Stein) *"Run Like the Breeze" (Michael Kiwanuka) by Michael Kiwanuka

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2014 films 2014 documentary films Documentary films about boxing Films about Muhammad Ali 2010s English-language films 2010s American films

Overview

Reception

Music

See also

References

External links