Directed by British filmmaker Clare Lewins, who readily admits “I knew nothing at all about boxing when I started this project”, I AM ALI gives us a more intimate look at the man behind the myth that is Muhammad Ali. Although much has been written, filmed, photographed and published about Ali with archival footage as nothing new to us, the context within which Lewins presents it is. Providing us with an up close and personal look at Muhammad Ali, thanks to interviews with his close friends, decades long business associates like Gene Kilroy, boxing greats George Foreman and Mike Tyson, the legendary Angelo Dundee, some of Ali’s opponents, fans and family members, what sets this documentary apart are the interviews with two of Ali’s daughters, Hana and Maryum, as well as son Muhammad Jr. and one of his ex-wives, and the inclusion of excerpts of audio tapes made by Ali himself over the years.
Devoted to his family and a loving father, nothing speaks louder about Ali the man than his audio recordings of phone calls and conversations he made over the years with his children as we hear the playfulness and love as Ali sings the ABC’s song with a daughter learning her alphabet or a “serious discussion” with a 3 year old Hana talk about popsicles or a young Maryum telling him, “Daddy, I don’t want you to fight anymore. You’re old!” Designed by director Lewins so as to have the recordings of not only the Ali children but those Ali also made of his conversations with friends and confidantes serve as the connective tissue of the documentary, Ali himself is ever-present. We see the complexity of the man by just listening to his words, his conversations, his thoughts and grow more connected through the tonal inflections of his voice.
Noticeable are absences or omissions of the rest of Ali’s nine children (which Hana and Maryum told me was merely due to scheduling issues), his ex-wives other than Veronica Porsche (who is the one interview who, between tears and emotionally halting words, speaks briefly about Ali’s debilitated state due to Parkinson’s disease) or even mentions of very public and intense relationships with people like Howard Cosell who helped make Ali’s career through broadcasting.
But then there are insightful interviews with Muhammad Jr. who talks about the pressure of living up to being the son of “The Greatest”, Mike Tyson recalling childhood events and a meeting with Ali that inspired him to become a fighter, ex-NFLer Jim Brown talking about the behind-the-scenes political fallout when Ali refused to go to Viet Nam and the need for Black leaders to understand his motivations to stave off uprisings, and one of my favorites, a heartwarming interview with Marvis Frazier who talks about the relationship between two of the greatest rivals in sports history both in and out of the ring - Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Although there are neither present day photos nor interviews with the man himself included in the documentary, there is never a moment that you do not feel Ali’s presence as he is omnipresent. His voice is the guiding hand. And at the end of the day, while Muhammad Ali is still “the greatest”, it is his love for his children and their love for him that truly makes him great.
Written and Directed by Clare Lewins
Interview subjects: Hana Ali, Maryum Ali, Muhammad Ali, Jr., Rahaman Ali, Gene Kilroy, Angelo Dundee, George Foreman, Marvis Fazier, Mike Tyson, Jim Brown, Sir Tom Jones
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