Guide Rating -

Length: 151 minutes
MPAA Rating: Unrated

One of the things I like about "Muhammad Ali the Greatest" is that Klein didn't tidy everything up and he refused to pander to his audience. Much of the film has a rawness that made me feel as if I were actually there at the time instead of being given a cleaned-up, simplified version of events years after they occurred. The documentary doesn't provide a whole lot of explanation or interpretation of what's going on—you pretty much have to figure that out for yourself.

Another thing I like about Klein's documentary is that he often chose unexpected things to show. For example, one of the members of the Louisville syndicate talks about his belief that his ancestors owned slaves from which Ali was descended. Later, there are scenes at a Harlem drama school where students perform improvisations based on their knowledge of Ali. Still later, Ali and George Foreman, then heavyweight champ, are shown meeting Mobutu, the corrupt dictator of the African country of Zaire.

"Muhammad Ali the Greatest" covers only two periods in Ali's life. The first part of the film is in black-and-white and records events in 1964-65, during which Ali defeated Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship and then successfully defended his title in their rematch. The second part of the film is in color and chronicles the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle, the bout in which Ali regained the heavyweight crown by defeating George Foreman. Boxing fans should be advised that the documentary contains almost no fight footage—Klein focused on the man and his times.

I think what makes "Muhammad Ali the Greatest" memorable is Klein's cinematic style. Unlike most documentarians, he seems much more concerned with rhythm and flow than with clarity. Klein keeps exposition to a bare minimum and simply lets the pictures and sounds tell the story. He's very effective at capturing the feeling of an era, and part of the way he achieves this is by deliberately not being too polished. To my way of thinking, Klein's approach enabled him to create an unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary human being.

The DVD offers only one extra of any consequence, namely English-language commentary by William Klein on 12 scenes from the film. The commentaries are fascinating and were apparently recorded two or three decades after the film's original release.