When We Were Kings (1996)

Featuring footage from the actual events and commentary from more modern talking heads, this documentary conveys the story of The Rumble in the Jungle, the historic fight in Zaire between Mohammad Ali and George Foreman. It doesn’t shy from questioning the ethics of having such an event sponsored by a brutal murderous dictator, but it also celebrates bringing two excellent American Black athletes to compete in an African country. It’s a bit biased in favor of Ali, not giving nearly as much time nor characterization to Foreman. That’s somewhat in conjunction with presenting the fight as an underdog story about the past his prime Ali against the younger Foreman, but it also allows the charismatic, bombastic Ali to shine . I question a bit the choice of two old white males, George Plimpton and Norman Mailer, to provide the descriptions of the actual fight as well as the bizarre characterization of a succubus taking away Foreman’s power, particularly as it was paired each time with the performance of Miriam Makeba , but Mailer’s take on the fight’s final moments were enthralling. I loved the footage of Zaire 74, the three day concert event that was to lead up to the fight until the match was postponed due to Foreman’s injury, and am looking forward to checking out the documentary that focuses more on those musical acts.  

Oscar Win: Best Documentary, Features