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When We Were Kings
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| Rated:
PG |
1996 |
Color |
87
min. |
Awards |
|
|
| Starring: Muhammad
Ali, George Foreman, Don King, Norman Mailer, George Plimpton,
Spike Lee, James Brown, B.B. King, Mobutu Sese Seko, The
Crusaders, The Spinners |
| Director:
Leon Gast |
Produced
by:
Leon Gast, David Sonnenberg, Taylor Hackford |
|
| Music:
Various Artists |
| Movie
Co.: Grammercy Pictures |
| Production
Co.: DAS Films Ltd., David Sonenberg Production, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
|
| Critique
Section |
The Rumble
in the Courtroom |
HugeReviews.com's
Official Rating System:
Pathetic
Wimpy
Solid Super
HUGE |
| HugeReviews
Critics |
Scott
Neufville's Review |
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| Relevant Sites: Official
Site, |
Store |
The When We Were Kings Store
|
| HugeReviews.com
Reviews:
When
We Were Kings
by
Scott
Neufville
This documentary was a satisfying film to watch,
especially for such a die hard boxing fan as myself. Normally I find my intelligence insulted by most film
producer's attempt to dramatize the events and people surrounding boxing
matches. But When We Were
Kings avoided that cliche by fascinating, informing, and intriguing me
with it's brand new insights into the fight and times of the
"Rumble in the Jungle," the 1974 heavyweight championship
between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.
Though the actual climactic fight itself was nothing
I hadn't already seen, it was as good as new thanks to never before seen
footage, social climate descriptions, and deep insights into the
thoughts and characters of celebrities we thought we knew before
surrounding this fight. I
can watch this documentary several times and never get bored and I look
forward to watching it again.
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Awards:
Academy Awards: Best Documentary
Independent Spirit Awards: Truer Than Fiction Award
Sundance Film Festival: Special Recognition (Director) |
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It took Leon Gast 22 years to make this film because the rights to it
were a point of contention in civil law suits involving the Liberians
who financed the film.
After his defeat in "The Rumble in the Jungle," George
Foreman went into a depression that lasted years. He emerged from
it the great fighter we know and love today.
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