The editing in this scene is perfect, and we see a contrasting shot of Ali talking about that same newscaster, and how he will defy the odds and beat Foreman. While watching this movie, I almost felt like I was watching a fictitious portrayal. Ali undoubtedly has so much confidence, and it reveals his social integrity. He won't give in to what the media says or the bets, because boxing is something that he is prideful about. He has built a name for himself and he wants to let his society know he is not going to back down. We see his own society broadcasting whose side they are on, or who has the strength to win, and we as an audience are meant to criticize this aspect of the sport. Ali has the right to express himself and not let anyone limit him to what he can and can't do. In the trailer, we hear Spike Lee's voice tell us "No matter what era you live in, you see very few true heroes." Ali is considered a hero because he wouldn't listen to the disapproval of others. Ali chose to be proud and express himself in ways others weren't expecting. In this sense, boxing is an outlet that lets boxers represent their individualistic ideals without caring about the consequences of approval vs disapproval. When Ali gets to Zaire, it is an interesting change from America. In the article "When We Were Kings' Is the Greatest Film Ever Made About Muhammad Ali" by Brandon Harris, Harris notes how Ali starts out the film saying "Yeah, I'm going to Africa. Yeah, Africa's my home," Ali says at the start of the film. "Damn America and what America thinks. Yeah I live in America, but Africa is the home of the black man" This is crucial in terms of investigating boxing's social impact, because race and origin are big attributes to the culture surrounding boxing. This documentary highlights the personality of Ali being infectious; his honesty and passion for his work resonates with audiences. Grindon points out in Knockout! that "A man of the people, Ali plays to the crowd; his identity arises out of his solidarity with others. Here, the boxer is interactive rather than isolated, funny and engaging rather than distant and directionless. " While Ali was in America, he had newscasters and citizens doubting his performance in the ring versus George Foreman, but when he gets to Africa, the society changes, this time favoring Ali rather than Foreman. Rather than defending his pride like he did in the States, he is able to gain confidence. The reason this is so important is because it gives the boxer more meaning. In America, boxers are seen as types of entertainment, and we don't usually give the boxer recognition for their social standings. When you take out the fame and entertainment aspects of the sport, you can clearly see the boxers true personalities. They are respected for their contribution to society, and they are praised for the words they say and what they do in order to help others. Something that caught my eye in this film was the cheer the natives of Zaire said to Muhammad Ali, 'Ali bumaye" which meant, "Ali kill him!" Foreman talks about how he doesn't like the cheer because of the meaning, and directly after we hear Foreman say this, the film cuts to a scene of Ali encouraging the natives to cheer, and they all shout together "Ali bumaye" unlike Foreman, Ali encourages the society because that is how they express their appreciation for Muhammad Ali. It is necessary for the boxer to implement their surrounding culture because it helps build appreciation and allows other to see the boxer as a human rather than a figure their for entertainment.
I feel like an important aspect of this is Leger Grindon's concept of BODY VERSUS SOUL, looking at it in a new way, the boxer feels like they must win to prove something to their society even if their body begins to crumble. Ali takes a beating to wear his opponent out, and finally takes the final swing to win the fight. Winning the fight was more than just proving strength, it was about proving a society wrong. All America looked at was the physical strength of its entertainers, but socially they didn't take in the boxer's personality and other factors that make a good fighter.
Later in his writing, Grindon says "The witch doctor reassures the challenger that a succubus will take the strength from his opponent and bring Ali victory. The film uses the image and sound of the African singer Miriam Makeba to embody the succubus. [---] She embodies Africa itself. She is the romantic figure whose union with the hero brings the villain to his knees. This “romance” is a poetic trope employed by the filmmaker to seal the union between Muhammad Ali and the Pan-African celebration." I find this very intriguing because it really shows just how much the social implications meant to Ali. The director and editors make the audience well aware of Makeba because it shows how the society all together helped Ali become a stronger fighter. The audience in a way is mesmerized by the mythical ideas surrounded by the "succubus".
2 Comments
Rachel Bushell
10/19/2016 12:23:58 am
I like how you talked about the chant "Ali Boyame". I agree that the chanting definitely made the audience play a big role in the fight scene because it helped with Ali's confidence. Ali already had an extreme amount of cockiness to begin with but with the support of all the fans, his cockiness skyrocketed leading him to that victory.
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Larry Elwert
10/25/2016 08:57:51 pm
I agree with the idea of seeing boxers as more than just fighters and Ali was an example of a role model for the children of Africa, which is is something today we see more of in sports
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