Directed by: William Klein
France, 1974, 110'
Muhammad Ali as a social phenomenon. Muhammad Ali as a media phenomenon. Muhammad Ali as a political phenomenon, as a force shaping national, racial, and cultural identity – as a vindication of difference, as a means of self-determination, as a revolutionary method, as a mode of rebellion. How many varied things he was, the boxer named Cassius Clay, beyond a sporting phenomenon! This superb documentary by William Klein is a meditation on Muhammad Ali as a living intersection of words and movement, and of images, stances, and symbolism brought together within the personality, voice, and body of one person to articulate something far bigger than a human being: the timeless symbol of an indomitable energy striving ever forward, constantly thirsting to surpass itself. Watching Klein’s film, you feel this energy flood you – proof, if needed, that Muhammad Ali is still very much alive, as only legends know how to defy death.
Sunday, October 6, 18:30, Cinema Arta, Arad