#998: GAST, Leon: When We Were Kings (1996)

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GAST, Leon (United States)
When We Were Kings [1996]
Spine #998
Blu-ray


In 1974, Leon Gast traveled to Africa to film Zaire 74, a music festival planned to accompany an unprecedented sports spectacle: the Rumble in the Jungle, in which late-career underdog Muhammad Ali would contend with the younger powerhouse George Foreman for the boxing heavyweight championship title — "a fight between two blacks in a black nation, organized by blacks," as a Kinshasa billboard put it. When the main event was delayed, extending Ali's stay in Africa, Gast would up amassing a treasure trove of footage, observing the wildly charismatic athlete training for one of the toughest bouts of his career while basking in his role as black America's proud ambassador to postcolonial Africa. Two decades in the making, When We Were Kings features interviews with Norman Mailer and George Plimpton that illustrate the sensational impact of the fight, rounding out an Academy Award-winning portrait of Ali that captures his charm, grace, and defiance.

87 minutes
Color
5.0 Surround
1:78:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2019
Director


Leon Gast was 60 years old when he directed When We Were Kings.

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

 The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Kelefa Sanneh.

Commentary

None.

Soul Power

A 2008 documentary about the Zaïre 74 music festival directed by Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte.

Interview 1

With producer David Sonenberg.

Interview 2

From 1997 with director Gast.

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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