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The Greatest (1977) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.1/10   344 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Muhammad Ali (book)
Richard Durham (book)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Greatest on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 May 1977 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama | Sport more
Tagline:
The story of a legend that took the world by storm. more
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations
 (From MovieWeb. 16 July 2009, 6:30 AM, PDT)

Trailer - 'Facing Ali'
 (From Get The Big Picture. 21 April 2009, 7:18 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Rope A Doped more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Muhammad Ali ... Himself

Ernest Borgnine ... Angelo Dundee
Sally Bondi ... Bess
Richard Gullage ... Commission Doctor
Arthur Adams ... Cassius Clay Senior
Dorothy Meyer ... Odessa Clay
Rahaman Ali ... Himself
Howard Bingham ... Himself
Richard Venture ... Colonel
Stack Pierce ... Johnson
W. Youngblood Muhammad ... Himself
Ven Medina ... Ronnie (as Ben Medina)
Paul Mantee ... Carrara
Skip Homeier ... Major
Lloyd Wells ... Himself
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
Sweden:102 min | USA:101 min
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
Atlanta, Georgia, USA more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Edited into Afro Promo (1997) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
1 out of 5 people found the following comment useful:-
Rope A Doped, 2 June 2006
5/10
Author: jldmp1 (jldmp1@aol.com) from United States

It's not surprising how the impression from this movie is that "Ali can't act" -- but a distinction has to be made. Ali was plainly no dramatic actor; it doesn't mean he 'couldn't act'.

Quite the opposite; Ali was a natural in the ring, on TV, in interviews; he was a gifted, graceful athlete -- sports are now all about performance, about 'acting', largely because of his influence.

He was an intelligent, creative tactician, both physically and verbally, inside and outside the ring.

He invented trash talk. He invented the modern notions of relentless self-promotion and self-aggrandizement; psychological warfare in sport. By the time he started affecting young movie actors, it was clear that it had all come full circle. Wesley Snipes is probably his closest scion ("White Men Can't Jump").

But acting as himself in this hagiography, it's just no use.

If you want a good period example of a natural, unscripted Ali experience, read his interviews with Hunter S. Thompson (in his "Great Shark Hunt" compendium).

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