classicsoncall Review of a.k.a. Cassius Clay

a.k.a. Cassius Clay (1970)

"I want everybody to know, I am the Greatest!"

[7/10 · 15 October 2016]

Having lived through the era, the value of this film for me was in bringing back my youthful memories of the young Cassius Clay on the way up the hierarchy of the boxing world and becoming Heavyweight Champion with that stunning victory over Sonny Liston. Who could ever forget Clay's colorful rhyming pronouncements of when he'd take down the next challenger, or his declaration that "I'm the prettiest thing in the ring today...". Narrated by Richard Kiley, this documentary style film offers up a handful of Clay's earliest boxing matches and his affiliation with the Black Muslim movement and it's leader Elijah Muhammad. Brash and bombastic, and now known as Muhammad Ali, the champion was indicted for draft evasion and held true to his religious principles while defying the government. Stripped of his title, Ali became a prime symbol of the rebellious era of the Sixties. Personally, I was conflicted as a follower of Ali during this period, but felt that he had the courage of his convictions when faced with losing everything he had in the way of money and status. The picture closes with Kiley's speculation on where Ali's future might take him, so watching the story today is almost a moot point for anyone who followed Ali's career up until his passing earlier this year on June 3rd, 2016.