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Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

Original title: Muhammad Ali, the Greatest
  • 19691969
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
685
YOUR RATING
Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
  • Documentary
  • Biography
  • Sport
He's the greatest fighter of all time. A sports icon that is loved throughout the world. A man driven by his ambition to be the best. Muhammad Ali is a name that to this day puts fear in the... Read allHe's the greatest fighter of all time. A sports icon that is loved throughout the world. A man driven by his ambition to be the best. Muhammad Ali is a name that to this day puts fear in the strongest of men. Hear from the people who knew him best, from experts of the world of bo... Read allHe's the greatest fighter of all time. A sports icon that is loved throughout the world. A man driven by his ambition to be the best. Muhammad Ali is a name that to this day puts fear in the strongest of men. Hear from the people who knew him best, from experts of the world of boxing, relive the legendary fights and explore the life of boxing's greatest symbol, Ali.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
685
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • William Klein
  • Writer
    • William Klein
  • Stars
    • Muhammad Ali
    • Sonny Liston
    • Angelo Dundee
Top credits
  • Director
    • William Klein
  • Writer
    • William Klein
  • Stars
    • Muhammad Ali
    • Sonny Liston
    • Angelo Dundee
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 4User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos8

    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali
    • Selfas Self
    Sonny Liston
    Sonny Liston
    • Selfas Self
    Angelo Dundee
    Angelo Dundee
    • Selfas Self
    Jack Nilon
    • Selfas Self
    Chris Dundee
    • Selfas Self
    Finlay Campbell
    • Selfas Self
    James X
    • Selfas Self
    Malcolm X
    Malcolm X
    • Selfas Self
    • (archive footage)
    Jersey Joe Walcott
    • Selfas Self
    Jimmy Braddock
    • Selfas Self
    • (as James J. Braddock)
    Floyd Patterson
    Floyd Patterson
    • Selfas Self
    Norman Mailer
    Norman Mailer
    • Self - In Crowdas Self - In Crowd
    Stepin Fetchit
    Stepin Fetchit
    • Selfas Self
    Sam X
    • Selfas Self
    George Foreman
    George Foreman
    • Selfas Self
    Don King
    Don King
    • Selfas Self
    Mobutu Sese Seko
    Mobutu Sese Seko
    • Self - President of Zaireas Self - President of Zaire
    Joe Frazier
    Joe Frazier
    • Selfas Self
    • Director
      • William Klein
    • Writer
      • William Klein
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Includes rare footage of The Beatles cavorting in a training-camp gym with publicity-savvy young Muhammad Ali (then called Cassius Clay) in 1964.

    User reviews4

    Review
    Top review
    CERTAINLY NOT THE GREATEST DOCUMENTARY, THAT'S FOR SURE!
    I just happened to see this film last night at NYC's great movie revival house, Film Forum, where a brand-new 35mm print has been unreeling for the past few weeks. Although I DID learn a great deal about this legendary sports figure from watching the film, I must say that I walked out of the theatre feeling extremely disappointed. Before explaining why, let me first say that the film is divided into two sections. The first was filmed in 1964 and '65 and is in black and white. It deals with the buildup and followup to Ali's (then Cassius Clay's) title bouts with Sonny Liston; the first in Florida, the second in Maine. We see all the hullabaloo surrounding the bouts, we see the weigh-ins and the trash talking that Clay used to be famous for; we see Clay goofin' around with the Fab 4, we are shown a drama class talking about Clay in a Harlem school, and on and on. It all builds suspensefully toward the big fights. But when it comes to the main events...nada! This is a documentary about one of the world's most legendary living boxers...and contains not a single moment of actual boxing! Not one!

    Part two of the film takes place 10 years later, after Ali had been stripped of his title for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. This second part of the film is in beautiful color, and takes place in Zaire, right before Ali's comeback fight with George Foreman; the legendary "Rumble in the Jungle." Again, we see all the hoopla and buildup; we see the fighters meeting the Zairean president, Seko; we see the people of Zaire dancing and singing and discussing their favorites. Then it's fight time, and again--despite the fact that we see actual footage of the guys going into and leaving the ring--not a single frame of actual boxing! Only a few stills of the fight. I can't tell you how disappointed I was at this. I suppose that the rights to the actual boxing footage are tied up in legal disputes or would have required the filmmakers to shell out big bucks for their use, but the result is an incomplete portrait of this great athlete, at best. In addition to this glaring lack of actual boxing footage, we learn nothing of Clay's early life, what led him to become a boxer, and so on. Yes, it is interesting, in a time-capsulelike way, to look at the old film clips from the '60s, and to see Zaire as it was 30 years ago, but this doesn't help the viewer to understand Ali the man or Ali the athlete. We hear the expressions "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" and "Ali, bumba yay" over and over throughout the film, and still don't know why he was such a great fighter. This is certainly NOT the documentary that I was hoping for, and I can't imagine anyone walking out of this film feeling 100% satisfied.
    helpful•9
    18
    • sferber
    • Apr 25, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 9, 1974 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Muhammad Ali, der Größte
    • Production companies
      • Delpire Productions
      • Films Paris-New York
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,073
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,093
      • Apr 13, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $20,073
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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