The story of Cassius Clay, who became Muhammad Ali and the most charismatic heavyweight champion of our time. Tracing his meteoric rise from his Olympic gold medal as a light-heavyweight at Rome in 1960, his conversion to Islam, his refusal to serve in the Vietnam war, to his triumphant return to the ring.
Rahaman Ali
,
Howard Bingham
, Harold Conrad,
Don Dunphy
,
Lloyd Wells
, Pat Patterson, and Gene Kilroy appear as themselves.
There are many uncredited roles in the film including some major characters, such as Ruby Sanderson and his girlfriend, Belinda Board, who became his wife, and Herbert Mohammed, son of
Elijah Muhammad
, who was Ali's manager at one point.
Lonette McKee
was originally going to portray the role played by Annazette Chase.
[4]
[5]
All music composed and produced by
Michael Masser
, and arranged by Masser and
Lee Holdridge
.
Side 2
Title
| Lyrics
|
---|
1.
| "Ali Bombaye (Zaire Chant) I" (Masser and
Mandrill
)
| ?
| 3:42
|
---|
2.
| "Ali Bombaye (Zaire Chant) II" (Masser and Mandrill)
| ?
| 3:00
|
---|
3.
| "The Greatest Love of All" (Masser)
| ?
| 3:14
|
---|
4.
| "Variations on Theme" (Masser)
| ?
| 2:34
|
---|
5.
| "I Always Knew I Had It in Me" (Benson; version 2)
| Goffin
| 5:21
|
---|
Vincent Canby
of
The New York Times
called the film "a charming curio of a sort Hollywood doesn't seem to make much anymore."
[6]
Kevin Thomas
of the
Los Angeles Times
called the film "potent pop biography, lively and entertaining, in which the irrepressible world's heavyweight boxing champion projects exactly the image he wants us to have."
[7]
Gene Siskel
of the
Chicago Tribune
gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "As a diverting entertainment, 'The Greatest' is more than satisfactory."
[8]
Arthur D. Murphy of
Variety
wrote that Ali brought the film "an authority and a presence that lift John Marshall's production above some of the limitations inherent in any film bio."
[9]
David Badder of
The Monthly Film Bulletin
stated, "
The Greatest
delivers exactly what one would expect: a hagiographical account of Ali's best-known exploits, giving full rein to the inimitable, volatile personality but in the process applying liberal coats of whitewash."
[10]
- ^
"Big Rental Films of 1977"
.
Variety
: 21. January 4, 1978.
- ^
Canby, Vincent
(May 21, 1977).
"The Greatest (1977) Ali's Latest Victory Is 'The Greatest'
"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"The Greatest"
.
www.nytimes.com
.
- ^
Lucas, Bob (11 November 1976).
"Angry McKee Quits
Greatest
And Goes To Pryor Film"
.
Jet
. Retrieved
25 April
2016
.
- ^
"People: June Allyson to wed; Gershwin home saved"
.
Ottawa Citizen
. 27 October 1976
. Retrieved
25 April
2016
.
- ^
Canby, Vincent (May 21, 1977). "Ali's Latest Victory Is 'The Greatest'".
The New York Times
. p. 13.
- ^
Thomas, Kevin (May 19, 1977). "Ali Piles Up Points in 'Greatest'".
Los Angeles Times
. Part IV, p. 14.
- ^
Siskel, Gene (May 23, 1977). "'The Greatest' isn't the greatest, but takes an entertaining jab at it".
Chicago Tribune
. Section 3, p. 9.
- ^
Murphy, Arthur D. (May 25, 1977). "Film Reviews: The Greatest".
Variety
. 21.
- ^
Badder, David (September 1977). "The Greatest".
The Monthly Film Bulletin
.
44
(524): 192.