THRILLA IN MANILLA (2008)
Part of Channel4/More4's terrific "True Stories" documentary thread, there are elements of this film that betray its television origins - some rather pedestrian staging, a dull voiceover - but ultimately it transcends such trivialities to deliver a thrilling account of the titular fight (in which Muhammad Ali took on Joe Frazier in the Philippines) as well as a blow-by-blow account of the build-up in which the pair's friendship was forever soured. It never quite reaches the dizzy heights of the tale of the "Rumble in the Jungle" as detailed in WHEN WE WERE KINGS but it's at least a worthy companion piece.
The film unfolds primarily from Frazier's point of view. Current interviews with him (living above his gym in a rundown neighbourhood, a stark contrast with the marketing giant of Ali) and with witnesses and experts are blended with heaps of archive footage to give the complete story of one of boxing's greatest ever bouts. Granted, I hate boxing, so I'm taking it on the word of others - but even with my limited interest I could see that this fight was something extraordinary.
As I mentioned above however, the lead-up to the fight was just as interesting. Ali, previously a friend and supporter of Frazier, suddenly decided to start badmouthing him in incredible ways (comparing him to a gorilla, to Uncle Tom and making out that he was some kind of white man's patsy). Frazier of course rose to the bait.
Of course it can be seen that Ali was always a bit over the top in trying to promote fights and always liked to "talk the talk" as it were. He took it too far however, but Frazier does not come off any better in giving in and lashing out (there's an incredible scene where the two men actually start fighting on a quiz show).
In concentrating so much screentime on the build up and events surrounding the fight, the film doesn't lessen the impact of the fight itself. What it does do however is to remind us that, for all we might be in awe of these two giants clashing in the insane Filipino heat, almost literally fighting to a standstill, they are just men. Not monsters, not giants, but men, and with all the same flaws as the rest of us.
In doing so, it results not in an extended bout of hero worship but in a portrait of two men who took things too far and in the end both paid the price for that fight, in one way or another. Ali comes across as a man who took his verbal sparring too far over the line into backstabbing and spite and, for decades at least, was too stubborn to apologise; Frazier comes over as a man who was not only naive enough to give in to Ali's taunting but now comes over as bitter and more than a little spiteful himself, taking a degree of pleasure in playing his part in Ali's current condition.
Ultimately it's about a fight that neither man truly won and in that respect the documentary is a fair reflection - neither man emerges from the film having covered themselves in glory and in the end the only winner is anyone who discovers this pulsating film.
The film unfolds primarily from Frazier's point of view. Current interviews with him (living above his gym in a rundown neighbourhood, a stark contrast with the marketing giant of Ali) and with witnesses and experts are blended with heaps of archive footage to give the complete story of one of boxing's greatest ever bouts. Granted, I hate boxing, so I'm taking it on the word of others - but even with my limited interest I could see that this fight was something extraordinary.
As I mentioned above however, the lead-up to the fight was just as interesting. Ali, previously a friend and supporter of Frazier, suddenly decided to start badmouthing him in incredible ways (comparing him to a gorilla, to Uncle Tom and making out that he was some kind of white man's patsy). Frazier of course rose to the bait.
Of course it can be seen that Ali was always a bit over the top in trying to promote fights and always liked to "talk the talk" as it were. He took it too far however, but Frazier does not come off any better in giving in and lashing out (there's an incredible scene where the two men actually start fighting on a quiz show).
In concentrating so much screentime on the build up and events surrounding the fight, the film doesn't lessen the impact of the fight itself. What it does do however is to remind us that, for all we might be in awe of these two giants clashing in the insane Filipino heat, almost literally fighting to a standstill, they are just men. Not monsters, not giants, but men, and with all the same flaws as the rest of us.
In doing so, it results not in an extended bout of hero worship but in a portrait of two men who took things too far and in the end both paid the price for that fight, in one way or another. Ali comes across as a man who took his verbal sparring too far over the line into backstabbing and spite and, for decades at least, was too stubborn to apologise; Frazier comes over as a man who was not only naive enough to give in to Ali's taunting but now comes over as bitter and more than a little spiteful himself, taking a degree of pleasure in playing his part in Ali's current condition.
Ultimately it's about a fight that neither man truly won and in that respect the documentary is a fair reflection - neither man emerges from the film having covered themselves in glory and in the end the only winner is anyone who discovers this pulsating film.
Labels: documentaries
posted by Alan at 4:10 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home