Product Details

• Actors: Muhammad Ali, Ringo Bonavena, George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Howard Cosell
• Directors: Pete McCormack
• Producers: Adam Voghell, Derik Murray, Marcelle Pavan, Paul Gertz, Ronald A. DiNicola
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: December 29, 2009
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002T9H2KG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,988 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Facing Ali" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis:
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 12/29/09
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Documentary That Works On Two Levels, February 7, 2010

By 

Zachary Koenig "K-Dawg" (Forest Lake, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facing Ali (DVD)

There is no doubt whatsoever that Muhammad Ali is one of the most polarizing (and, yet, inspiring) figures in sporting history. Not only was he arguably the most talented pugilist in history, but his religious (Islam) and societal (Vietnam) stands are now legendary. This new documentary, however, carves out its own little niche in the history of Ali by telling his story not from his point of view, but from the men who battled him inside the ring.

This film really can work on two different levels:

First, for younger (or more "inexperienced" Ali viewers), it is fascinating to hear the thoughts of other fighters who stood toe-to-toe with the man. Whether it be his greatest nemesis (Joe Frazier), most spectacular upset (George Foreman), or just some guy from England (Sir Henry Cooper) that happened to land one solid punch, all the guests in this documentary have very interesting takes on "The Greatest". It is especially poignant to hear most (if not all) of the competitors thanking Ali for giving them their chance at greatness. For some, a fight against Ali helped put food on the table for their children, which is a side of boxing not often thought about.

For more "seasoned" Ali fans, who have likely heard and read it all about the man, this movie is still enjoyable due to that fact that you get to see all "the old gang" once again. Some guys (Cooper, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers) might bring back long-forgotten memories of the "golden age" of boxing, others (Frazier, Foreman) help you relive those epic battles, and one (George Chuvalo) will have you almost in tears from his genuiness. Plus, and it wouldn't be a boxing documentary without this, there are the crazies (Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes) that serve to really liven up the proceedings with their rather "colorful" commentary. Though it may be sad to see the former heroes of the ring in various stages of decay, it is still fun to hear from them once again.

Thus, I highly recommend this documentary to any and all fans of Muhammad Ali, or just boxing/sports in general. I have read numerous books and watched multiple videos on similar subject matter, and this one is close to the top of that list.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow.. Great commentary from Ali's Opponents, December 26, 2009

By 

Aaron J. Diaz (Oxnard, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Facing Ali (DVD)

A wonderful documentary giving Ali's various opponents a moment to speak about how they felt fighting 'the greatest'. You get to hear some personal back story from the fighters. Normally you just see documentaries about how Ali did this and that, but you never get to hear the actual fighters talk, well, now you can... Its nostalgic to see these old men who were once on top of the world and now they are looking back at their past and reflecting. A must see. Of course there is plenty of 'the greatest' chattering away from past interviews and there is plenty of crystal clear footage of each fight mentioned. I'm glad this documentary was made. A real treasure in boxing documentation.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facing Ali; Fighting in the shadow of The Greatest, January 31, 2010

By 

The Salmon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facing Ali (DVD)

There has been a large amount of work dedicated to Mohammed Ali and his career but this documentary looks at the man and the times through the eyes of the fighters that faced him over the course of his amazing and controversial his career.

The movie interviews 10 former fighters that were pivotal in Ali's career; George Chuvalu, Henry Cooper, Ernie Terrell, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Kenny Norton, Ernie Shavers, George Forman, Leon Spinks, and Larry Holmes. The interviews are remarkably intertwined with digitally re-mastered archival footage of their fights.
From a historical standpoint the first hour of the film does an excellent job of placing Ali in the social, racial, and economic context of the 1960s. (I could see this half of the film being used as a source for American History Courses) However, after his 3 year suspension from boxing and return in 1973 the film shifts into a fight by fight chronicle of his comeback and eventual decline. The one failure of the film is in my opinion the lack of emphasis of the the Frazier -Ali rivalry that produced three of the greatest fights of all times and made that era the pinnacle of the sport.

These 10 fighters were products of the depression (except Spinks perhaps) and each used boxing to escape their hardscrabble conditions. As one fighter noted "Nobody from the middle class goes into boxing." Each fighter was acutely aware but at the same time equally grateful that they were allowed to be bit players in the larger drama which was Mohammad Ali. As Ron Lyle succinctly put it, "If it wasn't for Ali you wouldn't be here talking to Ron Lyle today."

To the films credit the intimate focus on these men highlights that they each have their own life stories which are as compelling and in some cases as personally tragic as the man remembered as The Greatest.