When We Were Kings

When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film by Leon Gast and Vikram Jayanti about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Zaire on October 30, 1974 and the lead-up to the fight. It is widely regarded as perhaps the best documentary ever made about Ali, and successfully highlights the legendary boxer's trademark wit, intelligence, and charisma as well as his superb ring generalship during the fight itself.

The film also shows scenes with promoter Don King working on his first big promotion, and singers James Brown and B. B. King who performed in Zaire. This is the only film containing footage of the "black Woodstock" soul music festival accompanying the fight. It also shows the dark side of the fight, being that it was funded and took place in the brutal Zaire dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko.

The film shows much of the fight itself, particularly Ali's famous "rope-a-dope" which caused Foreman to expend his energy and set himself up for the eighth-round knockout. A frequent criticism of the film is that it overlooks facts in favour of story, in that it portrays Ali as having been pummelled by Foreman before coming back to pull out the win, while in reality the commentators observing the match were impressed by Ali's speed and tactical brilliance, with Joe Frazier famously saying "George is fighting stupid." The film also describes in some detail Ali's repeated use of the "leading right" in the early rounds, a rarely-utilized punch in professional boxing because it opens the boxer up for easy attack, and therefore the punch that Foreman was least prepared for.

Ali is shown taking what look like heavy blows from the hard-throwing Foreman, which are lessened by Ali's quick reflexes and use of the ropes. As Foreman throws with power, Ali is able to use his trademark quick hands to damage the heavyweight champion, and in the eighth round Ali knocks out the exhausted Foreman, regaining the championship taken from him for his refusal to be drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, Spike Lee and Thomas Hauser gave interviews for the film, describing their impressions of Zaire, the fight itself, and particularly their impressions of Ali. The film itself contains these interviews, with many clips and photos.

When We Were Kings is frequently regarded as one of the best boxing documentaries ever, having received strong reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert and Edward Guthmann. Ali is often shown in all of his entertaining, fast-talking glory, capable of discussing both boxing and politics with equal skill. Frequently in the film, Ali is shown talking about his beliefs regarding Africans and African-Americans, speaking of the inherent dignity of the native Africans and his hopes for African-Americans in the future. His relationship with the people of Zaire is shown frequently, with the mutual love between Ali and the people of the nation contrasted with Foreman's awkward and unsuccessful efforts to build his own popularity.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. At the presentation, both Ali and Foreman came up to join the filmmakers to make it clear they had long since made peace since that match.