DC Public Library System

When we were kings, a DASFilms presentation ; a film by Leon Gast & Taylor Hackford ; a David Sonenberg production ; produced by Leon Gast, David Sonenberg & Taylor Hackford ; directed by Leon Gast

eng

videorecording

Rating: PG; for images of violence, brief nudity and some language

When we were kings

1113940820

a DASFilms presentation ; a film by Leon Gast & Taylor Hackford ; a David Sonenberg production ; produced by Leon Gast, David Sonenberg & Taylor Hackford ; directed by Leon Gast

87

The Criterion collection, 998

"In 1974, Leon Gast traveled to Africa to film Zaire 74, a music festival planned to accompany an unprecedented sports spectacle: the Rumble in the Jungle, in which late-career underdog Muhammad Ali would contend with the younger powerhouse George Foreman for the boxing heavyweight championship title--'a fight between two blacks in a black nation, organized by blacks, ' as a Kinshasa billboard put it. When the main event was delayed, extending Ali's stay in Africa, Gast wound up amassing a treasure trove of footage, observing the wildly charismatic athlete training for one of the toughest bouts of his career while basking in his role as black America's proud ambassador to postcolonial Africa. Two decades in the making, When We Were Kings features interviews with Norman Mailer and George Plimpton that illustrate the sensational impact of the fight, rounding out an Academy Award-winning portrait of Ali that captures his charm, grace and defiance"--Container

Features: New, restored 4K digital transfer -- "Soul Power, " a 2008 documentary about the Zaïre 74 music festival directed by Jefrey Kusama-Hinte -- New interview with producer David Sonenberg -- Interview from 1997 with director Leon Gast -- Trailer -- An essay by critic Kelefa Sanneh

live action