If you know about 20th century sports, then you're bound to know about Muhammad Ali. In addition to his boxing career, Ali also made news for his conversion to Islam, and subsequent refusal to go into the army, declaring it against his religion, and the US government's stripping him of his title. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court.
Stephen Frears's "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" focuses on the case, following the Justices as they pore over the material and try to reach a conclusion. And the Greatest himself? He appears in footage, affirming that his fight is here in the US.
Playing the SCOTUS members are Frank Langella, Christopher Plummer, Ed Begley Jr., Peter Gerety, Barry Levinson, John Bedford Lloyd, Fritz Weaver, Harris Yulin and Danny Glover. The movie gives us a sense of the court's inner workings, both with the interactions between the Justices, and with their clerks (Dana Ivey plays a secretary). I don't know if I would call it a masterpiece, but it's interesting to see how one of the most important cases of the era played out. Of course, even if they'd ruled against Muhammad Ali, he'd still be the greatest boxer of all time.
PS: screenwriter Shawn Slovo is the daughter of South African anti-apartheid activists Joe Slovo and Ruth First, depicted in the 1988 movie "A World Apart".
Stephen Frears's "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" focuses on the case, following the Justices as they pore over the material and try to reach a conclusion. And the Greatest himself? He appears in footage, affirming that his fight is here in the US.
Playing the SCOTUS members are Frank Langella, Christopher Plummer, Ed Begley Jr., Peter Gerety, Barry Levinson, John Bedford Lloyd, Fritz Weaver, Harris Yulin and Danny Glover. The movie gives us a sense of the court's inner workings, both with the interactions between the Justices, and with their clerks (Dana Ivey plays a secretary). I don't know if I would call it a masterpiece, but it's interesting to see how one of the most important cases of the era played out. Of course, even if they'd ruled against Muhammad Ali, he'd still be the greatest boxer of all time.
PS: screenwriter Shawn Slovo is the daughter of South African anti-apartheid activists Joe Slovo and Ruth First, depicted in the 1988 movie "A World Apart".