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- Jul 3, 1997
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- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
Link Removed
Muhammad Ali: Through The
Eyes Of The World
"All his life he has lit the Torch"
- Rod Steiger, Actor -
When I was a kid, I was never good in sports.
For that reason, I never became interested in
any sport, except that is, Boxing. It wasn't
the fact that I really was into the sport nor knew
much about it but rather the fact that Muhammad
Ali was a hero of mine. I clearly remember staying
up late during the mid-70's to watch his championship
boxing bouts.
Though I have framed autographed pictures of Ali
hanging on my wall, and even a boxing glove with
his personal signature, there is so much I still
really don't know about this national icon. Most
of what I have learned has been through other
great DVD documentaries such as When We Were
Kings, which concentrated more on the 1974
Ali/Foreman fight in Zaire.
Muhammad Ali: TTEOTW is quite an inspirational
story of Ali's life told through his friends,
trainers, broadcasters and historians. There are
also recollection's from celebrities like Richard
Harris, Berry Gordon, Tom Jones, James Earl Jones,
Rod Steiger, BB King and Billy Crystal.
So many facts I never knew about "The Greatest"
is revealed in this documentary. His father was
a sign painter who often abused the family. Cassius
Clay was a real nerd in school. After Cassius had
a bike of his stolen, it was his father that urged
him to learn how to fight before he went looking
to whoop-ass. From thereonin, Cassius was at the
gym daily. The first one there and the last to leave.
The DVD covers Ali's entire career span through
archival footage starting in 1958, when at 17 years
of age, Cassius is a Golden Globe amateur. We see
footage from the 1960 Olympics where he boldy goes up
against a Polish fighter who had fought 300 fights
before. Through it all, Cassius is confident.
From his winning the Heavyweight Championship at
22 years of age, to his convert to the muslim
religion (becoming Muhammad Ali) to his
evasion of the draft, his story is told with
passion from the people that remember him the most.
The documentary winds up with 70's bouts he had
with Frazier, Foreman and Spinks to the earliest
signs of Parkinson's, a disease that ultimately
took away his motor skills. One of the last
images we see is Ali lighting the torch at the
start of the 1996 Olympics.
This 2001 documentary is presented on DVD for
the very first time. Presented in anamorphic
1.78:1 widescreen, the image quality is excellent.
The DVD has a processed 5.1 Surround track
that really doesn't give much effort to the rear
channels. Instead, the front soundfield remains
very strong and robust. The only time I recognized
any rear channel activity was during some of the
supplemental material.
Special Features
Universal didn't screw around with this disc.
Including just the documentary would have been
more than enough to warrant a purchase. However,
there's a slew of nice supplements that sort of
add a bit of panache to this entire presentation.
Through The Eyes Of The World gives us
a map of the world. Using your remote, you click
on various countries. Each country gives you a
short snippet of opinions from the common people
that walk the streets to promoters and boxers who
had met the great one. When watching these little
fun pieces, you find a common thread of opinions
as to how fun, kind and gentle Ali was.
Unseen Interviews expands upon the interview
footage seen in the documentary. There are 6
extended interviews presented including one from
Billy Crystal where he talks about a joke that Ali
played on him. Another interview with James Earl
Jones reveals how Ali ultimately broke his thumb.
Stills Gallery contains many of the paintings
of Leroy Neiman that were done during the span of
Ali's career. Using your remote, you can thumb
through each one of them.
There is an included Music Video, that
frankly, is out of place. It's just a
horrible rap song that I watched 3/4 of before
turning it off. Nothing inspiring here.
A very interesting and historical Fight
Chronology lists every fight Cassius/Ali
fought, and the stats of that fight. There are
some video clips you can look at -- all from
the documentary.
Ali Center Promo is a promotional piece
for the new Ali Learning Center which promises to
inspire kids and adults everywhere.
There is an interesting, but rather short 2-minute
Ali Featurette that takes a look at
Geoffrey C Ewing's (seemingly) one man play.
Finally, the original Trailer for the
documentary is included.
Final Thoughts
Muhammad Ali inspired the world. He was a man
not afraid to speak his mind and stand up for
what he believed in -- especially during the late
60's when civil rights leaders were being assassinated.
This documentary faithfully captures the spirit
and courage of an individual that taught the world
to be all you can be, and work hard to achieve the
goals you want.
This a DVD I will be proud to have in my collection.
"in his quiet now he's even louder than he
ever was"
- Billy Crytal, actor -
Release Date: January 29, 2002
Muhammad Ali: Through The
Eyes Of The World
"All his life he has lit the Torch"
- Rod Steiger, Actor -
When I was a kid, I was never good in sports.
For that reason, I never became interested in
any sport, except that is, Boxing. It wasn't
the fact that I really was into the sport nor knew
much about it but rather the fact that Muhammad
Ali was a hero of mine. I clearly remember staying
up late during the mid-70's to watch his championship
boxing bouts.
Though I have framed autographed pictures of Ali
hanging on my wall, and even a boxing glove with
his personal signature, there is so much I still
really don't know about this national icon. Most
of what I have learned has been through other
great DVD documentaries such as When We Were
Kings, which concentrated more on the 1974
Ali/Foreman fight in Zaire.
Muhammad Ali: TTEOTW is quite an inspirational
story of Ali's life told through his friends,
trainers, broadcasters and historians. There are
also recollection's from celebrities like Richard
Harris, Berry Gordon, Tom Jones, James Earl Jones,
Rod Steiger, BB King and Billy Crystal.
So many facts I never knew about "The Greatest"
is revealed in this documentary. His father was
a sign painter who often abused the family. Cassius
Clay was a real nerd in school. After Cassius had
a bike of his stolen, it was his father that urged
him to learn how to fight before he went looking
to whoop-ass. From thereonin, Cassius was at the
gym daily. The first one there and the last to leave.
The DVD covers Ali's entire career span through
archival footage starting in 1958, when at 17 years
of age, Cassius is a Golden Globe amateur. We see
footage from the 1960 Olympics where he boldy goes up
against a Polish fighter who had fought 300 fights
before. Through it all, Cassius is confident.
From his winning the Heavyweight Championship at
22 years of age, to his convert to the muslim
religion (becoming Muhammad Ali) to his
evasion of the draft, his story is told with
passion from the people that remember him the most.
The documentary winds up with 70's bouts he had
with Frazier, Foreman and Spinks to the earliest
signs of Parkinson's, a disease that ultimately
took away his motor skills. One of the last
images we see is Ali lighting the torch at the
start of the 1996 Olympics.
This 2001 documentary is presented on DVD for
the very first time. Presented in anamorphic
1.78:1 widescreen, the image quality is excellent.
The DVD has a processed 5.1 Surround track
that really doesn't give much effort to the rear
channels. Instead, the front soundfield remains
very strong and robust. The only time I recognized
any rear channel activity was during some of the
supplemental material.
Special Features
Universal didn't screw around with this disc.
Including just the documentary would have been
more than enough to warrant a purchase. However,
there's a slew of nice supplements that sort of
add a bit of panache to this entire presentation.
Through The Eyes Of The World gives us
a map of the world. Using your remote, you click
on various countries. Each country gives you a
short snippet of opinions from the common people
that walk the streets to promoters and boxers who
had met the great one. When watching these little
fun pieces, you find a common thread of opinions
as to how fun, kind and gentle Ali was.
Unseen Interviews expands upon the interview
footage seen in the documentary. There are 6
extended interviews presented including one from
Billy Crystal where he talks about a joke that Ali
played on him. Another interview with James Earl
Jones reveals how Ali ultimately broke his thumb.
Stills Gallery contains many of the paintings
of Leroy Neiman that were done during the span of
Ali's career. Using your remote, you can thumb
through each one of them.
There is an included Music Video, that
frankly, is out of place. It's just a
horrible rap song that I watched 3/4 of before
turning it off. Nothing inspiring here.
A very interesting and historical Fight
Chronology lists every fight Cassius/Ali
fought, and the stats of that fight. There are
some video clips you can look at -- all from
the documentary.
Ali Center Promo is a promotional piece
for the new Ali Learning Center which promises to
inspire kids and adults everywhere.
There is an interesting, but rather short 2-minute
Ali Featurette that takes a look at
Geoffrey C Ewing's (seemingly) one man play.
Finally, the original Trailer for the
documentary is included.
Final Thoughts
Muhammad Ali inspired the world. He was a man
not afraid to speak his mind and stand up for
what he believed in -- especially during the late
60's when civil rights leaders were being assassinated.
This documentary faithfully captures the spirit
and courage of an individual that taught the world
to be all you can be, and work hard to achieve the
goals you want.
This a DVD I will be proud to have in my collection.
"in his quiet now he's even louder than he
ever was"
- Billy Crytal, actor -
Release Date: January 29, 2002
