Cassius Clay , mai apoi cu numele preschimbat, Muhamad Ali a fost un om spectacol, caruia greu ii putem gasi echivalent. Poate un film documentar artistic (When We Were Kings) , sau un film artistic ("Ali" cu Will Smith) sa surprinda omul Ali asa cum a fost si faptele sale?
Varianta artistica - "Ali" cu Will Smith, esueaza lamentabil. Vom vedea de ce. Documentarul "When We Were Kings" , este concentrat pe acelasi meci cu George Foreman din 1974. Are cateva parti bune si cateva mai putin bune. Partea "artistica" este putin trasa de par. Intrucat meciul, disputat in Zair, s-a amanat doua saptamani din cauza unei accidentari la antrenament a lui Foreman, muzicienii invitati de peste ocean , precum si cei locali, au avut un rol ceva mai important, pentru a umple timpul acestei pauze. Asta nu ar fi trebuit sa insemne si alocarea unui spatiu asa de mare in documentar dedicat acestor performante muzicale. A doua problema ar fi putinatatea comentariilor si imaginilor din meciul propriu-zis. Care ar fi "partile bune"? Vedem atmosfera premergatoare meciului, de la comentariile pro sau contra, pana la imagini de la antrenamente sau trairile suporterilor lui Ali din timpu meciului (reporteri, africani).
Putina istorie...
Palmaresul lui Ali pana la meciul cu Foreman: (34-2, cu 19 KO)
1960 - Castiga medalia de aur la categoria semi-grea la Olimpiada de la Roma.
1960-1967 - (19-0 , 13 KO) la profesionism
1968-1970 - suspendat pentru refuzul de a se inrola pentru Vietnam
1970-1974 - (15-2, 6 KO)
Palmaresui lui Foreman pana la meciul cu Ali:
1968 - Castiga medalia de aur la categoria grea la Olimpiada de la Melbourne.
1969 - 1974- (40-0, 37 KO)
Cele 2 infrangeri ale lui Ali fusesera in partidele cu Joe Frazier si Ken Norton. Este adevarat ca pe amandoi i-a invins ulterior in meciurile revansa. In plus cele doua partide pierdute aveau o oarecare explicatie: o accidentare la mandibula in meciul cu Norton si o atitudine sfidatoare care l-a costat in cel cu Frazier: in pauze , in loc sa se odihneasca pe scaun , statea in picioare si facea joc de glezne.
Cu toate acestea , nici revansele cu cei doi nu au fost usoare, ... iar Foreman a castigat meciurile cu aceeasi doi adversari , foarte convingator, prin KO in repriza a 2-a.
Sa lasam insa statisticile si sa vedem cum ne prezinta documentarul acest meci (citatele sunt ale unor martori oculari la meci)
.
Inainte de meci
.
Pentru aceasta lupta , Ali s-a antrenat din greu...
A avut sparring-partner-i foarte puternici, printre care si Larry Holmes (viitorul campion mondial intre 1978-1985 la versiunile WBC si apoi IBF, supranumit "The Easton Assassin."). In timpul antrenamentelor Ali s-a lasat dominat , antrenandu-si mai degraba slabiciunile decat punctele forte. S-a supus la indurarea unor "pedepse" in timpul acestor sparring-uri , invatand sa absoarba puternice lovituri la corp ...
.
In Zair
.
Meciul a avut loc in Zair-ul aflat sub conducerea lui Mobuto si avea premii record de 5 milione pentru fiecare boxeur.
.
La antrenamentele sale, Foreman , dupa numai 15 minute, "strica" cel mai mare sac de antrenament facand o aduncitura cat jumatate de pepene. Ali , care trebuia sa treaca pe acolo in drum spre sala sa, nu privea niciodata spre sacul lui Foreman ..
Pentru africani , era ca si cum s-ar fi luptat un negru cu un alb, adica pentru majoritatea lor, simbolul eroului negru era Ali, cu toate ca in realitate dintre ei Foreman era mai negru.
“Yes Muhammad Ali was lighter , but was a real person , was genuine, Muhammad Ali could have even a lighter skin that he was , but for us he was defending the good cause, for Africans and for whole world”
Ceea ce conta era si cunoscuta implicare sociala a lui Ali (numai daca ne gandim la suspendarea sa pentru refuzul de a se inrola , chiar si formal , pentru Vietnam, prietenia cu Malcom X, discursurile sale pentru emanciparea afro-americanilor) si gloria sa sportiva. El era Supermanul celor de culoare.
.
Teama...celorlalti
.
Vazand tristetea de pe fetele insottorilor si prietenilor sai in minutele dinainte de meci, ali ii intreaba:
.
"Why is everybody so unhappy? What is the matter with all of you?" "Ei toti credeau ca el o sa piarda si erau inspaimantati. Ei credeau ca fiind condus de madria sa va lua una din cele mai putenice batai din toate timpurile, pentru ca nu va renunta, ca va fi distrus in acel ring , ucis, sau ranit. Era ca si cum ei ar fi absorbit toata teama lui Ali dinainte de confruntare" "We gone dance tonight, we gone dance! “, a repetat Ali pana ei s-au mai inviorat putin , facandu-i"fericiti pe jumatate".
.
Inceputul
In deschiderea primei reprize Ali ii arunca lui Foreman comentariile lui binecunoscute, inca de pe vremea intalnirilor cu Sony Liston (in care ii explica, bineinteles, cat de rau o sa-l bata). Foreman ii arunca in schimb doar niste priviri "asasine".
Documentarul ne prezinta pe larg numai prima repriza, dar este indeajuns pentru a intelege ca nimic nu va fi cum se credea ca va fi.
A right-hand lead, where you throw your right without countering, you throw it first, like a jab. That has to travel that extra distance across the shoulders. Professionals rarely use this because it's so dangerous to throw, since you are open to a left hook. Since fighters work in milliseconds they can see a right coming much faster than a jab.
Nobody had thrown a right-hand lead at Foreman in two years, and none of his sparring partners, […], was going to start throwing right-hand leads at him because it's a great insult to a top professional. It suggests he's slow enough that you can hit him with it. Instead Ali figured out Foreman's not expecting a right-hand lead. '"I'm gonna hit him with a right hand and knock him out." Ali threw 12 right hand leads, he hadn't told anybody he was going to. He may have debated whether to up until the last moment. But he didn't knock Foreman down or knock him out. Instead, Foreman went crazy ...
Finally the nightmare he'd been awaiting in the ring had finally come to visit him. He was in the ring with a man he could not dominate, who was stronger than him, who was not afraid of him, who'd try to knock him out, and who punched harder than Ali, and this man was determined and unstoppable.
Ali had a look on his face that I'll never forget. It was the only time I ever saw fear in Ali's eyes. Ali looked as if he looked into himself and said, All right, this is the moment. This is what you've been waiting for. This is...that hour. Do you have the guts?
And he kind of nodded, like, "Really got to get it together, boy. "You are gonna get it together...you WILL get it together."
He nodded some more, as if he were looking into the eyes of his maker, and then turned to the crowd and went "Ali, boma ye!" and 100,000 people all yelled back "Ali, boma ye!" and this huge reverberation of the crowd came back into the ring... "The time has come, I'm gonna find a way to master this man.".
In corzi ("Ropes is halfway house to the floor")
Foreman, like everyone, had assumed that Ali would dance, 'and so Ali now went to the ropes and went into the Rope-a-Dope. And a lot of people thought that moment the fight was over. Especially on TV, it looked like Foreman was killing a very weak Ali.'You don't go to the ropes. And there he was, leaning way back.
Occasionally, he'd get hit and he'd say "George, you disappoint me. "You don't hit as hard as I thought you would, George, "you're not breaking popcorn!" 'And Foreman's insane with rage,'wanging at him and wanging at him...powerful, powerful, powerful.
"Was design in this madness"
In runda a 8-a un Foreman obosit este oprit definitv din ofensiva sa de o serie de lovituri si cade.
"Muhammad Ali, he was like a sleeping elephant. 'You can do whatever you want around a sleeping elephant, but when he wakes up... he tramples everything."
..."and in the morning he spoke to African groups who'd come to see him, 'and they more than revered him, he was a god. And he spoke to them very simply and beautifully,and he said,
"Afro-Americans, in America, we're not as good as you are. Some of us are richer than you are, but you have a dignity in your poverty that we don't have. We are spoiled in America, we have lost what you still have in Africa and you must keep that."
Will Smith , Ali ?
Cat ar fi el de plin de energie si de vorbe, actorul nu realizeaza decat o palida performanta in rolul lui Ali in afara ringului. Guralivul Clay, cel real, este mult mai dinamic si mult mai spectaculos.
In privinta calitatilor fizice, Smith nu "seamana" cu fenomenalul atlet care a fost Ali. In plus reconstituirea meciului cu Foreman este catastrofala si falsa: Ali nu a fost dominat de adversar decat aparent, doar din punctul de vedere al loviturilor care "nu aterizeaza", adica era lovit , dar in blocaj; era poate dureros, riscant, periculos pentru sanatatea lui, dar erau lovituri care in sportul numit box nu se puncteaza. In repriza a 8-a cand partida s-a terminat inainte de vreme, Ali conducea la puncte!
Ca sa puna capac la toate cu nepriceperea sa, regizorul alege in rolul lui Foreman o replica care seamana posibil la trasaturile faciale cu acesta, dar in nici un caz din punct de vedere atletic. "Foremanul" din film este pufos si grasut si posibil mai scund in comparatie cu formidabilul sportiv.
Alternative
Ce film puteam vedea totusi pentru a fi mai aproape de fenomenul Ali?
"The Five Laws Of Muhammad Ali"
Un documentar mai putin popularizat, mult mai apropiat de realitate, in care co-prezentator este si fostul sau adversar Henry Coooper.
1 "Speed is of the essence" - "No one could move like Muhammad Ali"
2 "Always hit the target"
3 "Conquer the mind. Conquer the body" ("psychological warfare")
4 "Only the braves survive" - "one of the bravest boxers"
5 "Be beautiful, be "Brutal" - "a charming man out of the ring , Ali could be as mean as hell inside"
Secventele din acest film, condensate de montaj, sunt foarte brutale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSC0yahvrQs&feature=related
Ali alearga
In acesta reclama, este insotit in alergarea sa din pregatirea pentru meciul cu Foreman , prin montaj de alti mari sportivi din anii 2000: Ian Thorpe, Maurice Greene, Zinedine Zidane , David Beckha,Thierry Henry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkRzfHU6R5gVarianta artistica - "Ali" cu Will Smith, esueaza lamentabil. Vom vedea de ce. Documentarul "When We Were Kings" , este concentrat pe acelasi meci cu George Foreman din 1974. Are cateva parti bune si cateva mai putin bune. Partea "artistica" este putin trasa de par. Intrucat meciul, disputat in Zair, s-a amanat doua saptamani din cauza unei accidentari la antrenament a lui Foreman, muzicienii invitati de peste ocean , precum si cei locali, au avut un rol ceva mai important, pentru a umple timpul acestei pauze. Asta nu ar fi trebuit sa insemne si alocarea unui spatiu asa de mare in documentar dedicat acestor performante muzicale. A doua problema ar fi putinatatea comentariilor si imaginilor din meciul propriu-zis. Care ar fi "partile bune"? Vedem atmosfera premergatoare meciului, de la comentariile pro sau contra, pana la imagini de la antrenamente sau trairile suporterilor lui Ali din timpu meciului (reporteri, africani).
Putina istorie...
Palmaresul lui Ali pana la meciul cu Foreman: (34-2, cu 19 KO)
1960 - Castiga medalia de aur la categoria semi-grea la Olimpiada de la Roma.
1960-1967 - (19-0 , 13 KO) la profesionism
1968-1970 - suspendat pentru refuzul de a se inrola pentru Vietnam
1970-1974 - (15-2, 6 KO)
Palmaresui lui Foreman pana la meciul cu Ali:
1968 - Castiga medalia de aur la categoria grea la Olimpiada de la Melbourne.
1969 - 1974- (40-0, 37 KO)
Cele 2 infrangeri ale lui Ali fusesera in partidele cu Joe Frazier si Ken Norton. Este adevarat ca pe amandoi i-a invins ulterior in meciurile revansa. In plus cele doua partide pierdute aveau o oarecare explicatie: o accidentare la mandibula in meciul cu Norton si o atitudine sfidatoare care l-a costat in cel cu Frazier: in pauze , in loc sa se odihneasca pe scaun , statea in picioare si facea joc de glezne.
Cu toate acestea , nici revansele cu cei doi nu au fost usoare, ... iar Foreman a castigat meciurile cu aceeasi doi adversari , foarte convingator, prin KO in repriza a 2-a.
Sa lasam insa statisticile si sa vedem cum ne prezinta documentarul acest meci (citatele sunt ale unor martori oculari la meci)
.
Inainte de meci
.
Pentru aceasta lupta , Ali s-a antrenat din greu...
A avut sparring-partner-i foarte puternici, printre care si Larry Holmes (viitorul campion mondial intre 1978-1985 la versiunile WBC si apoi IBF, supranumit "The Easton Assassin."). In timpul antrenamentelor Ali s-a lasat dominat , antrenandu-si mai degraba slabiciunile decat punctele forte. S-a supus la indurarea unor "pedepse" in timpul acestor sparring-uri , invatand sa absoarba puternice lovituri la corp ....
In Zair
.
Meciul a avut loc in Zair-ul aflat sub conducerea lui Mobuto si avea premii record de 5 milione pentru fiecare boxeur.
.
La antrenamentele sale, Foreman , dupa numai 15 minute, "strica" cel mai mare sac de antrenament facand o aduncitura cat jumatate de pepene. Ali , care trebuia sa treaca pe acolo in drum spre sala sa, nu privea niciodata spre sacul lui Foreman ..Pentru africani , era ca si cum s-ar fi luptat un negru cu un alb, adica pentru majoritatea lor, simbolul eroului negru era Ali, cu toate ca in realitate dintre ei Foreman era mai negru.
“Yes Muhammad Ali was lighter , but was a real person , was genuine, Muhammad Ali could have even a lighter skin that he was , but for us he was defending the good cause, for Africans and for whole world”
Ceea ce conta era si cunoscuta implicare sociala a lui Ali (numai daca ne gandim la suspendarea sa pentru refuzul de a se inrola , chiar si formal , pentru Vietnam, prietenia cu Malcom X, discursurile sale pentru emanciparea afro-americanilor) si gloria sa sportiva. El era Supermanul celor de culoare.
.
Teama...celorlalti
.
Vazand tristetea de pe fetele insottorilor si prietenilor sai in minutele dinainte de meci, ali ii intreaba:
.
"Why is everybody so unhappy? What is the matter with all of you?" "Ei toti credeau ca el o sa piarda si erau inspaimantati. Ei credeau ca fiind condus de madria sa va lua una din cele mai putenice batai din toate timpurile, pentru ca nu va renunta, ca va fi distrus in acel ring , ucis, sau ranit. Era ca si cum ei ar fi absorbit toata teama lui Ali dinainte de confruntare" "We gone dance tonight, we gone dance! “, a repetat Ali pana ei s-au mai inviorat putin , facandu-i"fericiti pe jumatate".
.
Inceputul
In deschiderea primei reprize Ali ii arunca lui Foreman comentariile lui binecunoscute, inca de pe vremea intalnirilor cu Sony Liston (in care ii explica, bineinteles, cat de rau o sa-l bata). Foreman ii arunca in schimb doar niste priviri "asasine".Documentarul ne prezinta pe larg numai prima repriza, dar este indeajuns pentru a intelege ca nimic nu va fi cum se credea ca va fi.
A right-hand lead, where you throw your right without countering, you throw it first, like a jab. That has to travel that extra distance across the shoulders. Professionals rarely use this because it's so dangerous to throw, since you are open to a left hook. Since fighters work in milliseconds they can see a right coming much faster than a jab. 
Nobody had thrown a right-hand lead at Foreman in two years, and none of his sparring partners, […], was going to start throwing right-hand leads at him because it's a great insult to a top professional. It suggests he's slow enough that you can hit him with it. Instead Ali figured out Foreman's not expecting a right-hand lead. '"I'm gonna hit him with a right hand and knock him out." Ali threw 12 right hand leads, he hadn't told anybody he was going to. He may have debated whether to up until the last moment. But he didn't knock Foreman down or knock him out. Instead, Foreman went crazy ...Finally the nightmare he'd been awaiting in the ring had finally come to visit him. He was in the ring with a man he could not dominate, who was stronger than him, who was not afraid of him, who'd try to knock him out, and who punched harder than Ali, and this man was determined and unstoppable.
Ali had a look on his face that I'll never forget. It was the only time I ever saw fear in Ali's eyes. Ali looked as if he looked into himself and said, All right, this is the moment. This is what you've been waiting for. This is...that hour. Do you have the guts?And he kind of nodded, like, "Really got to get it together, boy. "You are gonna get it together...you WILL get it together."
He nodded some more, as if he were looking into the eyes of his maker, and then turned to the crowd and went "Ali, boma ye!" and 100,000 people all yelled back "Ali, boma ye!" and this huge reverberation of the crowd came back into the ring... "The time has come, I'm gonna find a way to master this man.".In corzi ("Ropes is halfway house to the floor")
Foreman, like everyone, had assumed that Ali would dance, 'and so Ali now went to the ropes and went into the Rope-a-Dope. And a lot of people thought that moment the fight was over. Especially on TV, it looked like Foreman was killing a very weak Ali.'You don't go to the ropes. And there he was, leaning way back. 
Occasionally, he'd get hit and he'd say "George, you disappoint me. "You don't hit as hard as I thought you would, George, "you're not breaking popcorn!" 'And Foreman's insane with rage,'wanging at him and wanging at him...powerful, powerful, powerful."Was design in this madness"
Foreman has been hit three or four times! Ali came off the ropes and hit him a right and you can see the sweat pour off like a fountain off Foreman's face and you suddenly realized there was design in this madness.
FinalulIn runda a 8-a un Foreman obosit este oprit definitv din ofensiva sa de o serie de lovituri si cade.
"Muhammad Ali, he was like a sleeping elephant. 'You can do whatever you want around a sleeping elephant, but when he wakes up... he tramples everything."..."and in the morning he spoke to African groups who'd come to see him, 'and they more than revered him, he was a god. And he spoke to them very simply and beautifully,and he said,"Afro-Americans, in America, we're not as good as you are. Some of us are richer than you are, but you have a dignity in your poverty that we don't have. We are spoiled in America, we have lost what you still have in Africa and you must keep that."
Will Smith , Ali ?
Cat ar fi el de plin de energie si de vorbe, actorul nu realizeaza decat o palida performanta in rolul lui Ali in afara ringului. Guralivul Clay, cel real, este mult mai dinamic si mult mai spectaculos.
In privinta calitatilor fizice, Smith nu "seamana" cu fenomenalul atlet care a fost Ali. In plus reconstituirea meciului cu Foreman este catastrofala si falsa: Ali nu a fost dominat de adversar decat aparent, doar din punctul de vedere al loviturilor care "nu aterizeaza", adica era lovit , dar in blocaj; era poate dureros, riscant, periculos pentru sanatatea lui, dar erau lovituri care in sportul numit box nu se puncteaza. In repriza a 8-a cand partida s-a terminat inainte de vreme, Ali conducea la puncte!
Ca sa puna capac la toate cu nepriceperea sa, regizorul alege in rolul lui Foreman o replica care seamana posibil la trasaturile faciale cu acesta, dar in nici un caz din punct de vedere atletic. "Foremanul" din film este pufos si grasut si posibil mai scund in comparatie cu formidabilul sportiv.
Alternative
Ce film puteam vedea totusi pentru a fi mai aproape de fenomenul Ali?
"The Five Laws Of Muhammad Ali"
Un documentar mai putin popularizat, mult mai apropiat de realitate, in care co-prezentator este si fostul sau adversar Henry Coooper.
1 "Speed is of the essence" - "No one could move like Muhammad Ali"
2 "Always hit the target"
3 "Conquer the mind. Conquer the body" ("psychological warfare")
4 "Only the braves survive" - "one of the bravest boxers"
5 "Be beautiful, be "Brutal" - "a charming man out of the ring , Ali could be as mean as hell inside"
Secventele din acest film, condensate de montaj, sunt foarte brutale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSC0yahvrQs&feature=related
Ali alearga
In acesta reclama, este insotit in alergarea sa din pregatirea pentru meciul cu Foreman , prin montaj de alti mari sportivi din anii 2000: Ian Thorpe, Maurice Greene, Zinedine Zidane , David Beckha,Thierry Henry.
Cea mai frumoasa alergare dintre toti o are Ali...
Final
Cele mai bune filme despre Ali sunt chiar meciurile sale incepand cu fantasticul meci cu Foreman din 1974.
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