The Greatest (1977 film)
| The Greatest | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
Tom Gries Monte Hellman |
| Produced by | John Marshall |
| Written by |
Muhammad Ali (short) Herbert Muhammad & Richard Durham (book) Ring Lardner, Jr. |
| Starring |
Muhammad Ali Ernest Borgnine James Earl Jones Robert Duvall |
| Music by |
Lee Holdridge Linda Creed Gerry Goffin Michael Masser |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling, Jr. |
| Edited by | Byron Brandt |
Production company | |
Release dates | May 19, 1977 |
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country |
United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Greatest is a 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali, in which Ali plays himself.[1] It was directed by Tom Gries and Monte Hellman.[1] The film follows Ali's life from the 1960 Olympics to his regaining the heavyweight crown from George Foreman in their famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in 1974. The footage of the boxing matches themselves are largely the actual footage from the time involved.
The song "The Greatest Love of All" was written for this film and sung by George Benson; it was later remade by Whitney Houston as "Greatest Love of All".
The movie is based on a book written by Muhammad Ali, Herbert Muhammad and Richard Durham.
Cast
- Muhammad Ali as Himself
- Ernest Borgnine as Angelo Dundee
- John Marley as Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
- Lloyd Haynes as Herbert Muhammad
- Robert Duvall as Bill McDonald
- David Huddleston as Cruikshank
- Ben Johnson as Hollis
- James Earl Jones as Malcolm X
- Dina Merrill as Velvet Green
- Roger E. Mosley as Sonny Liston
- Paul Winfield as Draft Lawyer
- Annazette Chase as Belinda Ali
- Mira Waters as Ruby Sanderson
- Drew Bundini Brown as Himself
- Malachi Throne as Payton Jory
- Richard Venture as Colonel Cedrich
- Arthur Adams as Cassius Clay Sr
- Stack Pierce as Johnson
- Paul Mantee as Carrara
- Skip Homeier as the Major
- David Clennon as the Captain
- Nai Bonet as Suzie Gomez
Rahman Ali, Howard Bingham, Harold Conrad, Don Dunphy, Lloyd Wells, Pat Patterson, and Gene Kilroy appear as themselves.
There are many uncredited roles in the film including some major characters such as Ruby Sanderson his girlfriend, Belinda Board who became his wife and Herbert Mohammed son of Elijah Muhammad and his manager at one point.
Soundtrack
All music composed and produced by Michael Masser, and arranged by Masser and Lee Holdridge.
| Side 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
| 1. | "The Greatest Love of All" (George Benson) | Linda Creed | 5:32 |
| 2. | "I Always Knew I Had It in Me" (Benson; version 1) | Gerry Goffin | 7:14 |
| 3. | "Ali's Theme" (Masser) | — | 5:18 |
| Side 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
| 1. | "Ali Bombaye (Zaire Chant) I" (Masser and Mandrill) | — | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Ali Bombaye (Zaire Chant) II" (Masser and Mandrill) | — | 3:00 |
| 3. | "The Greatest Love of All" (Masser) | — | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Variations on Theme" (Masser) | — | 2:34 |
| 5. | "I Always Knew I Had It in Me" (Benson; version 2) | Goffin | 5:21 |
References
External links
- The Greatest at the Internet Movie Database
- The Greatest at the TCM Movie Database
- The Greatest at AllMovie
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