| The Greatest | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by John Solie | |
| Directed by | Tom Gries |
| Screenplay by | Ring Lardner Jr. |
| Based on | The Greatest: My Own Story 1975 book byMuhammad Ali Herbert Muhammad Richard Durham |
| Produced by | John Marshall |
| Starring | Muhammad Ali Ernest Borgnine John Marley Lloyd Haynes Robert Duvall David Huddleston Ben Johnson James Earl Jones Dina Merrill Roger E. Mosley Paul Winfield Annazette Chase Mira Waters |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling Jr. |
| Edited by | Byron Brandt |
| Music by | Michael Masser |
Production companies | |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Countries | United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3.8 million (USrentals)[1] |
The Greatest is a 1977biographicalsports film about the life of boxerMuhammad Ali, in which Ali plays himself. It was directed byTom Gries.[2] The film follows Ali's life from the1960 Summer Olympics to his regaining the heavyweight crown fromGeorge Foreman in their famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in 1974. The film consists largely of archival footage of Ali's boxing matches used in the screenplay.
The film is based on the bookThe Greatest: My Own Story written by Muhammad Ali andRichard Durham and edited byToni Morrison.[3]
The song "The Greatest Love of All" was written for this film byMichael Masser (music) andLinda Creed (lyrics), and sung byGeorge Benson; it was later covered and made aBillboard Hot 100 #1 single byWhitney Houston.
The story of Cassius Clay, who became heavyweight champion as Muhammad Ali. Tracing his rise from his Olympic gold medal as a light-heavyweight at Rome in 1960, his conversion to Islam, his refusal to serve in the Vietnam war, to his return to the ring.
Rahaman 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 and his girlfriend, Belinda Board, who became his wife, and Herbert Mohammed, son ofElijah Muhammad, who was Ali's manager at one point.
Lonette McKee was originally going to portray the role played by Annazette Chase.[4][5]
All music composed and produced byMichael Masser, and arranged by Masser andLee Holdridge.
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ali Bombaye (Zaire Chant) I" (Masser andMandrill) | — | 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 |
The film was made with finance from Britain's EMI Films.[6]
Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times called the film "a charming curio of a sort Hollywood doesn't seem to make much anymore."[7]Kevin Thomas of theLos Angeles Times called the film "potent pop biography, lively and entertaining, in which the irrepressible world's heavyweight boxing champion projects exactly the image he wants us to have."[8]Gene Siskel of theChicago Tribune gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "As a diverting entertainment, 'The Greatest' is more than satisfactory."[9] Arthur D. Murphy ofVariety wrote that Ali brought the film "an authority and a presence that lift John Marshall's production above some of the limitations inherent in any film bio."[10] David Badder ofThe Monthly Film Bulletin stated, "The Greatest delivers exactly what one would expect: a hagiographical account of Ali's best-known exploits, giving full rein to the inimitable, volatile personality but in the process applying liberal coats of whitewash."[11]
During its first week in release,The Greatest would successfully top the U.S. box office chart.[12]
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