When We Were Kings | Leon Gast
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.
Next to being a boxer, that quote was the only thing I knew of Muhammad Ali. I didn’t really know his story or the extent of his influence upon the world. After watching this film, I am a bit enamored by the charm and quick wit of Ali, how in every landscape he left deep impressions. He seemed too egregious at times, but then he’d speak with an earnestness that was ready to take all the vanity he yelled and do something with it. I was expecting the film to cover Ali’s life and career, but it delved into the momentous point in time of the fight between Ali and George Foreman in Syir, Congo. It was a massive event that went beyond boxing, it included music and dance from James Brown and BB King. The film captures a bridging; a critical expression of African Americans and Congolese Africans connecting despite the deep historical separation. It was really interesting to watch the merging of styles and artistic expressions in music, how they weaved into the “dance” that Ali demonstrated in the ring, the political and religious states of that time, which Ali was not shy from engaging in. He was formidable and fucking hilarious and also rhymed so beautifully.
[Book of Delights pg. 157 | No. 58 Botan Rice Candy]