"Sick of these ali doco's yes the man was great we know. I want an indepth look at smoking joe his life his up bringing.
Or sugar ray robinson the best pound for pound fighter and the greatest their ever was.
Ali has been done so much and i cant see this offering much more that we dont know. I could be wrong.. "
OK, it's obvious you're not terribly bright so I'll be easy on you and keep this simple: PEOPLE KEEP ON MAKING DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT ALI BECAUSE THERE IS AN INTEREST IN HIM. PERIOD. If there was ZERO demand in watching a doc on his life, there would be no movie in the first place. I have absolutely no interest in The Holocaust - yet Hollywood keeps on churning out at least one movie based on this historical event year after year. While I am officially fed up of the amount of pandering done to the Holocaust in the western media, I don't keep on typing posts whining about how sick I am of them or how people should stop making them since unlike YOU, I'm not self-obsessed to the point where I think the world revolves around me and I need to type ranting posts just because I see something I don't like.
There's another reason why Ali is so favored by documentary makers: He's a good talker (at least before he was afflicted by Parkinsons) with interesting anecdotes whose life story is very compelling and whose family is very welcoming and co-operative towards anyone willing to make a movie on his life. In addition there is a wealth of photo, film and archival material that film-makers can use to document the man's life.
In contrast, there is very less archival material of Sugar Ray Robinson - his time was before boxing matches were regularly filmed and archived so some of his best work was not recorded. There's another reason why Sugar Ray isn't heralded as much as Ali: Many of his fights were obviously fixed (NOT Sugar Ray's fault) - plus, Sugar Ray was a Welterweight/Middleweight while Ali was a big, brawny Heavyweight. America sure loved the big guys.
Another reason why Ali is so prominent in the media was that he was an exceptional interviewee - Try getting Joe Frazier to talk about HIS life without him devolving into grunts after he gets bored. Many of these boxers were NOT great at talking much about themselves in an in-depth manner - much less talking at all, frankly. You do realize that these docs are assembled and edited out of hours of filmed interviews right? Yes please, try getting Frazier to mumble something intelligent after an hour or so of asking questions.
BTW, many of these boxers are managed or surrounded by family members who look upon them as cash cows; You think other people haven't already tried to make films on Frazier or Robinson? You'll have to shell out quite a bit merely to gain access to the retired boxers; and then you'll have to ensure that each family member gets a cut afterwards. Expect lots of red-tape and bickering. Ali's family (who are smart enough to realize that his legacy is more important than any personal gain) are much more pliant and co-operative towards anyone willing to make a movie about him.
One last word: Ali did a TON of work overseas as a UN goodwill Ambassador. He was a spokesperson for malaria prevention and unlike several white Americans who would make fake speeches and then run to their plush hotels, Ali would meet and greet us common rabble in person; He has ENORMOUS personal charisma and even if you didn't watch boxing at all or wasn't a fan - he made you one after meeting him. I was in India when he first visited - he actually broke his security cordon to talk with his fans! Almost unheard of! He made such an impression that several Bollywood movie producers wanted to make him a star in their movies! For a non-actor to make such an impression is unheard of! I was also in Dubai studying when he visited our school; unlike his image the man was down to earth and humble and made a good impression on us. The man worked very hard and visited several out-of-the way places other people never thought of going; He is internationally known for his legacy and his charity work and even if this documentary tanks in the US, people will want to watch Ali overseas. There is STILL a huge demand for him. Unlike your pals Sugar Ray and Frazier - who nobody has heard of. Chew on this for a little while, buddy .....
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