Monday, February 10, 1997
After struggling for over two decades, documentary director Leon
Gast will let his praised boxing
documentary ‘When We Were Kings’ give audiences a powerful punch
of Muhammad Ali’s charisma.By Ricky Herzog
Daily Bruin Contributor
Most films take only about a year to be completed. Leon Gast’s
film took 23 years to reach the big screen.
Gast took on the role of editor, producer and director for his
critically acclaimed documentary "When We Were Kings." Because the
film took over two decades to make, the long process was difficult
for Gast at times.
"There were times when it was very frustrating," Gast says of
his attempts over the years to find financing. "I thought I had
deals so many times and companies would pull out for one reason or
another. At one time I was ready to sell all the film to somebody.
Thank God I didn’t."
"When We Were Kings" chronicles the famous "Rumble in the
Jungle," a fight that took place in Zaire between Muhammad Ali and
George Foreman which turned into a huge international event,
drawing such musical talents as James Brown and B.B. King to
perform at the three-day music festival that became a part of it.
The movie documents the entire event, but the focus lies on
Ali.
"My primary concern is for people to hopefully get a sense of
Muhammad Ali the man, not just Muhammad Ali the fighter," Gast
says. "This was a man of principles, especially in this day of
athletes who are concerned with how they are going to be able to
commercialize on their success. There’s nobody that I have met or
known in sports or in anything who has the purity of Ali. He had no
ulterior motives other than ‘I can help my people.’ He’s one of a
kind."
The movie attempts to capture these humanitarian impulses
displayed by Ali. One incident that will not show up in the film is
a story Gast relates about Ali’s concern for his fellow humans.
"Ali was in New York watching the afternoon news on television
and he saw a report about a Hebrew home for the aged that was being
closed down because of taxes and rent and other bills," Gast
recalls. "Ali went out to the home, walked in and said, ‘What’s the
problem?’ The boss told him, ‘We have to be out of here in 60 days
because we’re in debt $180,000.’ Ali gave him two checks totaling
$280,000 and said, ‘But I don’t want you to tell anyone where you
got it."
This kind of philanthropy was not uncommon for Ali. According to
Gast, his humanitarian impulses drew emotional responses from
unlikely subjects.
"People have no idea of the kinds of incredible things that he
did for his fellow man. There were real hard-ass boxing guys that
would tell me stories and in the middle of their story tears would
be running down their face from just remembering the kindness that
Ali displayed."
To capture Ali and his humanitarian impulses fully, the director
and his crew went to Zaire, where the fight was going to take
place, and spent their time filming Ali, Foreman and all the music
and media coverage surrounding the event. The time spent in Zaire
was enjoyable, due in a large part to the warmth of the host
nation.
"I loved it there," Gast recalls. "I thought that the people
were warm. It was a fabulous experience and I went back several
times after."
However, there was a bit of short lived tension in the beginning
of the project between the African Americans on the crew and Gast.
They felt that as a white man he would not be able to adequately
capture the experience of a black man returning to the land of his
fathers.
"It was before we had started filming, and somebody told me that
black members of the crew were meeting in Don King’s suite and they
felt that I wasn’t competent to make the film," Gast remembers.
"And I went up and re-addressed it and they said that they didn’t
feel that a white person had the sensitivity to make a film about
black people in Africa. Don King mediated back and forth and
finally after about half an hour it was straightened out and there
wasn’t really tension after that. And hopefully all of these people
who felt I wasn’t capable get to see the film and will think that I
am capable after all."
Despite this momentary conflict, Gast went on to successfully
complete the documentary. Throughout his career, he has made
numerous documentaries, including films chronicling the Grateful
Dead and the Hell’s Angels. The medium is appealing to him because
of its powerful realism.
"I like documentaries because they’re real," Gast says. "It’s
verite. It’s truth. It’s what’s happening. You can’t script what
tomorrow’s reality is going to be. You just have to go there and
hope you can get yourself in a position where you’ll be able to
document what’s happening. That’s the nature of it. I like to make
films about reality."
To achieve this realism, Gast recorded over six weeks of footage
of the event, turning the editing into a grueling process. In fact,
Gast dedicated more time to "When We Were Kings" than any of the
other documentaries he has worked on.
"Nothing compares to this project," Gast says. "When I started
out, my kids were in grade school; I’m a grandfather now. I’ve
spent half my life working on this project. I had 280,000 feet of
film in my house all over the place. It became my obsession."
Now that the film is finally completed, Gast hopes the story can
reach a new generation and teach them about one of the legends of
American sports.
"I hope that a young audience gets to see it. Whether or not
they see it in schools or theaters or however, I hope they’ll get a
chance to see that one inspired human can make a difference."
Gramercy Pictures
Muhammad Ali feigns shock while supposedly spying on the Zaire
training camp of opponent George Foreman in the Leon Gast film
"When We Were Kings," about their 1974 bout dubbed the "Rumble in
the Jungle."Gramercy Pictures
Director Leon Gast