In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Regular Feature | Film Reviews own version of"spontaneous prose" thathe hadpicked up from the Sharpies' Go Moanfor Man. He got a standing ovation from the class and his teacher said his was the best book report she had ever witnessed—the film has had an impact on at least one student. Doug and Judi Sharpies have created the most comprehensive Kerouac film to date. Sharpies' title, Go MoanforMan, from famous On The Road and Visions ofCody passages, is perfect; the highlight of this film, as with most films on Kerouac, is Jack reading the "go moan for man" passages on a fifties segment of The Steve Allen Show. Jack's shyness and vulnerability are palpable, his "thick body wincing," from "the personal quavering sound of [his] own voice." Jack's sincere and authentic human voice galvanizes the listener. The Sharpies wisely placed this footage at the end ofthe film, letting JackKerouac speakforhimselfand have the final word. Michael Baldwin Oklahoma State University mick@cowboy.net For Information on this film: REAL FILMS, P.O. Box 476 Wakonda, SD 57073 (605) 267-2859 moan@RealFilms.net www.RealFilms.net Ali - Frazier 1: One Nation Divisible An HBO Sports Documentary (Originally aired in Fall 2000) After watching HBO's documentary, Ali-Frazier 1: One Nation Divisible, one can't help asking the inevitable question— Whathappened to boxing as a sport? In the post-Tyson apocalypse that is today's boxing scene, there are noAlis orFraziers to be found. Yes, boxinghas alwaysbeen abouthype, but, asAli-Frazier1 shows, it was once about epic physical battles as well. What Ali-Frazier 1 does well is to detail the bitter battle outside the ring that went on before the fight between the contestants . As Liev Schreiber's voice-over narration tells us, Ali lost his championship after refusing induction into the U.S. Army in 1967. Frazier was given the vacated title after emerging as the best ofthe rest. The love/hate relationship between Ali and Frazier that ensued is well chronicled with historic footage and recountedby various mediafigures, includingBryantGumble andBob Costas among others. The picture ofAli that emerges, as abrash, often cruel revolutionary , stands in stark contrast to the tragic hero persona that Generation X has come to know. We see the Ali who borrows money from Frazier and then turns around and threatens a street fightwith him. We seeAli call Frazier "anugly, stupid UncleTom" among otherthings. In short, we see the dark side ofAli's persona, which has been so suppressed recently in favor ofmedia representations showing him as the greatest champion and sportsman ofour time. We also see a Frazier who played into Ali's game seemingly at every turn. In the end, we are presented with two men who, though frequently unsympathetic, occupied an important place in our national consciousness during one ofAmerica's most tumultuous times. HBO's high production value is evident throughout the film. All of the historical video footage of the bout has been put through the "film-look" process, giving it the grain and depth of film footage. This process adds a nostalgic and rich quality to the fight footage. HBO is also capable of drawing prominent media figures like Costas and Gumble forinterviews, lendingbroadermedia credibility tothefilm. HBO's largebudgetfordocumentaryprojects does shape the types offilms they make, though they tend to maintain reasonable historical standards while making entertaining films. In terms of genre, the documentary never quite falls into well-defined categories. It is really a tale oftwo documentaries, at once a social history ofthe lateVietnamWar era andAmerican race relations and simultaneously a NFL Films style retelling of a great fight. This is perhaps not surprising given the fact that HBO is on the cutting edge ofAmerican documentary filmmaking and is also one oftheprimary televisors ofcontemporary boxing matches. AliFrazier 1 combines HBO's impulses to air provocative documentary films and professional boxing on the same network. In short, it uses the Ali-Frazier bout as a metaphor for the much larger social issues ofits time as well as an example ofeverything that was right withboxing. This exploration ofthe social implications ofthe fight lasts for roughly half of the movie and is followed by a long blow by blow...

pdf

Share