Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (2018) User Reviews

Needed More Focus And Less Re-Hashing

[zkonedog · 6/10 · 22 February 2020]

When focusing on a documentary subject like Muhammad Ali, who has been picked apart by storytellers and journalists almost ad nauseam and will continue to be until the end of time, it is easy to fall into the trap of re-hashing all the classic stories and losing focus on the uniqueness of the concept that may have prompted the new doc on him. While "Ali & Cavett" isn't bad by any means, it does spring that trap far too much to be considered "great".

Ostensibly, the angle on Ali that this documentary takes is examining The Greatest via his appearances on the popular 1970s TV talk show hosted by Dick Cavett, who was able to get some candid and genuine moments from the gregarious Ali when others failed at the task.

Those interview clips are indeed fascinating, and in terms of the info this doc presents on Ali's involvement within the Nation of Islam (and how he was very likely used as their puppet/mouthpiece), it did provide me with some interesting information to chew on. To be honest, I wish the entire runtime would have simply focused on those two concepts (Cavett & Ali's religion/politics). Had that happened, this probably would have received a higher star ranking from me.

As I said in the opening, though, "Ali & Cavett" spends too much time re-hashing Ali's boxing exploits and showing the same clips or sound bytes we've seen over and over already. Ali's larger-than-life status likely renders this too irresistible for the film makers to avoid, especially if roping in casual viewers is important (and it always is). For someone like myself who has "seen them all" when it comes to Ali docs, though, a solid 70% of this one is "old news".

So, while I can't say this is a bad documentary by any stretch of the imagination, the amount of fresh, new material is relatively small within in. As such, your enjoyment of it overall may be determined by your previous Ali knowledge level.

A whole lot more about Ali than it is about Cavett

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 14 February 2020]

"Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes" (2018 release; 95 min.) is a documentary centered around Muhammed Ali's frequent guest appearances on The Dick Cavett Show. As the movie opens, we see a multitude of short clips where Cavett introduces Ali, while a voice-over reminds us how big the show was in that era (late 60s-early/mid 70s), taking it "to the edge of the racial debate in this country". We then go back in time, understanding how these two met in the early 60s when Cavett was working on the Jerry Lewis show, and we work our way up in time from there. At this point we are 10 min. into the documentary.

Couple of comments: the documentary is the directing debut of Richard S. Bader, the long-standing Dick Cavett expert who has produced a number of Cavett-associated releases. He co-wrote the script with Cavett himself for this film. While the movie's title indicates equal billing for Ali and Cavett, in reality this movie is a whole lot more about Ali than it is about Cavett, to the point where it seems Cavett is mere background dressing, and providing a convenient entrance angle to look at Ali's fascinating, if complicated, life as an athlete, political activist, and all-around global mega-star. "Ali is much smarter than he lets on", observes Cavett, but I don't know if that is the case, as the many clips ooze with Ali's savvy and smarts. "Was Ali a racist? a mouthpiece for the Nation of Islam?", someone ponders, and that is a darn good question, and one that is impossible to fully answer. Certainly Ali said things that, if there were spoken by a white person, would immediately be condemned as racist. But one thing that nobody can negate or deny: Ali (as demonstrated in his many appearances on the Dick Cavett Show) was a magnetic personality and an amazing boxer. We can only wonder how much more he would have accomplished in the boxing ring had he not been banned for 3+ years in the prime of his boxing career. Back to Cavett: it is clear from the clips and from Cavett's own comments taped for this film that his affection for Ali is genuine and runs deep.

"Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes" originally premiered 2 years ago at SXSW and then... nothing. But it started showing earlier this week on HBO and is now available at HBO On Demand and other streaming services. I quite enjoyed this documentary, and if you have any interest in Muhammed Ali, I might suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.

An Amazing Lost Treasure Reveals the Story of the "Greatest"

[JustCuriosity · 10/10 · 13 March 2018]

Ali & Cavett was enthusiastically welcomed in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film was introduced by film critic Leonard Maltin who interviewed Dick Cavett afterwards. The documentary was made with recovered footage of more than a dozen appearances that Muhammad Ali made on Dick Cavett's talk show. Ali was electrifying. When he was at his height his speech was mesmerizing and he was really a force of nature. The film beautifully captures Ali as a sports figure, but more importantly as a cultural figure who broke barriers to challenge barriers of race and religion. He challenged the U.S. government's attempt to draft him and although he won, he paid a very heavy price. It shows him with his friend Dick Cavett and brings the politics and social conflict around Ali into clear focus. These tapes are a lost treasure. The director skillfully edits the tapes with other footage to provide a mini-biography of "The Greatest." The film would fit together well with the Oscar-winning documentary "When We Were Kings" about the Ali- 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" with George Foreman. I hope that the film gets distribution, because it can help bring this larger than life figure a new generation that came of age when he was well past his prime. Highly Recommended.

Extraordinary documentary based on Ali and Cavett's friendship

[Sasha_Lauren · 10/10 · 13 March 2021]

This documentary pulls from more than a dozen of Muhammad Ali's appearances on the Emmy winning Dick Cavett Show between 1968 and 1979. At one time, Dick Cavett said Ali was his best friend; their affinity barrels through the screen.

Cavett's respectful, sophisticated, witty and honest conversations about life, race, religion, and political injustice with Ali highlight the goodheartedness and intelligence of his guest. Ali's entertaining boosting and light and serious poetry give us a glimpse of the remarkable conscientious objector who embodied his moral code.

"There are probably no great compliments that I can pay my next guest that he hasn't already paid himself but I happily join him and millions of others. He is without a doubt one of the greatest sports figures the world has ever known. Just in case he can hear me, he is the greatest sports figure-charming, good looking and a heck of a nice guy." Dick Cavett introducing Ali.

"They seemed to go to the edge of the racial debate in this country," recalls Reverend Al Sharpton of the interviews.

Extraordinary footage of Ali in and out of the ring, having sleepovers with Dick Cavett, and speaking at events, gives a powerful snapshot of his life. Ali, said by some to be a mouthpiece for the Nation of Islam, challenged the U.S. government's attempt to draft him. In June 1967, Ali was convicted of violating the Selective Service Act and was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $100,000 for objecting to fighting in the Vietnam War.

"I ain't got nothing against them Vietcong." ~ Muhammad Ali

After he won his gold medal, Ali went to a diner in his hometown and was denied service. After that, he spoke up potently, insistently, and often poetically for civil rights. Ali told Cavett how much Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X meant to him.

Cavett, concerned about the government claims against him for objecting to be drafted, asked if Ali was ready to go prison; he was.

President Johnson's three member Presidential Draft Board ruled Ali's objection to be invalid and that he was not entitled to conscientious objector status as a minister of the Islamic religion. In April 1966 Ali wrote his local draft board protesting that two years of military service would cause him serious financial loss in being unable to pursue his livelihood as a boxer.

He was stripped of his boxing license by the State of New York and title by the World Boxing Association when he converted to Islam. The World Boxing Council, however, recognized him as champ throughout his battle with the Government.

When, trembling from Parkinson's disease, he carried the Olympic torch at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Ali, a legend, represented strength in hard times and a beacon of light who stood for his convictions of freedom and equality.

"But I think it almost had nothing to do with boxing. It had to do with him. He was this beautiful, charismatic, dynamic person who could've done anything." Cavett on Ali

Cassius Clay, who took boxing lessons after a bully stole his bicycle as a kid, was 29 and 0 when they took his title away. Nobody ever hit him or knocked him down. When he came back after over three years away in his prime, his fight with Joe Frazier was dubbed "The Fight of the Century." Frazier won in fifteen rounds. Ali ended his career being 56 - 5, but still the greatest.

Some quotes by Ali ~

"You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!"

"The hype was part of my job, like skipping rope."

"Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it, and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I insist people using it when speaking to me and of me."

Mohammad Ali received the Otto Yamaoka peace medal for his "life-long engagement in the American civil rights movement and the global cultural emancipation of blacks, as well as his work as a UN Goodwill ambassador."

Well deserved. I already respected Muhammad Ali, but came away from this film with the highest admiration of the man. I highly recommend this movie.