'When We Were Kings' Free Screening @ State Library

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Sun 12 Aug 2012

If the London Olympics haven't satisfied your appetite for sports drama, you can watch Muhammed Ali and George Foreman go head to head in the classic boxing documentary When We Were Kings, screening for free at the State Library this Sunday 12 August.

Widely considered one of the best boxing films ever made, When We Were Kings tells the story of the 1974 heavyweight fight between world champion Foreman and then challenger Ali.

This larger-than-life bout was made all the more dramatic by the involvement of wild-haired fight promoter Don King. King, a personality almost as flamboyant as Ali himself, secured sponsorship to stage the fight in Zaire, Africa, under the title 'The Rumble in the Jungle'.

The rumble ended up being a famous fight that went for eight rounds and drew worldwide attention.

Throw in an accompanying soul-music festival that featured the likes of James Brown and BB King, and appearances by well-known Americans ranging from Norman Mailer to Spike Lee, and you've got one heck of a documentary.

Director Leon Gast struggled for two decades to complete and release the film, which finally came out in 1996. It was worth waiting for, winning the Academy Award for best documentary that year.



When We Were Kings is one of a series of sports-related films screening at the State Library in August to mark the Olympics.

See the full program of Sliq Flicks for more details.

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!date 12/08/2012 -- 12/08/2012
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