Rumble: Ali/Foreman and The Soul of '74

SILENCE vs. NOISE

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Episode notes

Ali and Foreman continue to train for their upcoming title fight and the great writers of the day document the progress.  Across the Atlantic, Don King and Hank Schwartz oversee the preparations for the title fight and sweetens the deal by announcing the music festival. On the plane to the mother land, Ali instantly recognizes the significance of this moment. Upon arrival, he instantly wins over the people of Zaire, pitting them against Foreman automatically. When Foreman arrives, an unwitting faux pas seals his fate as the villain. 

 

LITERARY REFERENCES

“The Greatest, My Own Story” by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)

“The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg

“Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig

“The Fight” by Norman Mailer

“Shadow Box” by George Plimpton 

“Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage” by Budd Schulberg 

“Ego: the Life” article by Norman Mailer (Life magazine Cover Story, March 19, 1971)

 

FILM & VIDEO REFERENCES

“When We Were Kings” (documentary, 1996) directed by Leon Gast (available on streaming)

“Soul Power” (documentary, 2008) directed by Jeffrey Kusama–Hinte (available on streaming)

Richard Nixon resignation speech (CBS News, Aug 8, 1974) (available on YouTube)

 

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