Review by JustCuriosity

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.