THRILLA IN MANILA
unforgiving
For those who have HBO, try to catch their screening of this documentary on Joe Frazier's career, framed around, but not exclusively on, his 3rd and final fight with Muhammed Ali in Manila in the early 1970s. Besides being a pretty damn good doc on boxing and the appeal of its violence in our culture, it's also a fascinating look at the Ali myth from the "other" side, especially given how poisonous he and Frazier's relationship seemed during that era.
I grew up in a time where Ali's lionization is practically untouchable and likely for good reason - he's been an incredible icon and social figure. However, this doc offers a different perspective - not one that tears down Ali's stature but it introduce some more nuance than more facile hagiographies suggest. To put it another way, Ali comes off looking like a real a**hole towards Frazier, especially since Frazier helped support Ali during the years he was banished from boxing because of his anti-Vietnam War stand.
Of course, Frazier is hardly a golden boy either - he might have wholly legitimate reasons for being pissed off at Ali but his continued bitterness is astounding, especially in suggesting that Ali's well-known struggles with Parkinson's is a form of divine retribution. Ouch.
Thrilla in Manila < TV | PopMatters
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