Synopsis
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.
When We Were Kings (1996) is a 1h 29min documentary feature film by Leon Gast. Selected for Los Angeles Film Awards (2025).
Key facts
Crew
Trailer
Stills
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Festival History
- Los Angeles Film Awards 2025
- Academy Awards 1997 academy_award
- Directors Guild of America 1997 generic
- Independent Spirit Awards 1997 generic
- Sundance Film Festival 1996 generic
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | United States | October 25, 1996 |
| Theatrical | United States | February 14, 1997 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | April 17, 1997 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | May 16, 1997 |
| Television | Netherlands | August 16, 2014 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | 12 |
| Classification | United States | PG |
Versions & editions
| Home video | Czech Republic | December 14, 1997 |
| Home video | Netherlands | April 9, 2009 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | November 4, 2024 |
Full credits
| Director | Leon Gast |
| Cast | Muhammad Ali (Self), George Foreman (Self), Don King (Self), James Brown (Self), B.B. King (Self), Spike Lee (Self), Mobutu Sese Seko (Self), Norman Mailer (Self), George Plimpton (Self), Malick Bowens (Self), Lloyd Price (Self), Miriam Makeba (Self), Drew Bundini Brown (Self), Odessa Clay (Self), Howard Cosell (Self), Wilton Felder (Self), Wayne Henderson (Self), Stix Hooper (Self), Stewart Levin (Self), Alan Pariser (Self), Danny 'Big Black' Rey (Self), Dick Sadler (Self), Joe Sample (Self), Philippé Wynne (Self), Archie Moore (Self), Lola Love (Self), Patrice Lumumba (Self) |
| Screenplay | Leon Gast |
| Producer | Leon Gast, Taylor Hackford |
| Executive producer | David Sonenberg |
| Cinematography | Albert Maysles, Kevin Keating, Maryse Alberti, Paul Goldsmith, Roderick Young |
| Editing | Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Keith Robinson, Leon Gast, Taylor Hackford |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Wikidata (CC0-1.0)
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
