{"id":291,"date":"2014-04-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-14T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/trials-of-muhammad-ali"},"modified":"2022-03-03T16:26:45","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T00:26:45","slug":"trials-of-muhammad-ali","status":"publish","type":"films","link":"https:\/\/dipsy.pbs.org\/independentlens\/documentaries\/trials-of-muhammad-ali\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trials of Muhammad Ali"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><strong>The Trials of Muhammad Ali<\/strong> <\/i>explores the extraordinary and complex life of the legendary athlete outside the boxing ring. From joining the controversial Nation of Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, from his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War in the name of protesting racial inequality to his global humanitarian work, Ali remains an inspiring and controversial figure.<\/p>\n<p>Focusing on some of the most noteworthy and provocative aspects of the legendary athlete\u2019s life, the film explores his lifelong journey of spiritual transformation. From his Louisville roots through his years in exile to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Ali&#8217;s path was that of poet to pariah to global ambassador for peace.<\/p>\n<p>In 1964, when the 22-year-old Olympic gold medalist won his first heavyweight championship, he shouted, \u201cI shook up the world!\u201d But his earthshaking had only begun. Soon he announced he had become a Muslim with a new name: Muhammad Ali.<\/p>\n<p>In 1967, after being denied conscientious objector status, Ali refused military induction. Convicted of draft evasion, he was sentenced to five years in prison and his passport was revoked. Stripped of his title and banned from boxing, Ali faced an American public enraged by his opposition to the Vietnam War and unwilling to accept his conversion to Islam. Vilified in many corners at home, he became an international symbol of opposition to an unjust war.<\/p>\n<p>Filing round after round of legal appeals all the way to the Supreme Court, he supported his family via a nationwide speaking tour across a country divided over the war abroad and racism at home. Rare archival footage of Ali&#8217;s fiery speeches on college campuses and heated exchanges during TV appearances show him fearlessly speaking his mind as he fights for freedom.<\/p>\n<p>Archival scenes highlight the forces that supported and opposed him, including his spiritual mentors, Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, and critics of his stance, such as Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis. Most of the interviewees have never been featured in any Ali film before, yet are central to his life story and the global impact he had. Interviews shot exclusively for the film include his brother, Rahman; his former wife, Khalilah Camacho-Ali; <i>New York Times<\/i> writer Robert Lipsyte; and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. What emerges is the hidden history and a complex portrait of Muhammad Ali.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The story of the explosive crossroads of Muhammad Ali&#8217;s life, after the famed boxer&#8217;s conversion to Islam and refusal to serve in the Vietnam War left him banned from boxing and facing a five-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"topic":[1259,1260,1239,1264,1226],"class_list":["post-291","films","type-films","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-civil-liberties","topic-civil-rights-2","topic-identity","topic-race-ethnicity","topic-social-justice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Trials of Muhammad Ali | Boxer, Activist, Legend | Independent Lens | 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