The Trials of Muhammad Ali

The Trials of Muhammad Ali is not a conventional sports documentary. Befitting its extraordinary and complex subject, the film examines Ali's life outside the ring, beginning with the announcement of his deeply held and controversial Islamic religious beliefs, and the decision to change his "white man's name" of Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. The film explores his refusal to serve in the Vietnam war, even after his status as a conscientious objector was denied, on the grounds of protesting racial injustice at home, while capturing his passion and anger in interviews and television appearances culled from a rich variety of rare archival sources.