Photos: It was Sunday afternoon, Oct. 31, on stage at the Theatre du Cuivre, Rouyn-Noranda, main location of projections International Film Festival in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Part of the crew of the documentary by Martin Guerin, See Ali, presented the fruit of two years of work that tells a beautiful epic, an event occurred in June 1983.
Secret filming ... Revealed!
View Ali received a hero's welcome. Beyond the fact that this film tells with authenticity, humor and tenderness a page of history that was far too overlooked at the time, what I found most is the extraordinary constructive and creative madness of those who made it all possible at this time. You might think it's just a fact unusual and unlikely but there is in this film much more than a document archive that has been created with people who remember and who intensely reliving the telling.
Whether you like boxing or not, we have had the idol Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali or not, "The Greatest" was beautiful and many came to Rouyn-Noranda in June 1983 because of Magnificent Men had set his mind to do the right thing to crazy steps, and then move to Los Angeles to sell this idea, make it attractive and he agreed to come here, give a speech at a dinner, and so by its mere presence, helping to establish the funding that would ensure the holding of the Championships in Quebec Rouyn Sports -Noranda.
That is the context. You can see the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/15468250
I not tell you the whole movie but I will only say that this story deserved to be told and it is also believed that Réjean Tremblay La Presse. Here is the article he wrote when he saw the press screening of documentary:
To do his research, scripting, documenting, and his film, Guerin Martin, the director, had a tiny budget, nothing to do with other films that look at Quebec and the rest of the world. In this sense, I see a link made between this documentary, the International Film Festival in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the visit of Ali in Rouyn-Noranda in 1983, believing that anything is possible if one is willing to put the effort to roll up their sleeves and take action with enthusiasm, passion, love of adventure, sense of innovation, daring and just enough naivete to open doors that others would think impossible to unlock, even with the key!
My participation
One of the difficulties of filming this documentary, is that the event did not seem to have left traces of concrete in the archives of local, regional, national, etc.. Several remembered, had lived, had attended and whether the memories remained etched in the hearts and memories, many rumors had run and a host of questions remained unanswered. This story dozed into oblivion and would have remained without the determination of Martin Guerin. There were reasons for this "oversight" and the documentary explains them very well.
On several occasions, calls were made on all waves of our regional radio stations to provide photos, testimonials, videos, film, etc.. Our regional news television (Radio-Nord) were well presented reports of the event in 1983 but they had kept no records. Not the slightest trace. National TV networks were present on site but none of them had kept nothing either portion of the "Greatest" in Rouyn-Noranda. Journalists from the print media covered the event and reported the matter, of course, the radio people, too, but none had a small piece of film or audio clip that could prove that it actually happened.
As I often saw Dominic in a family context, it is working on this film and I had heard myself in interviews all make calls to get their hands on a video that would embed this in the reality of the time, I often inquired if they had answers, and each time he answered me not. They were sorry. One Sunday evening I decided:
- Cou'donc, Dominic, is what I'll have you so my first film to life, when I tried my new Super 8 that I had just bought, and that Muhammad Ali was just in town?
Dominic looked at me with eyes as big as thirty cents ...
- What?
- I remember what year it was but I picked up my money to buy a camera was a Super 8, I had a reel of film with my instruction book I hardly knew how to open and close, I just discovered that I had a zoom, I was eager to try it and Joce was just cutting the hairs again here, he told me: "Jump in the 'char, it will go try it, your film, Ali is in town! "And I had answered:" Are you sure that's true, "Mohammad Ali in the city? "
- You had it worse you not tell me?
- Ben ... It was my first film to life, I just wanted to try my new camera, I was hoping that you find others, it must be full of errors, then this old movie ...
- Do you still have it?
- It must have a big bag with at least fifty coils is below the stairs.
- Do you have a projector?
- Yes bad screen!
So, we were digging underneath the stairs, we get everything back up, we started to want to watch some unidentified reels and old films broke constantly. Everything has stopped this, Dominic was afraid of damaging the film, moreover, little Felix was tired and they went home with my big bag of old reels, Dominic was just happy to be happy!
I thought it was a shame to do so much work for maybe not much. I vaguely remembered the video I shot but I did not have them reviewed since 1983. A few weeks later I get a call from Dominic, euphoric. At the 24th he was viewing coil, he had just put my hands on it, it was my film of Muhammad Ali. Three minutes of Mohammad Ali in a jeep convertible under a blazing sun, waving people crowded on both sides of the street to see him pass, Ali who had stopped the car to take a baby in his arms and give her a kiss , pretending to punch a kid, Ali near and far, heading for the House guests from the mine, where he was hosted during his visit here, I had used my zoom to maximum, and if the film was perfect for the pace, according to Dominic, my explanation was simple: I could not go faster, I was trying it, my new Super 8.
When Martin (Guerin) learned of the existence and content of my film, he told Dominic that he loved his stepmother! They scan my old coil and this completes the documentary "See Ali." This is serious then it seems I had the only video document existing in this true story and the film ends with my Super 8 images of June 1983, which brought me to be thanked by Martin on the scene yesterday, and my name in the credits, in the Acknowledgements.
Seated on the balcony yesterday afternoon for the world premiere, in absolute darkness, I blushed slightly, I admit. I was proud to have participated, even a little bit, and a series of coincidences, this documentary film that tells a great story if true, funny and touching, which is now well documented. Anyway, me too, it just warmed my heart of 'Ali View .
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