The Greatest (1977 film)
The Greatest (1977 film)
The Greatest is a 1977 biographical sports movie about boxer Muhammad Ali, who appears as himself. It was directed by Tom Gries.
Plot
The film follows Ali from winning the 1960 Olympic gold medal to reclaiming the heavyweight title from George Foreman in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle. It uses a lot of real footage from Ali’s boxing matches and covers his conversion to Islam and his stand against the Vietnam War.
Source material
The movie is based on The Greatest: My Own Story (1975) by Muhammad Ali and Richard Durham, edited by Toni Morrison.
Music
The theme song The Greatest Love of All was written by Michael Masser (music) and Linda Creed (lyrics) and sung by George Benson; it later became a hit for Whitney Houston. The score was composed by Michael Masser and arranged with Lee Holdridge.
Cast and performances
Muhammad Ali stars as himself, with various real-life figures appearing as themselves. Some roles are uncredited, including parts connected to Ali’s personal life.
Production
The film was financed with support from EMI Films (UK) and produced by John Marshall, with a screenplay by Ring Lardner Jr.
Release and reception
The Greatest opened on May 19, 1977, and runs 101 minutes. It was released in English in the United States and United Kingdom and earned about $3.8 million in US rentals. Critics gave mixed reviews—some praised Ali’s presence and found it entertaining, while others viewed it as a flattering, hagiographic portrait. In its first week, it topped the US box office.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:30 (CET).