In the beginning moments of each of these films, which explore the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, it is difficult to miss the cameras. The journalists ringside snapping photos of his 1963 fight against Henry Cooper. Malcolm X with a camera around his neck at the Hampton House playfully looking over Ali's shoulder. The throngs of fans taking pictures and screaming Ali's name as he moves through the crowd while cradling his young daughter, Hana. Each frame serves as a reminder that Ali is both himself and for public consumption, an athlete and a celebrity, both man and symbol. Depending on the lens, he is also a hero or a villain.
Ali is not new to scrutiny, by the press, artists, or scholars. In the over sixty years since he has captured the American imagination, more than a dozen nonfiction films have taken on The Champ, along with several...