Darlow Smithson Receives Commission for Doc on Legendary Boxer

LONDON, May 11: Darlow Smithson
Productions has been commissioned by More 4 to produce Thriller in Manila, a documentary about legendary boxer Joe Frazier and
his iconic fight with Muhammad Ali in the Philippines in 1975.

Thriller in Manila
will be directed by John Dower and executive produced by John Smithson and
Elinor Day for Darlow Smithson Productions. The film follows the 70-year-old Frazier
in his Philadelphia gym, as he looks back at the impact that his three iconic
fights with Muhammad Ali have had on the rest of his life. Using archive
footage and exclusive interviews with Frazier, his son Marvis, as well as
boxing experts and team members, Thriller in Manila will also tell the story of the match between
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the Philippines in 1975, the last of a bruising
trilogy of fights between the two. The film will also uncover parallels between
the simmering animosity of the rival fighters and the festering race and
religious politics of America in the 1970s.

Elinor Day, the executive producer for Darlow Smithson
Productions, commented, “Thriller in Manila
was arguably one of the greatest boxing matches of all time. In true Darlow
Smithson style, this documentary will combine extraordinary archive,
fascinating new observational footage and exclusive interviews to uncover the
story from Frazier's perspective, casting an alternative perspective on these
global sporting icons, Ali and Frazier.”