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1976
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ROCKY
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STARRING:SYLVESTER
STALLONE,TALIA SHIRE,BURGESS MEREDITH,BURT YOUNG,CARL WEATHERS,THAYER
DAVID,JOE SPINNELL,TONY BURTON
WRITTEN
BY SYLVESTER STALLONE
PRODUCED
BY ROBERT CHARTOFF & IRWIN WINKLER
DIRECTED
BY JOHN G.AVILDSEN
GENRE:DRAMA/SPORT/ROMANCE
RATED:AUSTRALIA:PG/UK:PG/USA:PG
RUNNING
TIME:119 MIN
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1976
was the year in American cinema where the decadence and corruption
of its times reigned supreme on the big screen. The shameful antics
of the Nixon administration was relived in the investigative drama
All
the President's Men; Robert De Niro was laying
the scum of the Earth to waste in the gritty streets of New York City
in Taxi Driver;
and even the son of the Devil was coming in for the kill in The
Omen. Yet with Rocky, a character emerged that
touched the hearts of a nation and brought forward a saviour who came
out swinging against a world which had abandoned him.
Written and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky is a
story about a small time heavy weight boxer named Rocky Balboa (Sylvester
Stallone). Living in the mean streets of Philadelphia, Balboa gets
by working as a loan shark for a local mob boss (Joe Spinnell); his
boxing career is going no where; and his best friend Paulie (Burt
Young) is a jaded meat packer with a penchant for the bottle. Rocky's
only solace is Paulie's sister Adrian (Talia Shire), a terminally
shy woman pushing 30 who at first resists Rocky's advances, but then
comes to fall in love with him, finding the sweetness behind his tough
exterior. When the heavyweight champion of the world Apollo Creed
(Carl Weathers) is left in a lurch after his scheduled opponent cancels
their match, Creed decides to give a local fighter a shot at the title,
selecting Rocky due to his "Italian Stallion" moniker. Rocky
accepts the challenge, preparing for the fight with the guidance of
cankerous trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith), facing impossible odds
and taking with him the support of the people of Philadelphia and
the love of his Adrian.
Unfairly criticized as schmaltzy and over sentimental, Rocky
is in fact a moving, inspirational film which stirs the soul and touches
the heart. Written in 3 days, and shot in 28 days on a budget of $1.1
million, this is a movie full of extremely well written characters
filled with depth and emotion.
Stallone - an actor who has made a career of bad performances in bad
films - proves that when given the right material he can act with
the best of them. His turn as Rocky Balboa is not only the best performance
of that year, but it is also one of the best performances in the history
of the silver screen. This is a performance full of heart, humour,
and rage, a powerful and sympathetic portrayal of a man at the bottom
of the barrel who gets a second chance, and despite knowing that the
odds are against him, pushes on regardless. It is almost bitter sweet
to watch, since we all know that Stallone's future success will come
through lesser quality endeavours corrupting whatever vision, artistic
credibility and integrity he had.
Talia Shire brings forth the vulnerability and sweetness that is Adrian,
while also elegantly portraying the characters emerging sensuality
and sexuality. One of the key factors that separates Rocky
from other sports related films is the love story between Rocky and
Adrian, one of the better and more memorable on screen couples who
find strength and redemption through one another. Burt Young is great
as the jealous brother whose alcoholic tendencies lead to many nasty
confrontations; Carl Weathers successfully evokes Muhammad Ali as
the arrogant and flashy heavyweight champion Apollo Creed; and Burgess
Meredith is excellent as Rocky's trainer Mickey, his booming, granite
voice and hard demeanour almost stealing the movie.
Director John G. Avildsen captures the complexities of Stallone's
characters through various shots and camera techniques, with Rocky
one of the first movies to use the steadicam, enhancing its already
gritty atmosphere. Another highlight is Bill Conti's excellent, driving
score which also caters to the films tender moments.
Of course with such low cost production values errors are to be found.
The fight scene - although the more realistic of the series - is rather
sloppy, and a number of sound effects and post production dubbing
comes off sounding shoddy. Yet the films numerous memorable moments
more than combat these flaws. A confrontation between Mickey and Rocky
in his apartment; Rocky's unorthodox training methods of drinking
raw eggs and beating up slabs of meat; and, of course, the infamous
run through Philadelphia and up the famed steps of the Philadelphia
museum.
But it is the eye watering conclusion featuring an embattled Rocky
screaming Adrian's name, along with their subsequent embrace with
perfectly sums up the films themes of love, honour, and redemption.
Several inferior yet highly entertaining sequels will follow, but
this is the one to watch. |
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