Rocky

[Keebleman]

For some reason the Oscar-winning original was at both my local Everyman and Cineworld last week.  I skimmed over it in the listings not intending to give it a second glance, but then I thought, hang on, I don't think I've ever even seen it!  I had seen II and III and I had watched at least some of the first one when it was on TV but I had never seen it right the way through, so it became, after Tenet, the object of my second post-lockdown cinema visit.

And after Tenet it was a blessed relief to see a movie with a coherent plot and a few actual characters, rather than actors just reciting dialogue.  I enjoyed it a lot, and it was interesting to see mid-70s grit and scuzziness suffused with the sort of corny sentimentality that had gone out of fashion after the war, but which came back supercharged in the 80s and beyond, thanks in large part to Mr Balboa.  You can see why audiences at the time fell on it so gratefully.  If you were looking for an easy evening's entertainment then the likes of Dog Day Afternoon, All The President's Men and Network just weren't going to do it for you.

Putting myself in the place of a 1976 viewer, I would have been completely satisfied by the ending, and I mean completely: there were no gaps to be filled; the storyline, and the stories of all the characters in it, were neatly wrapped up.  1976 me would have seen no need for a sequel, and would be dumbstruck to learn that there would be over half a dozen to come over the next few decades.

I've been watching on YouTube a few contempory interviews with Stallone.  His success had been astonishing: from nowhere right to the top with just this one movie, with added credibility from his being the author, and with Oscar glory still to come.  He comes across very well: witty, articulate, modest (though not falsely) and charismatic.  It's a real shame to think how quickly he became one of the tackiest, most cynical players in Hollywood.  It's as if the Beatles, after the first flush of success, suddenly turned into Kiss.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

It's an absolutely perfect film.

[Johnny Textface]

Slight tangent. I love the Rocky soundtrack and it obviously contributes to the success of the film in a big way.. However, I've recently found the Rocky IV score album by Vince DiCola on Spotify (not the soundtrack - so not the actual montage songs) and It's fucking ace! Pure 80's synth excess. Must have been daunting to follow Bill Conti's iconic and perfect work but DiCola really knocked it out of the park as they say.

[bgmnts]

Yeah Rocky IV is the best soundtrack by a mile.

[Johnny Textface]

Yeah Rocky IV is the best soundtrack by a mile.

There's two. One with the songs and one with the score (I think the score one wasn't released until quite recently - which is a shame as it's immense).

Just googled it:

In 2010, Intrada Records released the original score by Vince DiCola, which had been previously unavailable save two cues on the soundtrack. Both cues, "War" and "Training Montage," were re-recorded for the soundtrack album. The album recording of "War" includes a brief snippet of Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now." The Intrada album features the film recordings.

[bgmnts]

Sorry yeah I mean both the DeCola original soundtrack and the licensed music. It all works so well together.

If that shit doesn't want to make you do some weights, you're broken.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Zoom quizzes seem to have tailed off in the last few months, but I had fun had fun tricking friends and family by asking them which film soundtrack features Eye of the Tiger. They all thought it was Rocky, but it's Rocky III.

Serves the bastards right for asking me questions about Taylor Swift and other such modern pop music, that I know nothing about.

[Johnny Textface]

1. Rocky
2. Rocky IV
3. Rocky Balboa
4. Rocky III
5. Rocky II
6. Rocky V
7. Alien 3

[beanheadmcginty]

Zoom quizzes seem to have tailed off in the last few months, but I had fun had fun tricking friends and family by asking them which film soundtrack features Eye of the Tiger. They all thought it was Rocky, but it's Rocky III.

Serves the bastards right for asking me questions about Taylor Swift and other such modern pop music, that I know nothing about.

Would you have accepted the 1986 Gary Busey film "Eye of the Tiger", which also features the song on its soundtrack?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

An answer like that would be worth a million points.

[homesickalien]

Slight tangent also but I saw Raging Bull by chance for the first time in years last night on ITV.  I've forgotten how brilliant it is.

There's a lot of obvious similarities with Rocky such as the grittiness and both boxers being Italian American. 

Apparently Scorsese shot in black and white partly to distinguish it from Rocky. 

I wonder what influences Rocky had on it or how else Scorsese tried to distinguish his film.

[Keebleman]

I wonder what influence Rocky had on it.  There must have been some with it coming out just 4 years after.

Well, it had the same producers!  The same studio too.  Rocky's success may have influenced United Artists to fund it, but I doubt Scorsese and DeNiro were inspired to take the project by having seen Rocky.  There have always been boxing movies.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I can imagine Scorsese and De Niro liking Rocky*, but nah, beyond the basic subject matter those films couldn't be more at odds.

Raging Bull is a brutal film about a violent, self-destructive arsehole who alienates everyone who ever tries to get close to him. Rocky is a sweet-natured, uplifting love story about a pair of lonely outsiders. Both great films, but I don't really see them as companion pieces.

_{* The first film is blatantly influenced by the scuzzy 'lowlife' aesthetic of Mean Streets. Even Rocky's hat looks just like Johnny Boy's! But it's a far more sentimental, old-fashioned affair. That's not a complaint, Stallone and Avildsen were deliberately aiming for that tone: a depressing-looking film which turns out to be a crowd-pleaser.} 

[Keebleman]

Rocky winning Best Picture.  It's as if the theme music was written with this moment in mind!  And there's a great shot from behind of the three of them with their arms raised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrSr6Ga6i0

[wooders1978]

I think it's one of the most profitable films of all time on a budget vs profit basis as it was done fir about a million dollars and made several times that in the box office

Couple of other interesting things :

Sly had to fight the studio to do the lead role
They had to do loads of camera trickery and stock footage for the crowds as they only had about 50 extras for the Apollo fight
There's loads of members of the Stallone family in various scenes as he couldn't afford to pay proper extras

Other stuff but it will get boring

[Keebleman]

They had to do loads of camera trickery and stock footage for the crowds as they only had about 50 extras for the Apollo fight

The stock footage is really obvious and for me it spoiled the fight as it felt like the two of them were slugging away in an empty arena, like Covid four decades before the fact.

[The Culture Bunker]

There's loads of members of the Stallone family in various scenes as he couldn't afford to pay proper extras

If I remember right, his dad is the bod ringing the bell during the climatic fight, and his brother Frank is one of the lads singing on the street corner. Not sure if his recently departed mother turned up too?

[wooders1978]

That's correct - mum was in there at some stage I think as was current wife (slys, not mine)

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I've been watching on YouTube a few contempory interviews with Stallone.  His success had been astonishing: from nowhere right to the top with just this one movie, with added credibility from his being the author, and with Oscar glory still to come.  He comes across very well: witty, articulate, modest (though not falsely) and charismatic.  It's a real shame to think how quickly he became one of the tackiest, most cynical players in Hollywood.  It's as if the Beatles, after the first flush of success, suddenly turned into Kiss.

That Stallone still exists, he's like that in most interviews. Witty, articulate, self-aware and self-deprecating, but he absolutely knows that he sold out in the '80s. Hence why he made Rocky Balboa in 2006: see, I can still act, write and direct.

There's always been that tug-of-war between Stallone the intelligent, sensitive filmmaker and Stallone the crass action movie star who wants to make millions at the box office. There is absolutely nothing wrong with crass action movies when they're well-made, and he knows that, but you do get the impression that he would've preferred it if he'd had a 'one for them, one for me' Eastwood-style career. I guess he just painted himself into a corner in the '80s, and he really has no one but himself to blame for that.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Rocky winning Best Picture.  It's as if the theme music was written with this moment in mind!  And there's a great shot from behind of the three of them with their arms raised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrSr6Ga6i0

That's almost as moving as the film itself. "To all the Rocky's in the world, I love you."

Imagine being a jobbing bit-part actor who's going nowhere, then you write and star in a massively successful Oscar-winning film. It's a beautiful story. 

[phantom_power]

I just watched Rocky and plan to work through the sequels as they are included in the MGM channel on Amazon Video. It is a genuinely great film but it is almost let down by the boxing, ironically. It set the template for the sports film but the fight scenes are ridiculous. The amount of face and head shots each boxer takes would leave anyone brain damaged. It is like movie poker matches where everyone has a run, flush, full house or four of a kind

[jobotic]

Rocky winning Best Picture.  It's as if the theme music was written with this moment in mind!  And there's a great shot from behind of the three of them with their arms raised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrSr6Ga6i0

Alright Nicholson, slow down a bit. Take a breath.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I just watched Rocky and plan to work through the sequels as they are included in the MGM channel on Amazon Video. It is a genuinely great film but it is almost let down by the boxing, ironically. It set the template for the sports film but the fight scenes are ridiculous. The amount of face and head shots each boxer takes would leave anyone brain damaged. It is like movie poker matches where everyone has a run, flush, full house or four of a kind

Oh I know, but you just have to accept that boxing in the world of Rocky involves people being repeatedly punched in the head and ribs with life-threatening sledgehammer ferocity.

The boxing in Rocky (first Rocky boxing film) is actually quite restrained compared to what you'll see in the sequels, but don't let that put you off. They're all great fun. And by the time you get to Rocky Balboa (aka Rocky VI), a certain amount of realism sets in again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them!

[Gulftastic]

By three, they ramp the sound FX up so much during the fights it's hilarious. At one point the even add a 'swoosh!' noise to a missed swing.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Bump as over the past few days I've watched Rocky II and Rocky III, and halfway through Rocky IV. Enjoyed them more than I expected although the

Spoiler alert

cutting of the eye

[close]

so Rocky can see in Rocky II made me wince.

Paulie just seems like a massive bigoted dickhead in both films. I did fast forward a lot of the moments between Rocky and Adrian so I may have missed bits. As @phantom_power says, there are a ridiculous amount of head shots and Rocky gets utterly battered. Imagine making that your career. The referees seem to get battered a bit too, which I can't believe happens in real life.

The films did seem a bit cheesy in places, like when all the

Spoiler alert

children follow Rocky like he's some kind of boxing Pied Piper

[close]

.

All the films seem to start with the first few minutes of the last film, which is probably helpful for most people but not if you are binge watching them.

I think I've seen the first Rocky a while back.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Sorry, I was going to bump the 2022 thread but I've bumped the wrong one.

[ollyboro]

Butkus the bull mastiff was Stallone's dog in real life. When Stallone was lacking a pot to piss in he sold the hound, but tracked him down when he got some money for the Rocky script and put him in the movies.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Silly name for a dog. It's far too close to Buttkiss.

[Keebleman]

The latest edition of the Next Picture Show podcast is comparing Rocky III with Creed III.

https://megaphone.link/FILM3380967077

[Old Nehamkin]

I saw Creed 3 the other day and thought it was pretty decent, definitely a step up from the second one. Jonathan Majors is really good as the sort-of-antagonist and the relationship between his character and Creed is definitely the strongest aspect of the film. The whole thing hinges on a couple of slightly unbelievable plot points and I wasn't particularly convinced by Creed's motivations to inevitably step back into the ring again, but it just about does the job.

Here's how I'd rank the Rocky-verse films at present:

Actually good:
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky Balboa/Creed (tie)
Creed III

Bad but entertaining:
Rocky IV
Rocky III

Bad and not particularly entertaining:
Creed II
Rocky V