Rocky (1976)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

3 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

You have a ringside seat for the bloodiest bicentennial in history!

Plot:

A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Plot Keywords:

Boxer | Philadelphia | Boxing | Training | Dog

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo
Thayer David	...	Jergens
Joe Spinell	...	Gazzo
Jimmy Gambina	...	Mike
George Memmoli	...	Ice Rink Attendant
Bill Baldwin	...	Fight Announcer
Billy Sands	...	Club Fight Announcer
Don Sherman	...	Bartender
Shirley O'Hara	...	Secretary
Arnold Johnson
Tony Burton	...	Apollo's Trainer
Jodi Letizia	...	Marie

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | UK:A (original rating) | Iceland:12 | Mexico:A | Australia:M (TV rating) | Brazil:12 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1977) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG (PCA #24646) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

1818 East Tusculum Street, Kensington, North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

The role of Mickey was initially offered to Lee Strasberg (who was Burt Young's mentor), but the production couldn't afford him.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Jergens describes Apollo's upcoming fight as his "bicentennial fight." In the same scene, Apollo says that it will take place "on this country's birthday," meaning July 4, 1976. But the fight with Rocky takes place on New Year's Day, January 1, 1976.

Quotes:

Rocky: [upon seeing Apollo Creed] He looks like a big flag.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

Soundtrack:

Deck the Halls

Serious comments about the movie.

If there is a chance for you which can turn you from nobody to somebody, how would you treat it? Would you let it go pass because it is almost impossible to achieve or you want to use all you have to give it a great shot? This is what the movie about, how a struggling underdog became hero, legend or more. This is the one of my favorite movies. Because it has a simplest storyline but it successfully gave expression to it's theme-if you want to be on the top, you have to pay the price which means hardworking and determination A good movie must require an understandable storyline which clearly tells its theme. That is why I think rocky is a great movie. The movie is about the sudden life change of a struggling underdog boxer-Rocky, the world champion set up a fight between himself and Rocky, but he decided to give it the greatest shot just to prove that he is not a bum for a entertainment show. So basically, whole movie is about how Rocky trying so hard to achieve his goal: go the distance with the champion.

The acting of the film is another shinning point; it has many great actors in it. Especially the main actor Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) he made a great impression in my mind by his excellent pyrotechnic acting skill. In the famous fighting scene, Stallone performed an emotion of a boxer who is suffering from pain, frustration and exhaustion, but he is not giving up. The scene became so real because Stallone's incredible performance. Also, other actors like Burt Young (Pauline), Tailia Shire (Adrian) Burgess (Mickey) acted perfectly in the movie.

If there is anything else can highlight the movie that is the fantastic music used in the movie. Because the music played in the movie perfectly contributed to the atmosphere of each individual scene. E.g. when Rocky started his morning run, pumping up style music plays simultaneously while he is running, that generated a memorable scene. Also again in the fighting scene, a part of passionate and stirring background music played when rocky is trying so hard to stand on his feet, it has successfully reinforced the mood of the scene.

This movie is simple but well made. Fantastic music, excellent action sequences and incredible acting crew lined with a nice storyline to express its theme: a man can be anyone he wants to be but is requires great determination and stamina to achieve that. The movie is appealed to audiences who are 15 or above, and strongly recommended to every boxing fan! PG Rating: 8/10