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Rated: PG
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, et al.
Director: John G. Avildsen Review
The movie was such a great hit and I loved it when it came out; but when I
revisited it years later, it seemed to have some slow moments that I had
forgotten. Regardless, if you are a student or fan of film, or just want
some insights into how a completely unknown actor could rocket to the top
of the industry you have to buy this DVD.
What drives this DVD is the actor's / director's
commentary by John Avildson (director), Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff
(producers) and actors Talia Shire and Burt Young. It also has great
featurettes for "behind-the-scenes" and "never-before-seen-footage", and a
video commentary by Stallone as well as other features.
Stallone lived "Rocky" as an actor; he took his best shot and won.
(So that you don't think I am just a "Rocky fight fanatic", I confess that
I have not seen 3 of the 5 Rocky movies.)
----------- The Story: A two-bit fighter
from Philadelphia gets a shot at Apollo Creed, the World Champion. While
he trains for his fight, in very economic and unorthodox fashion, Rocky
Balboa pursues his true love, Talia Shire.
Commentary: Sylvester Stallone gambled just about
everything he had, at the time, on this film. This gamble paid off, in
both a career for Stallone and a movie for every dreamer, of every kind.
Rocky Balboa has almost nothing when he starts, except what is inside of
him - determination, willingness to sacrifice, heart, tenacity, and
creativity (in a very crude form). He shows the world that those
attributes are enough for him to equal the World Champion, with all of his
money, training facilities, entourage, etc. There is no complex story
here. There is a very simple story that is very well done. Oh, and the
musical score ain't bad either! This film won the Oscar for Best Picture,
and deserved it. The only negative about the film is that it sets your
expectations high for the sequels, which never quite reach this level.
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