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There is no doubt "Rocky" is one of the greatest films of all time. But it wasn't until recently after watching sports films that were made prior to 1976 that I realized just how great it really is. Before "Rocky" sports movies were downright dull. If you take a look at "Grand Prix" (1966) or "Downhill Racer" (1969) the camera work and the directing especially the race scenes in "Grand Prix" are quite good but the storylines are terrible and the characters and the plot are as flat as cardboard. Even with great actors like James Garner, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Eva Marie Saint, Dabney Coleman and the brilliant Gene Hackman in them the films look dated and feel plodding. Unless you consider pool a sport and count the extraordinary movie "The Hustler", sports films prior to 1976 were B grade at best.
One has to wonder if there would have even been a "Raging Bull" or a "Hoosiers" had there not been a "Rocky" first. Unlike the films that preceded it, "Rocky" takes the time to look deeply into the personal life of an athlete and sees him as human and flawed as no sports film had ever done before. And in addition it serves up one of the most audience rousing sports scenes of all time. If you watch the interview with Sylvester Stallone on the DVD he talks about how "Rocky" went against the trend of the anti-hero which was popular during the time he wrote the script. He says when he first wrote "Rocky" the character did start out as an anti-hero and was even originally written to throw the fight at the end. But thanks to suggestions from his wife at the time, Sylvester Stallone evolved Rocky into what the title card in the interview calls the anti-anti-hero. Rocky looks like a street smart thug on the exterior but dwelling internally is a wounded man with a big heart and a kind soul looking for the one great chance in his life which as the movie begins appears to have passed him by.
The structure of the screenplay is completely unconventional even by today's standards. Most movies today are structured like this:
1. (1-15 min) we meet the protagonist in his ordinary world and then he/she is called to adventure and the inciting incident occurs. 2. (16-30 min) the protagonist resists the antagonist and becomes locked into conflict (End Act 1). 3. (31-45 min) Antagonist makes attempt to resolve conflict and fails. 4. (46-60 min) Protagonist is confronted with need to change in order to conquer antagonist but does not. Protagonist creates a plan to destroy Antagonist and plan fails. 5. (61-75 min) Protagonist decides to change by minute 75. 6. (76-90 min) Protagonist comes up with an even bigger plan, a fight between Protagonist and Antagonist ensues where the Protagonist is destroyed, the Antagonist wins and the Protagonist changes entirely completing his or her metamorphosis. (End Act 2) 7. (91-105 min). Protagonist rises from the ashes and beats the Antagonist. 8. (106-120) some sort of epilogue. Almost every recent film you will see follows this pattern over and over and over again. "Rocky" on the other hand does not.
We do start out meeting Rocky in his environment but what's brilliant about the writing is we get to see him live in this world not for fifteen minutes but for thirty. And we get to see Rocky talk to...Rocky. I love these introspection moments where he comes home from the first fight in the film and walks around his apartment exhausted after the opening fight conversing without anyone there but his turtles and his fish. It's such a rich and satisfying foyer into understanding who he is. Most films would never allow us to see a character live in their world for that long nor would they appreciate a scene of such reality, honesty and introspection. The number of minutes from where we meet Rocky to where Apollo Creed finds out he needs to find someone new to fight him (inciting incident) today would be cut in half.
Also the call to adventure in "Rocky" which filmmakers today seem to think always has to happen at the beginning of the film does not occur before or around the time of the inciting incident but after clocking in at around fifty five minutes into the movie when the promoter summons Rocky into his office and asks him to fight Apollo Creed for the world heavyweight championship. And Rocky doesn't attempt to resolve or argue his call to adventure. By the next scene he's made up his mind to do it and the film then explores how he does it.
Great stories always bookend and "Rocky" is no exception. That's one of the signs to let you know the writer knows what they're doing. It doesn't matter if the story plots along Aristotle's incline which "Rocky" does, where tension builds steadily along a trajectory or if the story follows along the circular Mythic Journey curve as in "The Wizard of Oz" where the protagonist leaves home and returns home or some other way the writer wishes to plot their tale, bookending will work in all cases. "Rocky" starts with a fight and ends with a fight. The differences between them show how Rocky has grown and changed over the course of the film.
Another unconventional choice made in the script is the placement of the date scene. It begins more or less around thirty three minutes and forty four seconds into the film and it is the scene directly following the inciting incident. Normally you'd want a scene of this nature to occur somewhere at the end of the second act or somewhere in the third act of the story as a means to build tension(such as the modern classic "The Terminator") but here it occurs just after the inciting incident And it is in my opinion it is one of the greatest love scenes ever filmed. The date has marvelous similarities to Terry and Edie's scenes in "On the Waterfront". The moment where Rocky and Adrian walk back to his place after the ice rink and he talks about the "morning after" a fight and feeling like a large "wound" have a sexual connotation especially since he asks her up to his apartment less than a minute later. The scene bears similarities to Terry putting his hand into Edie's glove when he sits on the swing as they pause on their walk. It is loaded with sexual innuendo. The way Adrian and Rocky slide down the wall when they kiss is a mirror of how Terry and Edie slide down the wall when they kiss. And the scene in "Rocky" is just gorgeous to watch because the way these two characters fall in love has an honesty and an awkwardness to it which make it all the more poignant.
Another rare choice in the writing is how well it states its premise. A lot of films make the point too flashy, preach it to the audience like it was propaganda or have no idea what the premise of their story is at all. But the in scene where "Rocky" comes back from looking at the arena and lays back down in bed by Adrian is as brilliant an execution of premise as you will probably ever see. It is not a loud scene. It is not a triumphant announcement. It is not a sarcastic "oh aren't we smart" independent film fail. It is a quiet moment of truth. Rocky does not believe he can beat Apollo Creed. But he does believe he can go the distance with him and decides his goal is to still be standing when that final bell rings. "Winning is going the distance" is the premise of the film spoken quietly, intimately and brilliantly. Good luck finding very many films that can make their point with such unexpected eloquence as this.
The acting in "Rocky" is second to none. If you watch the SAG awards they always like to give out the best cast in a movie award last as the big achievement of the night. When was the last time you saw one with a cast of characters as strongly written or acted as the ones in this film? Every performance in this film is flawless, and not just the main characters but all the small ones; the bartender, the mouthy girl on the corner, the short guy who cleans out Rocky's locker. Every single one of them is top notch.
In addition to the story itself one cannot look at "Rocky" and point out how iconic its musical score is. Bill Conti's aural masterpiece is brilliant; its extraordinarily inspirational, beautiful, and timeless and it manages like a great film score should to be a character woven into the story itself.
My only complaint about the DVD is there are no English subtitles. I think it should be a law that all DVD's must have in addition to the complete and unabridged film the original theatrical trailer and English Subtitles otherwise it shouldn't be allowed to go to release. But that is a small complaint. If you have never seen "Rocky" you have cheated yourself out of one of the great film experiences of your life. It's one you'll want to watch over and over and over again.
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| Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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Blu-ray
May 14, 2019 "Please retry" | Remastered | 1 | $8.28 | $4.18 |
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October 6, 2015 "Please retry" | 0th Anniversary Edition | 1 | $5.00 | $2.58 |
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Reviews with images
One of the greatest sports movies of all time.
What makes ‘Rocky’ such a resounding success is its heart, technical innovation and Stallone himself, who not only provides an oscar nominated script but an oscar nominated performance as endearing, down-and-out southpaw, Rocky Balboa. Filled with iconic and pop-culture defining moments, ‘Rocky’ is one of the greatest sports movies of all time.Blu Ray review (1 disc)★★★★★This is the definitive blu ray version of the film, jam-packed with a ton of content.‘Three Rounds with Legendary Trainer Lou Duva’ (5min) - Brief interview with trainer Lou Duva.‘Interview with a Legend’ (7min) - Sports historian Bert Sugar talks about the impact of the Rocky franchise.‘The Opponents’ (16min) - A focus piece on three of Rocky’s biggest opponents, featuring cast interviews.‘In the Ring’ (75min) - A great making of documentary, split into three parts.‘Steadicam: Then and Now with Garrett Brown (17min) - Garrett Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam talks about his invention. He also runs us through some of the iconic shots in the film and how they were put together with an anatomical breakdown of a modern Steadicam.‘Make Up! (15min) - The make-up artist gives us a breakdown of the baking process, his thoughts on the-making and shows us some of the moulds used in the film.‘Staccato’ (12min) - Composer Bill Conti shares his memories and thoughts on both the film and the score.‘The Ring of Truth’ (10min) - Art director James Spencer talks about how he created the look of the film‘Behind the Scenes’ (12min) - The director shares some sparring footage.‘Tribute to Burgess Meredith’ (8min) - The cast talks about the actor and his contribution to the franchise.‘Tribute to James Crabe’ (4min) - A tribute piece for cinematographer James Crabe.‘Sylvester Stallone on Dinah! (1976)’ (17min) - An interview from talk show Dinah!‘Stallone Meets Rocky’ (3min) - A fun skit of the actor meeting Rocky Balboa at an art museum.Audio commentary with Sylvester StalloneAudio commentary with legends Lou Duva and Bert SugarAudio commentary with director, cast members, producers and cameramanAlso Includes trailers and tv spots.
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