Rocky
Dir: John G. Avildsen
1976
*****
I absolutely love Rocky. I have no interest in Boxing either, but then Rocky isn't really about boxing, its a film about one mans self-realisation and overcoming subversity. Its also a beautiful love story. A story of morals, hard work, getting knocked down and getting back up again, a tale of the human condition if you will. It's really not about boxing at all. A film of its time, a time I'm very fond of on film, its beautiful direction by John G. Avildsen gives it that classic 70's feel that I love but it will always be relevant. That's probably the reason why it has spawned a hell of a lot of crap since, not just in sporting films either, but a whole load of lazy filmmakers stole it's style, structure and story but without ever capturing its essence. It is guilty of inventing the montage, something that lazy film makers often exploit but done beautifully here and rarely bettered since. I've always loved the way Sylvester Stallone mumbles his way through the script, he wrote the story and sold it to the studio but you know that if it was today, they'd have paid him and got another actor to play the lead, another reason I'm grateful that it was made in the 70s. It's full of emotion, the Rocky and Adrian love story, the best friend Paulie and the father figure Mickey (played by the wonderful Burgess Meredith) are all golden slices of cinema. I cry every time. It is still somewhat of a crime that it beat Network and Taxi Driver at the 1976 Oscars but that said, I'll watch it again and again and as powerful and important as Network and Taxi Driver are, Rocky has that certain something special that every film maker wants to have in their films and in their characters. My Wife and I love the Rocky films so much we had the Rocky theme tune play as we walked down the isle. It is pure cinematic magic.