The 1970s were a particularly refreshing time for American cinema, which was suddenly put in the hands of new auteurs and new voices to try things that had the potential for success. From there emerged some of the best filmmakers of all time, some stars capable of leading unconventional projects. And some of the greatest cinematographic phenomena also emerged that forever changed the concept of commercial cinema.
One of those undoubted sensations was Rocky, the exciting sports film by Sylvester Stallone with director John G. Avildsen. Together, they shaped one of the most iconic boxing films, one of the highest-grossing films of its time, and the perfect platform for its actor to become a star. Tonight it can be enjoyed on Spanish Television’s La 2 Classic Film Days, starting at 10 p.m.
Rocky Balboa is a left-handed Italian-American boxer who fights mainly in small gyms and works as a debt collector for a Mafia loan shark, also receiving the nickname “El Potro Italiano.” Rocky fights at a local Philadelphia fight club and aspires to date Adrian, a shy young woman who works as a salesperson at a pet store.
One day he meets with promoter George Jergens, who tells him that he has been chosen to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship by the champion himself, Apollo Creed, who cannot find a rival. Reluctant at first, Rocky ends up accepting the fight, for which he will be paid $150,000.
The exciting boxing matches of the time, such as those in which Muhammad Ali fought, inspired Stallone to write the script for a film focused on this sport. Still an unknown actor and filmmaker, jumping around small productions, he spent years trying to sell the project to the studios, but always with the condition that he would star in it since he would not have forgiven himself if it ended up being a success without him as a visible face. . It was a hard sell; almost no one wanted him as the protagonist.
‘Rocky’: The Story of Overcoming
Rocky ended up going ahead as a very modest production, with less than a million dollars in budget. That is why the film manages to have a very raw and realistic texture, less exaggerated than what the franchise later ended up being, with a mix of North American adult cinema of the time with touches of Italian neorealism. This makes it work primarily as a drama and then as a sports film.
The passage of time has ended up making it the most canonical film in sports cinema, full of stories about eternally undervalued people who seek to rise to the top. But at the time, it was something that no one expected, being a surprising phenomenon that raised $225 million and won the Oscars over classics like Taxi Driver, All the President’s Men, or Networ . And to this day it continues to conquer.
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