Cinema Revisited: Rocky (1976)
Directed by John Avildsen. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Thayer David, Tony Burton. Running time 120 minutes. Released November 21, 1976
If "Rocky" had been a stand-alone project with no sequels it would likely be regularly revived as one of the true classics about prizefighting, standing alongside "Body and Soul," "Requiem for a Heavyweight," and "Raging Bull." But it's cinematic impact has been thwarted by the endless series of sequels that became progressively worse. If it stood alone, and we didn't see the Rocky character again until "Creed," its legacy would be solid.
It really does remain Sylvester Stallone's best film, the story of a small time fighter who is randomly chosen to box against the champion at a big 4th of July show that is meant to be a lark. The idea is that the champ would carry the hapless challenge around for a round or so, and then knock him out. Rocky, however, sees this as an opportunity and takes it very seriously. He trains hard while Creed gives him no attention, not even taking a few steps to see a TV report on his training; something that concerns his trainer. Rocky realizes he can't beat the champion, he only wants to still be standing at the end of the 15 rounds.
Everything about this film works. The seedy neighborhood that Rocky knows as home. The plain, insecure girl that only he finds attractive, bringing her out of her withdrawn shell. The gangsters for whom he runs errands to make ends meet. His crude friend, and girlfriend's brother, who wants more than his personality can effectively handle.
Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed is channeling 70s-era Muhammad Ali, with cheerful flamboyance, keeping his cool when making business arrangements and never responding to this situation as more than a showbiz exhibition. He doesn't register it as a fight. However, when Rocky knocks him down early in the fight, the first time he's been knocked down in his career, he is shocked to realize Rocky's seriousness. But because he did no training, he actually has a hard time with Rocky, despite his superior skill.
Finally, Burgess Meredith is as down-and-out as Rocky and needs a break every bit as much. The two are at odds until Rocky gets his chance. Then they set aside differences and both take their big shot. Their relationship is one of the most inspiring and moving in the entire film.
The way director Avildsen builds the momentum in the final fight scene is brilliant. Each man as an agenda, and while Rocky slowly realizes he has a better chance than he might have known, Apollo is terrifying beyond his endurance. Gruesome scenes include Apollo suffering a broken rib cage but still continuing to fight, while Rocky insists on having his right eye cut open because it is swollen shut. The director shifts from closeups, to medium shots, to long shots, to overhead shots. The action is the center of the ring, and the negative space is filled with noise and movement.
It is unfortunate that the extreme marketing aspects that were just beginning to happen in the late 1970s resulted in sequels that made money and tried to investigate the growth of the character, but ultimately became an example of cinematic overkill. None were a fraction as good as the original. Most were not good movies at all.
"Rocky" came out during a decade that continues to be hailed as one of the finest in the history of American cinema. And it holds its own among the many timeless masterpieces that were released during that explosively creative ten year period. If only there was a way for the culture to ignore that any others were made.