My Favorite Films: Rocky

     The thing that always strikes me about Rocky is its honest simplicity. Balboa's journey never feels forced or saccharine. The world he inhibits feels like a real place and the characters all feel like real people. Of course this is partly because it is a real place, as the movie was shot on location in Philidelphia. The director, John G. Avilsden, really brings the city to life. We see many recognizable locations most notably the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Rocky runs up the steps to the tune of Gonna Fly Now. Earlier in the same montage sequence a man selling fruit throws Rocky a apple, a scene that was improvised on the spot. The film is filled with little moments like that and they lend the film an down-to-earth feel.

     As much as I appreciate Avilsden's direction this is ultimately Sylvester Stallone's film. Stallone got the idea for Rocky after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. He auctioned it off to various Hollywood producers but insisted that he play Rocky himself. As they were reluctant to cast an unknown in the lead, Stallone had a lot of trouble selling the script. Eventually he sold it to Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, who agreed to produce for a very small budget. In many ways Rocky's journey in the film is symbolic of Stallone's own journey to get it made. Because of this his writing adds an extra layer of authenticity to the film.

     Another, tangential reason that Rocky is great is that the protagonist doesn't ultimately win the fight. In Rocky's own words "All I wanna do is go the distance." While this also helps to make the story more believable, in the main, it puts Rocky's personal integrity, and his relationship with Adrian, at the forefront of the drama. When the fight ends and the judges are going over their verdict, Rocky isn't really interested in who won, he has already done what he set out to do and just wants to be with Adrian.

     Of course it helps that the film is perfectly cast. Talia Shire is great as the outwardly vulnerable but inwardly strong Adrian. She's something of a vicarious character as both she and the audience fall in love with Rocky simultaneously. Burt Young really excels in the role of her alcoholic and abusive, though ultimately loyal and supportive brother Paulie who's also Rocky's best friend. Burgess Meredith practically inhabits the role of Mickey, Rocky's broken down old manager who verbal abuse of Rocky is a mask for his obvious affection for the man. Carl Weather's Appollo Creed is arrogant but also charismatic, he is never played as a straight up villain but is a believable real life opponent. Finally, Sylvester Stallone is Rocky Balboa. It's the role that made his career for good reason. He is brutish and dull but, as we get to know him as an audience, we find that he also has a great sense of humor, a practical outlook on life, and a heart of gold.

     Finally, Bill Conti's score for the film is truly amazing. At times sad and melancholy at others soaring and triumphant the music perfectly encapsulates Rocky's journey and adds an extra layer which makes us feel that much more empathetic for the character. It's hard to imagine what the film would be like without it.

  While Rocky may have been content to merely go the distance but the film itself went on to greater success, becoming a hit at the box office and eventually gaining nine Oscar nominations, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Song (for Gonna Fly Now). A slew of sequels and imitators have followed but the original remains the ultimate underdog story.