Rocky is so ingrained into our popular consciousness it almost
isn't necessary to summarize it. Fighter Rocky Balboa (Stallone) idolized
Rocky Marciano, one of boxing's greats. Yet, unlike his idol, Rocky
has not had success. He's fought in small bouts for years without a
manager or any coaching advice. The fights don't bring in much money,
so he has to make do by doing grunt work for a loan shark. His apartment
is in the Italian Market neighborhood of Philadelphia, which at the
time was apparently worse off than it is today.
He begins to court a very shy neighborhood girl, Adrian (Shire), who
has low self esteem. Through his insistence that she's beautiful, he
helps to instill her with confidence.
Unlike the other movies in the Rocky franchise, this is not
a movie about boxing as much as it is a movie about taking chances and
striving to be your best. Adrian is not alone in her confidence problems.
Rocky has always been underestimated and, as people suddenly begin to
believe in him, he gains confidence. And thus, the famous training sequence
with him running up the art museum steps. At that moment, bouncing at
the top of the steps with his fists in the air, Rocky feels capable
of anything. And that, in many ways, is his true triumph.
Incidentally, the famous shot of running up the museum never would
have existed if not for Garrett Brown, inventor of the Steadicam. He
used the camera to shoot his girlfriend running up and down the museum
steps, and based on that footage sold the camera. Months later, Avildsen
saw the footage and decided a similar scene would work well in the movie.
And so the iconic scene was born.
I didn't see Rocky until I'd actually moved to Philly, and the
first time I watched it I spent most of the movie trying to figure out
where specific scenes were shot. On a second viewing, I still liked
it, although the initial excitement of seeing Philly on screen was less.
If you haven't seen it, Rocky might not be what you're expecting.
It's not a high-adrenaline movie but rather a very quiet movie. The
film was a personal project for Stallone, who wrote the film and refused
to sell the rights unless he could also play the lead role. He was inspired
to write it by watching the March 24, 1975 Chuck Wepner-Muhammad Ali
fight where, despite being outclassed and enduring blow after blow from
the heavyweight champ, Wepner continued to fight for 15 rounds.
This film introduced Stallone to the movie-going public, as a very
humble, somewhat shy character, far from the pumped-up tough guys he
would later portray. It was easy for him to identify with the lead role,
since he had based it in part on his own frustrations with failing to
make a name for himself in the acting world.
Much of the film is shot on location in Philadelphia, with even the
interiors looking very much of the city. While a lot has changed —
the city is much cleaner now in Center City— a lot is still the
same. SEPTA buses have changed slightly, but the main landmarks (City
Hall and the art museum) are the same. The movie offers a nostalgic
view of the city that once was.
It's appropriate that the Italian Stallion would come from Philly,
and not just because of the large Italian population. Rocky is an underdog,
and Philadelphia is an underdog city. Aside from our important role
in the history of this country, Philly is considered a second-class
place. It's more often a punchline for late-night comics than a city
that's respected. Yet, the city has a lot to offer and has its own charm.
Just like Rocky.
It's good to see a local boy make good, even if that just means exceeding
his personal best. And the steps of the art museum would never be the
same!
