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What is the movie Rocky about?
It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated, kind-hearted working class Italian-American boxer, working as a debt collector for a loan shark in the slums of Philadelphia. Rocky, a small-time club fighter, gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. The film also stars Talia Shire as Adrian, Burt Young as Adrian's brother Paulie, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill, and Carl Weathers as the reigning champion, Apollo Creed .
How many rounds does Rocky fight Creed?
Humbled and worried, Creed takes Rocky more seriously for the rest of the fight, though his ego never fully fades. The fight goes on for the full fifteen rounds, with both combatants sustaining various injuries. Rocky, with hits to the head and swollen eyes, requires his right eyelid to be cut to restore his vision.
How many Rocky movies are in a Blu-ray box set?
November 3, 2009 (Blu-ray box set – Rocky The Undisputed Collection. This release included six films in a box set. Previously, only the first film and Rocky Balboa were available on the format. Those two discs are identical to their individual releases, and the set also contains a disc of bonus material, new and old alike.)
What was the tone of the original Rocky movie?
Certain elements of the story were altered during filming. The original script had a darker tone: Mickey was portrayed as racist, and the script ended with Rocky throwing the fight after realizing he did not want to be part of the professional boxing world after all.
What is Rocky training?
Rocky undergoes several weeks of unorthodox training, such as using sides of beef as punching bags . Rocky is later approached by Mickey Goldmill, a former bantamweight fighter who turned trainer and whose gym Rocky frequents, about further training.
How much did Rocky make in 1976?
The film, made on a budget of just over $1.1 million, was a sleeper hit; it earned $225 million in global box office receipts, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976. The film was critically acclaimed and solidified Stallone's career and was the beginning of his rise to prominence as a major movie star of that era. Among other accolades, it received ten Academy Award nominations, winning three, including Best Picture. In 2006, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Critics consider Rocky one of the greatest sports films ever made and the American Film Institute ranked it the second-best in the genre, after Raging Bull in 2008.
Why is Rocky on the National Film Registry?
In 2006, the Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
What happened to Rocky Balboa?
In the aftermath of his fight with Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa is diagnosed with brain damage and is forced to retire from the ring. Additionally, the Balboa fortune is all gone due to an unscrupulous accountant. Rocky's family returns to their old neighborhood and Adrian returns to the pet store she used to work at, while (in a subplot) Rocky (Robert) Jr. (played by Sylvester Stallone's real son Sage) deals with bullying at his school and Rocky re-opens Mickey's old gym. While training other boxers, Rocky meets a young, hungry boxer named Tommy Gunn (played by real-life fighter Tommy Morrison) and begins training him which results in a strained relationship with Robert. Unfortunately, as Tommy begins his rise to fame under Rocky's wing, a sleazy fight promoter named George Washington Duke convinces Tommy that Rocky is holding him back and Tommy leaves Rocky for Duke. After Tommy wins the heavyweight title, he makes a short speech thanking Duke, and is met with jeers and the familiar chant of "Rocky" from the crowd. Seething from this insult, as well as being called by publicists as "Rocky's robot" and being told that he's "no Rocky Balboa," Tommy decides to seek out his former mentor for a final showdown. Rocky starts to walk away from the public challenge, but Paulie decides to let Tommy have a piece of his mind about how Tommy has treated Rocky, and Tommy proceeds to punch Paulie. Rocky then challenges Tommy outside and the two proceed in a violent bare-knuckle street brawl, which Rocky wins. Rocky then proceeds to punch Duke for harassing him. In the end, Rocky and Robert reconcile as they run up the steps as father and son.
How long has Rocky Balboa been retired?
In Rocky Balboa, twenty years have passed since his final fight with his former protégé, Tommy "The Machine" Gunn. Long retired, Rocky Balboa still staggers around an ever-changing world; his son is grown and distant, Paulie is working back at the meat plant, and Rocky's wife Adrian has died.
What was the name of the song that Stallone wrote for Rocky III?
At the 55th Academy Awards, the song " Eye of the Tiger " from Rocky III was nominated for Best Original Song. On December 7, 2010, Stallone was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum, for paying tribute to boxers in writing and creating the underdog character of Rocky.
How many Academy Awards did Rocky win?
At the 49th Academy Awards, Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards. Sylvester Stallone was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, with Talia Shire being nominated for Best Actress, and both Burgess Meredith and Burt Young being nominated for Best Supporting Actor. " Gonna Fly Now " was nominated for Best Original Song, and Rocky itself was nominated for Best Sound Editing, and won Best Picture, Best Director for John G. Avildson, and Best Film Editing .
What happened to Rocky in the fifteenth round?
In the fifteenth round, Rocky knocks Creed to the ground, falling to the canvas himself in the process . Both fighters struggle to get to their feet, but only Rocky is successful.
What is the Rocky movie?
Original music. List of original songs. Miscellaneous. Character (s) List of characters. Rocky is an American media franchise consists of multi-media releases including American boxing sports - dramas, created by Sylvester Stallone. The first film, Rocky (1976), and its five sequels centered on the boxing career of the eponymous fictional ...
Why is Rocky reluctant to undergo chemotherapy?
He is initially unwilling to undergo chemotherapy because it wasn't enough to save Adrian from ovarian cancer. Donnie persuades Rocky to seek treatment and continues training while Rocky recovers.
How much money did Rocky make?
The Rocky movie franchise has earned over $1.4 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises of all time. While most people have heard the story of Rocky Balboa (the washed up fighter who ends up fighting for the title) few know how it was made. It is truly one of the most inspiring Hollywood stories of all time.
Was Sylvester Stallone broke?
In the early 70s, Sylvester Stallone was an unknown actor trying to make it in New York. He had some minor success in the movie The Lords Of Flatbush but he was still broke. “After The Lords Of Flatbush, I decided it was time to come to California, so I moved to California and things weren’t going so well there.
Who plays Rocky in the movie The Way Out?
They told them to bring it by later. They read the script and loved it, except for one thing: They didn’t want to have Sylvester Stallone play the main character, Rocky. You can’t blame them.
Is Forbes opinion their own?
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
What was Sylvester Stallone's original script for Rocky about?
Sylvester Stallone, a struggling thespian with a few, not-so-notable credits, wrote a Hail Mary script about a struggling pugilist.
Why did Rocky throw the fight?
And the reason Rocky throws the fight is because he doesn’t want to be involved in this kind of world.
Did Sylvester Stallone give a respite?
Probably not. Rather than gift the world with another cinematic downer, Stallone went the other way, offering audiences beaten down by grim movies — not to mention even more grim times — a respite. Which they enthusiastically took.
Is Rocky still dark?
It’s worth noting, incidentally, that the original Rocky is still pretty dark. Balboa is a sadsack who no one believes in, except for Talia Shire’s Adrienne. And it captures Frank Rizzo’s Philadelphia at its grimiest, before it had an icon, even a fictional one like Rocky, it could believe in. Still, things could have been worse.
Who wrote the hit song "Hail Mary"?
Sylvester Stallone , a struggling thespian with a few, not-so-notable credits, wrote a Hail Mary script about a struggling pugilist. He miraculously got it made, with him as the lead. The result was the biggest hit of 1976, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Is Paulie's robot deleted from Rocky?
But there’s an alternate timeline in which Stallone’s original script got made — and that sounds like an even darker film than a Rocky IV in which Paulie’s robot has been deleted. The Hollywood Reporter dug up an old interview with Stallone, in which he admitted that the initial script for Rocky was a lot closer to the bleak-o-rama fare trendy in ...
What does Rocky Top refer to?
According to the Gatlinburg Inn, the original meaning of Rocky Top likely referred to Thunderhead Mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, because of its rocky peak.
Who wrote the Rocky Top lyrics?
Rocky Top was written in 1967 by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant during a stay at the Gatlinburg Inn.
How old was Felice when she recognized Boudleaux?
Felice said she recognized Boudleaux from a dream she had when she was 8.
What is the meaning of the duck in the Bryants?
The duck is a metaphor for us, living our poor pitiful days in a city, working city jobs and trapped in a mindless existential “pen” of our own construction. The Bryants were telling us the only person who can keep us locked up is ourselves. That we must transcend the two dimensional pen in which we lock ourselves and fly free and away.
What is the theme song for the Smokies?
Such is the case, when you live in East Tennessee, with “Rocky Top,” the unofficial theme song of the Smokies.
Who wrote the song Rocky Top?
Written in 1967 by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant during a stay in Gatlinburg, “Rocky Top” was first performed by Bluegrass legends “The Osborne Brothers.” Though it didn’t really take off for them, theirs is still considered the definitive version.
Will corn grow on Rocky Top?
Corn will grow on Rocky Top. I promise you, corn will grow.
Overview
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), an uneducated, small-time club fighter and debt collector gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers).
Plot
In 1975, the heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed, announces plans to hold a title bout in Philadelphia during the upcoming United States Bicentennial. However, he is informed five weeks from the fight date that his scheduled opponent Mac Lee Green is unable to compete due to an injured hand. With all other potential replacements booked up or otherwise unavailable, Creed decides to spice things up by giving a local contender a chance to challenge him.
Cast
• Sylvester Stallone as Robert "Rocky" Balboa
• Talia Shire as Adriana "Adrian" Pennino
• Burt Young as Paulie Pennino
• Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed
Production
Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky in three and a half days, shortly after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner that took place at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, on March 24, 1975. Wepner was TKO'd in the 15th round of the match by Ali, with few expecting him to last as long as he did. Despite the match motivating Stallone to begin work on Rocky, he has denied Wepner provided any inspiration for the script. Other inspir…
Music
Bill Conti composed the musical score for Rocky. He had composed a score for director John G. Avildsen's W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) that the studio ultimately rejected. David Shire (then-husband of Talia Shire) was the first to be offered the chance to compose the music for Rocky but had to turn it down because of prior commitments. Avildsen reached out to Conti without any studio help because of the film's relatively low budget. Avildsen said, "The budget fo…
Release
The movie was released on Sunday, November 21, 1976, by United Artists at Cinema II in New York City.
• 1980 UK video release by Intervision Betamax, VHS (Rental Only)
• 1982 – CED Videodisc, Betamax and VHS; VHS release is rental only; 20th Century Fox Video release, Warner Home Video has rest of the World rights
Reception
Rocky grossed $5,488 on its opening day at Cinema II, a house record. When it was released nationally, it grossed $5 million during its first wide weekend and consistently performed well for eight months and eventually reached $117 million at the North American box office. Adjusted for inflation in 2018, the film earned over $500 million in North America alone. Overseas, Rocky grossed $107 million, for a worldwide box office total of $225 million. With its production budget …
Other media
The film's success led to eight more sequels, Beginning with Rocky II in 1979. Followed by Rocky III in 1982, Rocky IV in 1985, Rocky V in 1990, Rocky Balboa in 2006, Creed in 2015 and Creed II in 2018. Another sequel, titled Creed III, will be released in 2023; however, Stallone announced in April 2021 that he will not appear in the film.