Rocky

A boxing film set in Philadelphia. Rocky is thirty and has got nowhere. He fights in small halls, collects debts for a loan shark the rest of the time, and is not even good at that. His locker at the gym is taken away. The trainer no longer takes him seriously. He is in love with Adrian, who works in a pet shop. She is very shy and does not speak; their first date takes place at an empty ice rink. The world champion is looking for an exhibition bout. When his opponent is injured he picks a name at random from a list and likes Rocky's nickname. From there the film is a preparation. Training in a meat store, running in the morning, raw eggs and steps. What the narrative is interested in is not winning but staying upright: Rocky says before the fight that he cannot win; all he wants is to last to the final bell, and the film ends accordingly. The Adrian line is the centre, and in the last scene nobody is thinking about the score. The screenplay is by its lead. Stallone wrote it within a few days of watching a fight, and when the studio wanted to buy it he said he would not sell unless he played the part; he turned down the sums offered. The budget was kept very low. Some of the crowd material was shot in the street without permission, and members of his family appear in the film. The music is by Bill Conti. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director and Editing. Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers and Burgess Meredith are in the cast. John G. Avildsen directed. Who it is for: anyone who wants one of the best examples of the sports film. Who it is not for: anyone expecting action; the film is almost entirely character and the fight is only at the end.