Pumping Iron (1977)

From Gold's Gym in Venice Beach California to the showdown in Pretoria, amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests in this ... See full summary »

Directors:

George Butler, Robert Fiore

Writers:

Charles Gaines (book), George Butler (book),

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Matty Ferrigno

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Himself
Lou Ferrigno	...	Himself (as Louis Ferrigno)
Matty Ferrigno	...	Himself
Victoria Ferrigno	...	Herself
Mike Katz	...	Himself
Franco Columbu	...	Himself
Ed Corney	...	Himself
Ken Waller	...	Himself
Serge Nubret	...	Himself
Robbie Robinson	...	Himself (as Robin Robinson)
Marianne Claire	...	Herself
Frank Zane	...	Himself
David DuPree	...	Himself
Eddie Juliani	...	Himself
Danny Padilla	...	Himself

Storyline

From Gold's Gym in Venice Beach California to the showdown in Pretoria, amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests in this part-scripted, part-documentary film. Five-time champion Arnold Schwarzenegger defends his Mr. Olympia title against Serge Nubret and the shy young deaf Lou Ferrigno, whose father is his coach; the ruthless champ psyches out the young lion. Sardinian Franco Columbu competes in the lightweight class; at home in Italy he solves a tight parking problem by lifting the car into place. Joe Weider is the marketer; Mike Katz and Ken Waller go for the title of Mr. Universe. Bodybuilding and a celebrity-to-be go mainstream.

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Plot Keywords:

mr. universe | mr. olympia | gym | bodybuilding | contest | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1986 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Acélizom

Filming Locations:

California Hall, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rollie Robinson, White Mountain Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

More than 100 hours of footage was filmed. It eventually had to be edited down to 85 minutes, however, on the 25th anniversary DVD more footage was shown.

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Quotes

Serge Nubret: Looks like I can take you.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Heh heh, yeah, keep looking.

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Crazy Credits

Our thanks to: Protection by "Chula"

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Connections

Referenced in The Golden Girls: Blanche and the Younger Man (1985)

User Reviews

Pump It Up!

It's hard to imagine that, before he became a multi-million dollar movie star and the Governator of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger started his film career with one docu-drama, the aptly named "Pumping Iron."

Basically a documentary about the world of bodybuilding circa 1975, "Pumping Iron" focuses on Arnold Schwarzenegger's last effort at attaining the Mr. Olympia for the sixth time in a row, before officially retiring from the "best sport" and heading off to Hollywood for a film career. (Five years before he had starred in the mighty "Hercules in New York," which I have been quoted as calling "the funniest bad film ever.")

Not much to say about a film like "Pumping Iron," though, so I resort to going over the movie's historical impact and the so-called "controversial questions" often raised after people watch the film for a first time.

First of all, this is the movie that started bodybuilding. It's hard to think of a time when bodybuilding wasn't strange and abnormal, but when "Pumping Iron" was made, bodybuilders were considered insecure freaks with big egos. Bodybuilding ads were printed underneath the comic strips of daily newspapers. People took them as a joke.

Arnold is often referred to as the father of modern bodybuilding (he literally started the entire craze you see today), and a lot of people who criticize his intellect and films and tabloid sexual assault claims forget that everyone is flawed, but not everyone has enough self discipline and motivation to move to the United States from Austria, become the king of bodybuilding (boasting the largest chest every measured--to this day), then moving into film and grossing billions of dollars at the box office in total, then becoming Governor of California.

That's pretty amazing.

I don't believe that the majority of the sexual assault claims filed against Schwarzenegger are true. (I'm sure some of them are, though.) Interesting how they all surfaced right around election time, huh? But regardless of whether he's a womanizer or not (which I know he is, to a certain extent), he's still a very admirable guy who's participated in fitness and after school programs for years, not to mention raising four kids without ever divorcing his wife. (I'm not saying that the key to a lasting marriage is adultery, though.) And he kicks butt on-screen like no other guy in the history of action film knock-offs. There will be your pale imitators like Stallone and Van-Damme, but there's only one Conan the Barbarian.

Yes, I admire Arnold Schwarzenegger, as do millions of people across the world. There's a reason that he started the bodybuilding craze of the past few decades, as well as grossing billions of dollars at the box office (many of his films some of the greatest pieces of action cinema ever made), appearing on thousands of magazine covers, and becoming Governor of California. First of all, he exceeds where most screen heroes fail: he's got bigger muscles (see Stallone), a more likable personality (see Van-Damme), and--even though many people criticize him for it--I think his acting is quite good. It's easy to smile watching one of his comedies and easy to have fun watching his macho man action films. "Commando" is one of the cheesiest films ever made, but would it work without Arnold?

"Pumping Iron" is not exactly a "documentary," since a lot of it was staged just for the film, but as Arnie said before, most of it is true--the competitions, the training, etc. The tension between the bodybuilders, and some of the dialogue, however, is not true. It was all for cinema.

But this is the movie that made people flee to the gym during the 70s and 80s, and it continues to do so. I myself am a bodybuilder, with a gym built into my house, and this movie is a big inspiration for me--there's a lot of great inspirational material in it. And it doesn't matter if your sport is bodybuilding or not even a sport at all: the motivational message stays the same for whatever you do.

In a recent 25th Anniversary Interview (included on the newly-released DVD of the film), Schwarzenegger separates the fact from the fiction. His "psyching out" of Lou Ferrigno was just for the camera; so was the statement about losing his car and not returning for his father's funeral because he was training. Yes, he used steroids, as did everyone back then, since they were in an experimental stage and not illegal. And he handled the biggest question of all in two sentences:

Schwarzenegger: "Yes, I smoked a joint. And yes, I inhaled."

Twenty-five years later, he now also claims that when he said the pump (blood flow to the muscles resulting from weight lifting) was better than "coming in a woman," he was just saying this to get attention and to get people to lift weights more. "It's not better than coming," he says now. "Trust me."

4/5 stars.

• John Ulmer