Rocky Marciano (TV 1999)

Jon Favreau stars in this bio-pic about the only undefeated world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing, Rocky Marciano.

Director:

Charles Winkler

Writers:

William Nack (article), Larry Golin (story),

Stars:

Jon Favreau, Penelope Ann Miller, Judd Hirsch

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jon Favreau	...	Rocky Marciano
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Barbara Cousins
Judd Hirsch	...	Al Weill
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Frankie Carbo
Duane Davis	...	Joe Louis
Rino Romano	...	Allie Colombo
George C. Scott	...	Pierino Marchegiano
Rhoda Gemignani	...	Pasquelina Marchegiano
Aron Tager	...	Charley Goldman
Noah Danby	...	Carmine Vingo
Gil Filar	...	Young Rocky
Jerome Silvano	...	Young Allie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carmela Albero	...	Mrs. Vingo
Conrad Bergschneider	...	Guard
J. Winston Carroll	...	Murphy (as John Winston Carrol)

Storyline

Jon Favreau stars in this bio-pic about the only undefeated world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing, Rocky Marciano.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | based on article | character name in title

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rocky Marciano - den obesegrade mästaren

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Winkler Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tony Lo Bianco played Marciano in Marciano.

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Goofs

One scene, set in 1951, shows Marciano and others watching Joe Louis on a color television set - more than two years before the first such sets were even marketed to the public.

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Connections

Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #1.4 (2002)

User Reviews

about the only unbeaten heavyweight boxing champion.

Like Babe Ruth, Marciano and his inspiring story provides much opportunity to tell an exciting and moving tale. In both movies about Ruth, Hollywood erred. In this latest attempt about Marciano, the producers likewise failed. The major depictions, of Rocky and his manager, Al Weill, are both inaccurate. For all his well-known frugality, Marciano was not the vicious, money-hungry pug shown here. Jon Favreau physically resembles the Brockton Blockbuster, and his ability to mirror Rocky's crab-like style in the ring are fine. But unfortunately, Favreau is the victim of an extremely poor teleplay, regarding the title character. In the 1979 tv-movie about Marciano, Tony LoBianco was given a more realistic depiction of Rocky, and performed it well. Here, it seems as if someone has a vendetta about The Rock. As powerful and courageous as he was inside the ring, outside he was---as is well-documented---a gracious, very likeable person. A true credit to himself and his sport. Sportswriter Jimmy Cannon wrote of Marciano that he "...was like a rose in a garbage dump." As for Weill's character, he is shown to be a milquetoast in the latest Marciano film. In reality---as demonstrated in Vincent Gardenia's '79 version---Weill was a thoroughly despicable person. The major reason Marciano retired in 1956 was that he absolutely despised Weill. Though fight fans might enjoy the ring action in the latter film, these critical errors completely undermine the effort.