Rocky (1976)

A small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young

Top Rated Movies #228 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo
Burgess Meredith	...	Mickey
Thayer David	...	Jergens
Joe Spinell	...	Gazzo
Jimmy Gambina	...	Mike
Bill Baldwin	...	Fight Announcer
Al Silvani	...	Cut Man (as Al Salvani)
George Memmoli	...	Ice Rink Attendant
Jodi Letizia	...	Marie
Diana Lewis	...	TV Commentator
George O'Hanlon	...	TV Commentator
Larry Carroll	...	TV Interviewer

Storyline

Rocky Balboa is a struggling boxer trying to make the big time, working as a debt collector for a pittance. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed visits Philadelphia, his managers want to set up an exhibition match between Creed and a struggling boxer, touting the fight as a chance for a "nobody" to become a "somebody". The match is supposed to be easily won by Creed, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who sees this as his only shot at the big time.

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Plot Keywords:

boxer | 1970s | fistfight | boxing | training | 

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Taglines:

His whole life has been a million-to-one shot...Now, Rocky Balboa is about to show the world that he's one-in-a-million.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sylvester Stallone insisted that the scene where he admits his fears and doubts to Adrian the night before the fight be filmed, even though production was running far behind and the producers wanted to skip it. Stallone had only one take for the scene, despite the fact that he considered it to be the most important scene in the film.

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Goofs

In an early scene, Adrian and Rocky are talking on a street in "South Philadelphia" while an elevated train passes in the background. There are no elevated trains in South Philly.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Club fight attendee: Come on, Spider!

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Crazy Credits

Butkus the dog is credited as "Butkus Stallone".

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Alternate Versions

AMC broadcasts in the US use the sped-up 25 fps PAL video from a 24 fps film source.

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Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2018)

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Soundtracks

You Take My Heart Away
(uncredited)
Written by Deetta Little
Performed by Deetta Little

User Reviews

What it is to be and "underdog"

One of Stallone's first and finest feature film performances is as Rocky Balboa, a lonely, small-time boxer who gets by doing muscle work for a neighborhood loan shark. Everything about his life spells "underdog"-- he's even left-handed. He lives alone in a shabby apartment, and when he's not slowly being swept aside at the local gym, where even the trainer calls him a bum, he fauns over an introverted pet store clerk named Adrian.

He gets his first break when he's chosen at random by heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed, to take a shot at his title. No one thinks he can beat Creed-- not even Rocky. All Rocky wants is to be able to go all ten rounds with the champ, because no one else has. And in the final ten minutes of the film, Rocky finds out just how far he can go.

What's terrific about this movie is that it's about Rocky. It's not about winning; it's not even about fighting. It's about Rocky and his desire to get by in the world without being a bum. The sequels to this widely popular film have focused more heavily on the upcoming fight, whereas this story focuses on Rocky's life. He doesn't want to win; he just wants to survive and feel good about himself. That's what most of us want, and that's why this film is a classic.

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rocky

Filming Locations:

2822-2824 Rosehill St, Philadelphia, Pensylvannia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$960,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$117,235,147

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$117,235,147

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 145 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1