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 Giuliani	...	Himself (as Eddie Juliani)
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:

bodybuilding | gym | metal | strong man | muscleman | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1977 (France)

Also Known As:

Pumping Iron

Filming Locations:

Sardinia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rollie Robinson, White Mountain Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To give the film a narrative arc, and thus mainstream appeal, the film was originally meant to follow actor Bud Cort being trained by Arnold Schwarzenegger over a year, using his physical development to explore the principles and world of bodybuilding. Cort and Schwarzenegger recorded several hours of footage but ultimately felt he was wrong for the project and amicably parted ways with the production; he forfeited his salary, asking that it go towards the budget of the film. Some of his footage eventually appeared in Raw Iron: The Making of 'Pumping Iron' (2002).

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Quotes

Arnold Schwarzenegger: I don't have any weak points. I had weak points three years ago, but my main thing in mind is, my goal always was, to even out everything to the point... that everything is perfect. Which means if I want to increase one muscle a half inch, the rest of the body has to increase. I would never make one muscle increase or decrease, because everything fits together now, and all I have to do is get my posing routine down more perfect, which is almost impossible to do, you know. It's perfect already.

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Crazy Credits

Our thanks to: Protection by "Chula"

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Connections

Referenced in Beavis and Butt-Head: Pumping Iron (1994)

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Soundtracks

Pumping Iron Song
Music and Lyrics by Michael Small
Sung by Joey Ward

User Reviews

Simply the best

Pumping Iron is simply the best movie about bodybuilding to date. It is a docu-drama, starring some of the top bodybuilders of 1975. The truth is, the drama in this movie was created to make it look exciting. The tension between Arnold and Ferrigno was hyped up, the time when Waller hides Katz's T-shirt was exaggerated, the way Arnold portrays himself as having no emotions is made up, etc. The directors and the bodybuilders really did a great job at creating extra tension. If we just watched a bunch of guys lift weights for 90 minutes, then it would be boring. This added some excitement. The only part that wasn't touched was the parts with the competitions. The bodybuilders were so used to the crew, that they didn't even notice the camera crew was there. Therefore, people get a real straightforward, honest view of what the bodybuilding world is like. Anyone who is a bodybuilder, or is into weightlifting needs to see this movie at least once. Being a person who lifts weights religiously, I watch a segment of it each time before I go to the gym. It is a really great motivational tool.