Submitted by: Submitted by aruhli01
Views: 957
Words: 969
Pages: 4
Category: Music and Cinema
Date Submitted: 04/30/2011 02:37 PM
Rocky
Directed by John Avildsen, the film Rocky is often known as the best sports
underdog film ever made. Written and starred by Sylvester Stallone, a washed-up boxer
does the unthinkable to beat the heavyweight champ. Avildsen beautifully directs a film
that is not only focused on sports, but a romance also, proving that a film with a low
budget and not well-known actor Stallone can be successful. Rocky is a film that touches
audience’s hearts and will shed a tear with many. Stallone wrote Rocky in only three
days and demanded he would be the star of the role, “a young Marlon Brando”, as Ebert
said, the film would go on to receive several awards and make millions.
Stallone himself developed the screenplay in only three days. Stallone began
to shop around the script with him being the star. The studios although did not think
Stallone would suit the main character position. After several months the film was finally
bought by United Artist and given a miserable budget of one million dollars, yet this did
not hurt the films success. Winning Best Picture in 1977 Academy Awards against Taxi
Driver and Network, known to many as the better more “important” films, as Berardinelli
stated, Rocky reigned as the underdog, low budget film that won. Berardinelli also wrote
that, “ In many ways, its grabbing the title belt of Best Picture was as unlikely as its main
character going the distance with Apollo Creed, the film went from being a minor release
on United Artists' schedule to becoming a full-fledged cinematic phenomenon.” Rocky
in both respects to the character and the movie are underdogs that in the end prevail with
what little they had to prepare with. Rocky won the Oscar for Best Director, Stallone was
nominated for Best Actor, and for Best Screenplay. Young and Meredith were nominated
for Best Supporting Actor, and Shire was somehow nominated for Best Supporting
Actress and the great theme song,...