Rocky (1976): Best Picture Oscar–Old-Fashioned Populist Entertainment, Starring Stallone

Two decades after Marty, the 1955 Best Picture Oscar, an unemployed actor named Sylvester Stallone took some ideas of that 1955 Oscar winner, mixed them with conventions of the sports-prizefighting genre (The Champ, Golden Boy, Champion, and Somebody Up There Likes Me), and came up with the formulaic but enjoyable Rocky, a sampler of populist entertainment.

Rocky proved the nearly impossible by becoming the first, but not last, sports film to win the Best Picture; Chariots of Fire was the second, in 1981.

Artistically speaking, along with Hal Ashby’s Bound for Glory, the biopicture of singer-labor organizer Woody Guthrie, Rocky was the weakest nominees for Oscar Gold.

Independently produced, Rocky was distributed by UA and benefited from a great ad campaign, whose motto was: “His life was a million-to-one shot.”

Detailed Synopsis

When first met, in November 1975, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a small-time boxer and collector for a loan shark named Anthony Gazzo (Joe Spinell), living in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The World Heavyweight Championship bout, with undefeated heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) defending against Mac Lee Green, is scheduled to take place at the Philadelphia Spectrum on New Year’s Day 1976, the year of the  Bicentennial.

rocky_5_stalloneWhen Green drops out because of an injured hand, Creed doesn’t know what to do; there is not enough time to get into shape. Creed then suggests giving a local underdog a shot at the title.  He likes Rocky’s nickname, “The Italian Stallion,” and so he selects the unknown fighter, announcing “Apollo Creed Meets The Italian Stallion.” Fight promoter George Jergens (Thayer David) says the decision is “very American,” but Creed holds that it is “very smart.”

rocky_4_stalloneTo prepare, Rocky trains with an ex-bantamweight fighter and gym owner, Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith). Mickey knows that Rocky has heart, but he taunts him as “tomato” and “leg breaker for some cheap second-rate loan shark.” Rocky is initially skeptical of Mickey’s motives and timing for training Rocky for the big fight. Rocky’s friend Paulie (Burt Young), a meat-packing-plant worker, lets him practice his punches on the carcasses in the freezers.

Rocky begins dating Paulie’s shy, quiet sister, Adrian (Talia Shire), who works in a local pet store. He draws Adrian out of her shell and she begins to gain confidence. The night before the fight, Rocky confides to Adrian that he does not expect to beat Creed, and that all he wants is to go the distance, as no one had ever gone the distance with Creed.

rocky_3_stalloneOn New Year’s Day, the climactic boxing match begins. Creed does not take the fight seriously, and Rocky unexpectedly knocks him down in the first round (no fighter had yet floored Creed during his long career), embarrassing Creed. The fight lasts 15 rounds, during which both fighters sustain injuries; Rocky suffers his first broken nose and trauma, and Creed sustains brutal blows to his ribs and internal bleeding. As the match progresses, Creed’s skill is countered by Rocky’s apparently unlimited ability to absorb punishment, and his dogged refusal to be knocked out.

rocky_2_stalloneThe final round bell sounds as both fighters are locked in each other’s arms. Creed vows “Ain’t gonna be no re-match,” to which Rocky replies “Don’t want one.” After the fight, sportscasters and audience go wild; the promoter/ring announcer George Jergens announces that the match was “the greatest exhibition of guts and stamina in the history of the ring.” As Jergens declares Apollo Creed the winner by virtue of a split decision, Adrian and Rocky profess their love.

Oscar Context

u6yv3ecizymThe other three 1976 Best Picture nominees were, artistically speaking, far more interesting than Rocky.

Alan Pakula’s “All the President’s Men,” produced by Robert Redford, was a good political thriller about the Watergate scandal, based on the best seller by the two Washinton Post reporters, Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and Bob Woodward (Robert Redford). Sidney Lumet made an outrageous farce, Network, about the potential power of television, that for some reason many people took as a serious drama.

Martin Scorsese followed up his “Mean Street” with another masterpiece, “Taxi Driver,” a film about political and social alienation, embodied by Robert De Niro in a grand performance.

But Rocky’s message, the rise to stardom of an obscure “nobody,” which paralleled both the actor’s life off-screen and President Jimmy Carter’s 1976 election, was the most upbeat and the least controversial. But it was also the most befitting of the nation’s mood in its Bicentennial celebrations.

The impact of Rocky’s success is still felt by the American public. The film made Stallone the most popular star and the most dominant male image in the 1980s, surpassing the powerful persona of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry films. And it also led to three sequels of the Rocky Balboa saga, which raises two questions: Will Rocky IV be the last part of the series? and, if not, who will Rocky fight next? After defeating the Russian champion and being cheered up by the entire Soveit Union what else is left?

Rocky was not a typical family drama, but the romance between Rocky and Adrian, a shy, plain salesclerk (Talia Shire), whom he later marries, was conducted along the movie lines of Marty and Clara in Marty.

Moreover, it paved the way to the making and acceptance of other conventional, old-fashioned, movies about ordinary families and ordinary folks. The American public seemed to crave for such fare, after being saturated for a whole decade with the action-adventure “disaster” film. Many moviegoers must have noticed that the family has almost disappeared from American films for most of the 1970s. And the last major pictures to have dealt with marriage and the family were mostly negative portrayals, like Mike Nichols’s two nominated features, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate.

Rocky Rocky Rocky Rocky

 

 

xosotin chelseathông tin chuyển nhượngcâu lạc bộ bóng đá arsenalbóng đá atalantabundesligacầu thủ haalandUEFAevertonxosokeonhacaiketquabongdalichthidau7m.newskqbdtysokeobongdabongdalufutebol ao vivofutemaxmulticanaisonbetbsport.fitonbet88.oooi9bet.bizhi88.ooookvip.atf8bet.atfb88.cashvn88.cashshbet.atbóng đá world cupbóng đá inter milantin juventusbenzemala ligaclb leicester cityMUman citymessi lionelsalahnapolineymarpsgronaldoserie atottenhamvalenciaAS ROMALeverkusenac milanmbappenapolinewcastleaston villaliverpoolfa cupreal madridpremier leagueAjaxbao bong da247EPLbarcelonabournemouthaff cupasean footballbên lề sân cỏbáo bóng đá mớibóng đá cúp thế giớitin bóng đá ViệtUEFAbáo bóng đá việt namHuyền thoại bóng đágiải ngoại hạng anhSeagametap chi bong da the gioitin bong da lutrận đấu hôm nayviệt nam bóng đátin nong bong daBóng đá nữthể thao 7m24h bóng đábóng đá hôm naythe thao ngoai hang anhtin nhanh bóng đáphòng thay đồ bóng đábóng đá phủikèo nhà cái onbetbóng đá lu 2thông tin phòng thay đồthe thao vuaapp đánh lô đềdudoanxosoxổ số giải đặc biệthôm nay xổ sốkèo đẹp hôm nayketquaxosokq xskqxsmnsoi cầu ba miềnsoi cau thong kesxkt hôm naythế giới xổ sốxổ số 24hxo.soxoso3mienxo so ba mienxoso dac bietxosodientoanxổ số dự đoánvé số chiều xổxoso ket quaxosokienthietxoso kq hôm nayxoso ktxổ số megaxổ số mới nhất hôm nayxoso truc tiepxoso ViệtSX3MIENxs dự đoánxs mien bac hom nayxs miên namxsmientrungxsmn thu 7con số may mắn hôm nayKQXS 3 miền Bắc Trung Nam Nhanhdự đoán xổ số 3 miềndò vé sốdu doan xo so hom nayket qua xo xoket qua xo so.vntrúng thưởng xo sokq xoso trực tiếpket qua xskqxs 247số miền nams0x0 mienbacxosobamien hôm naysố đẹp hôm naysố đẹp trực tuyếnnuôi số đẹpxo so hom quaxoso ketquaxstruc tiep hom nayxổ số kiến thiết trực tiếpxổ số kq hôm nayso xo kq trực tuyenkết quả xổ số miền bắc trực tiếpxo so miền namxổ số miền nam trực tiếptrực tiếp xổ số hôm nayket wa xsKQ XOSOxoso onlinexo so truc tiep hom nayxsttso mien bac trong ngàyKQXS3Msố so mien bacdu doan xo so onlinedu doan cau loxổ số kenokqxs vnKQXOSOKQXS hôm naytrực tiếp kết quả xổ số ba miềncap lo dep nhat hom naysoi cầu chuẩn hôm nayso ket qua xo soXem kết quả xổ số nhanh nhấtSX3MIENXSMB chủ nhậtKQXSMNkết quả mở giải trực tuyếnGiờ vàng chốt số OnlineĐánh Đề Con Gìdò số miền namdò vé số hôm nayso mo so debach thủ lô đẹp nhất hôm naycầu đề hôm naykết quả xổ số kiến thiết toàn quốccau dep 88xsmb rong bach kimket qua xs 2023dự đoán xổ số hàng ngàyBạch thủ đề miền BắcSoi Cầu MB thần tàisoi cau vip 247soi cầu tốtsoi cầu miễn phísoi cau mb vipxsmb hom nayxs vietlottxsmn hôm naycầu lô đẹpthống kê lô kép xổ số miền Bắcquay thử xsmnxổ số thần tàiQuay thử XSMTxổ số chiều nayxo so mien nam hom nayweb đánh lô đề trực tuyến uy tínKQXS hôm nayxsmb ngày hôm nayXSMT chủ nhậtxổ số Power 6/55KQXS A trúng roycao thủ chốt sốbảng xổ số đặc biệtsoi cầu 247 vipsoi cầu wap 666Soi cầu miễn phí 888 VIPSoi Cau Chuan MBđộc thủ desố miền bắcthần tài cho sốKết quả xổ số thần tàiXem trực tiếp xổ sốXIN SỐ THẦN TÀI THỔ ĐỊACầu lô số đẹplô đẹp vip 24hsoi cầu miễn phí 888xổ số kiến thiết chiều nayXSMN thứ 7 hàng tuầnKết quả Xổ số Hồ Chí Minhnhà cái xổ số Việt NamXổ Số Đại PhátXổ số mới nhất Hôm Nayso xo mb hom nayxxmb88quay thu mbXo so Minh ChinhXS Minh Ngọc trực tiếp hôm nayXSMN 88XSTDxs than taixổ số UY TIN NHẤTxs vietlott 88SOI CẦU SIÊU CHUẨNSoiCauVietlô đẹp hôm nay vipket qua so xo hom naykqxsmb 30 ngàydự đoán xổ số 3 miềnSoi cầu 3 càng chuẩn xácbạch thủ lônuoi lo chuanbắt lô chuẩn theo ngàykq xo-solô 3 càngnuôi lô đề siêu vipcầu Lô Xiên XSMBđề về bao nhiêuSoi cầu x3xổ số kiến thiết ngày hôm nayquay thử xsmttruc tiep kết quả sxmntrực tiếp miền bắckết quả xổ số chấm vnbảng xs đặc biệt năm 2023soi cau xsmbxổ số hà nội hôm naysxmtxsmt hôm nayxs truc tiep mbketqua xo so onlinekqxs onlinexo số hôm nayXS3MTin xs hôm nayxsmn thu2XSMN hom nayxổ số miền bắc trực tiếp hôm naySO XOxsmbsxmn hôm nay188betlink188 xo sosoi cầu vip 88lô tô việtsoi lô việtXS247xs ba miềnchốt lô đẹp nhất hôm naychốt số xsmbCHƠI LÔ TÔsoi cau mn hom naychốt lô chuẩndu doan sxmtdự đoán xổ số onlinerồng bạch kim chốt 3 càng miễn phí hôm naythống kê lô gan miền bắcdàn đề lôCầu Kèo Đặc Biệtchốt cầu may mắnkết quả xổ số miền bắc hômSoi cầu vàng 777thẻ bài onlinedu doan mn 888soi cầu miền nam vipsoi cầu mt vipdàn de hôm nay7 cao thủ chốt sốsoi cau mien phi 7777 cao thủ chốt số nức tiếng3 càng miền bắcrồng bạch kim 777dàn de bất bạion newsddxsmn188betw88w88789bettf88sin88suvipsunwintf88five8812betsv88vn88Top 10 nhà cái uy tínsky88iwinlucky88nhacaisin88oxbetm88vn88w88789betiwinf8betrio66rio66lucky88oxbetvn88188bet789betMay-88five88one88sin88bk88xbetoxbetMU88188BETSV88RIO66ONBET88188betM88M88SV88Jun-68Jun-88one88iwinv9betw388OXBETw388w388onbetonbetonbetonbet88onbet88onbet88onbet88onbetonbetonbetonbetqh88mu88Nhà cái uy tínpog79vp777vp777vipbetvipbetuk88uk88typhu88typhu88tk88tk88sm66sm66me88me888live8live8livesm66me88win798livesm66me88win79pog79pog79vp777vp777uk88uk88tk88tk88luck8luck8kingbet86kingbet86k188k188hr99hr99123b8xbetvnvipbetsv66zbettaisunwin-vntyphu88vn138vwinvwinvi68ee881xbetrio66zbetvn138i9betvipfi88clubcf68onbet88ee88typhu88onbetonbetkhuyenmai12bet-moblie12betmoblietaimienphi247vi68clupcf68clupvipbeti9betqh88onb123onbefsoi cầunổ hũbắn cáđá gàđá gàgame bàicasinosoi cầuxóc đĩagame bàigiải mã giấc mơbầu cuaslot gamecasinonổ hủdàn đềBắn cácasinodàn đềnổ hũtài xỉuslot gamecasinobắn cáđá gàgame bàithể thaogame bàisoi cầukqsssoi cầucờ tướngbắn cágame bàixóc đĩa开云体育开云体育开云体育乐鱼体育乐鱼体育乐鱼体育亚新体育亚新体育亚新体育爱游戏爱游戏爱游戏华体会华体会华体会IM体育IM体育沙巴体育沙巴体育PM体育PM体育AG尊龙AG尊龙AG尊龙AG百家乐AG百家乐AG百家乐AG真人AG真人<AG真人<皇冠体育皇冠体育PG电子PG电子万博体育万博体育KOK体育KOK体育欧宝体育江南体育江南体育江南体育半岛体育半岛体育半岛体育凯发娱乐凯发娱乐杏彩体育杏彩体育杏彩体育FB体育PM真人PM真人<米乐娱乐米乐娱乐天博体育天博体育开元棋牌开元棋牌j9九游会j9九游会开云体育AG百家乐AG百家乐AG真人AG真人爱游戏华体会华体会im体育kok体育开云体育开云体育开云体育乐鱼体育乐鱼体育欧宝体育ob体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育开云体育开云体育棋牌棋牌沙巴体育买球平台新葡京娱乐开云体育mu88qh88