Rocky

Rocky (1976)

Timing: 2:0 (120 min)

7.795/10
8536

8.02/10
142505

8.1/10
685000

All about film

Video 34

Photo 167

Actors and characters

Release date

1976-12-03

Country

United States

Production

Winkler Films

Genre

Drama

Budget

$1 100 000

Revenue

$225 000 000

Website

https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/rocky

Director

John G. Avildsen

Actors

Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Thayer David, Joe Spinell, Jimmy Gambina, Bill Baldwin, Al Silvani
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Sylvester Stallone

Producer

Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Gene Kirkwood

Operator

James Crabe

Composer

Bill Conti

Artist

Audition

Caro Jones

Editing

Richard Halsey, Scott Conrad
All team (34)

• Sylvester Stallone sold the rights to produce the film on the condition that he play the main role. Producers even offered him $150,000 to allow them to give the role to Ryan O'Neal. The studio eventually agreed to Stallone's condition, as the film's budget initially did not exceed one million dollars (producers even had to mortgage their homes to make the film).
• The film was shot in 28 days.
• Despite the producers' protests, Stallone insisted that a scene be filmed in which Rocky confesses his fears and doubts to Adrian (Talia Shire) on the eve of the decisive fight. In the end, Stallone was allowed to do only one take, and he was so nervous before filming that he got drunk.
• The boxing match scene was filmed starting with the fifteenth round, as Stallone and his partner Carl Weathers had to be heavily made up in this episode. The progress of the fight was filmed in reverse chronological order, meaning that less and less makeup was on the actors' faces. The film received an 'Oscar' for 'Best Editing' for this technical trick.
• Stallone became the third actor in history to be nominated for an "Oscar" simultaneously for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Previously, only Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles had received such an honor.
• The filmmakers planned for all former world heavyweight champions to appear on screen in the scene preceding the fight between Rocky and Apollo. However, only one of them – Joe Frazier – showed up for the shoot on the appointed day. This turned out to be very opportune, as Frazier was a resident of Philadelphia, where the film is set and where filming took place.
• Bette Midler turned down the role of Adrian.
• When the producers received the script, they didn't yet know who Stallone was. Someone showed them a group photo from the film "The Lords of Flatbush" (1974), and they immediately became enthusiastic about making the film. They were just confused as to why a man named Stallone was a blonde with blue eyes. It later turned out that they had mistaken Stallone for his co-star in the film, Perry King. When the producers were shown the real Stallone, they were ready to abandon the project immediately.
• During filming, Stallone genuinely punched frozen meat with his fists. As a result, the knuckles of his fingers became almost flat and remained that way.
• The role of Rocky was offered to James Caan.
• Stallone's father and younger brother appeared in small roles. Both are named Frank.
• The actor who played Gazzo had an asthma attack during filming and had to urgently use his inhaler. The scene was decided not to be reshot, as it looked quite natural.
• John G. Avildsen wanted to title the film "Rocky, a Simple Guy from the Working-Class Streets".
• Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay sitting in a windowless room and continuously smoking bad "Tramps" cigarettes.
• A Bulmastiff named Stallone appeared in the film. He can be seen in the credits under the name Batkas Stallone.
• Stallone wrote the screenplay after watching a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and a little-known Chuck Wepner. However, unlike Rocky, Wepner was unable to continue the fight, as a technical knockout was declared in the fifteenth round.
• Filming took place from January 9th to March 5th, 1976.
• The film was shot primarily in various parts of Philadelphia, with a few scenes filmed in Los Angeles.
• Sylvester Stallone sold the rights to produce this film on the condition that he play the lead role. The producers, however, offered him $150,000 to allow them to give the role to Ryan O’Neal. The studio ultimately agreed to Stallone’s condition, as the film’s budget initially did not exceed one million dollars (the producers even had to mortgage their homes to make the film).
• The boxing match scene was filmed starting with the fifteenth round, as Stallone and his partner Carl Weathers had to be heavily made up in this episode. The course of the fight was filmed in reverse chronological order, meaning that less and less makeup was applied to the actors’ faces. The film received an “Oscar” in the “Best Editing” category for this technical trick.
• Stallone became the third actor in history at that time to be nominated for an "Oscar" simultaneously for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Previously, only Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles had received such an honor.
• During filming, Stallone genuinely punched frozen meat with his fists. As a result, the knuckles of his fingers became almost flat and remained that way.
• John G. Avildsen wanted to title the film "Rocky, a Simple Guy from the Working-Class Streets."
• Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for the film while sitting in a windowless room and continuously smoking cheap "Tramp" cigarettes.