Rocky (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

There is no doubt "Rocky" is one of the greatest films of all time. But it wasn't until recently after watching sports films that were made prior to 1976 that I realized just how great it really is. Before "Rocky" sports movies were downright dull. If you take a look at "Grand Prix" (1966) or "Downhill Racer" (1969) the camera work and the directing especially the race scenes in "Grand Prix" are quite good but the storylines are terrible and the characters and the plot are as flat as cardboard. Even with great actors like James Garner, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Eva Marie Saint, Dabney Coleman and the brilliant Gene Hackman in them the films look dated and feel plodding. Unless you consider pool a sport and count the extraordinary movie "The Hustler", sports films prior to 1976 were B grade at best.One has to wonder if there would have even been a "Raging Bull" or a "Hoosiers" had there not been a "Rocky" first. Unlike the films that preceded it, "Rocky" takes the time to look deeply into the personal life of an athlete and sees him as human and flawed as no sports film had ever done before. And in addition it serves up one of the most audience rousing sports scenes of all time. If you watch the interview with Sylvester Stallone on the DVD he talks about how "Rocky" went against the trend of the anti-hero which was popular during the time he wrote the script. He says when he first wrote "Rocky" the character did start out as an anti-hero and was even originally written to throw the fight at the end. But thanks to suggestions from his wife at the time, Sylvester Stallone evolved Rocky into what the title card in the interview calls the anti-anti-hero. Rocky looks like a street smart thug on the exterior but dwelling internally is a wounded man with a big heart and a kind soul looking for the one great chance in his life which as the movie begins appears to have passed him by.The structure of the screenplay is completely unconventional even by today's standards. Most movies today are structured like this:1. (1-15 min) we meet the protagonist in his ordinary world and then he/she is called to adventure and the inciting incident occurs. 2. (16-30 min) the protagonist resists the antagonist and becomes locked into conflict (End Act 1). 3. (31-45 min) Antagonist makes attempt to resolve conflict and fails. 4. (46-60 min) Protagonist is confronted with need to change in order to conquer antagonist but does not. Protagonist creates a plan to destroy Antagonist and plan fails. 5. (61-75 min) Protagonist decides to change by minute 75. 6. (76-90 min) Protagonist comes up with an even bigger plan, a fight between Protagonist and Antagonist ensues where the Protagonist is destroyed, the Antagonist wins and the Protagonist changes entirely completing his or her metamorphosis. (End Act 2) 7. (91-105 min). Protagonist rises from the ashes and beats the Antagonist. 8. (106-120) some sort of epilogue. Almost every recent film you will see follows this pattern over and over and over again. "Rocky" on the other hand does not.We do start out meeting Rocky in his environment but what's brilliant about the writing is we get to see him live in this world not for fifteen minutes but for thirty. And we get to see Rocky talk to...Rocky. I love these introspection moments where he comes home from the first fight in the film and walks around his apartment exhausted after the opening fight conversing without anyone there but his turtles and his fish. It's such a rich and satisfying foyer into understanding who he is. Most films would never allow us to see a character live in their world for that long nor would they appreciate a scene of such reality, honesty and introspection. The number of minutes from where we meet Rocky to where Apollo Creed finds out he needs to find someone new to fight him (inciting incident) today would be cut in half.Also the call to adventure in "Rocky" which filmmakers today seem to think always has to happen at the beginning of the film does not occur before or around the time of the inciting incident but after clocking in at around fifty five minutes into the movie when the promoter summons Rocky into his office and asks him to fight Apollo Creed for the world heavyweight championship. And Rocky doesn't attempt to resolve or argue his call to adventure. By the next scene he's made up his mind to do it and the film then explores how he does it.Great stories always bookend and "Rocky" is no exception. That's one of the signs to let you know the writer knows what they're doing. It doesn't matter if the story plots along Aristotle's incline which "Rocky" does, where tension builds steadily along a trajectory or if the story follows along the circular Mythic Journey curve as in "The Wizard of Oz" where the protagonist leaves home and returns home or some other way the writer wishes to plot their tale, bookending will work in all cases. "Rocky" starts with a fight and ends with a fight. The differences between them show how Rocky has grown and changed over the course of the film.Another unconventional choice made in the script is the placement of the date scene. It begins more or less around thirty three minutes and forty four seconds into the film and it is the scene directly following the inciting incident. Normally you'd want a scene of this nature to occur somewhere at the end of the second act or somewhere in the third act of the story as a means to build tension(such as the modern classic "The Terminator") but here it occurs just after the inciting incident And it is in my opinion it is one of the greatest love scenes ever filmed. The date has marvelous similarities to Terry and Edie's scenes in "On the Waterfront". The moment where Rocky and Adrian walk back to his place after the ice rink and he talks about the "morning after" a fight and feeling like a large "wound" have a sexual connotation especially since he asks her up to his apartment less than a minute later. The scene bears similarities to Terry putting his hand into Edie's glove when he sits on the swing as they pause on their walk. It is loaded with sexual innuendo. The way Adrian and Rocky slide down the wall when they kiss is a mirror of how Terry and Edie slide down the wall when they kiss. And the scene in "Rocky" is just gorgeous to watch because the way these two characters fall in love has an honesty and an awkwardness to it which make it all the more poignant.Another rare choice in the writing is how well it states its premise. A lot of films make the point too flashy, preach it to the audience like it was propaganda or have no idea what the premise of their story is at all. But the in scene where "Rocky" comes back from looking at the arena and lays back down in bed by Adrian is as brilliant an execution of premise as you will probably ever see. It is not a loud scene. It is not a triumphant announcement. It is not a sarcastic "oh aren't we smart" independent film fail. It is a quiet moment of truth. Rocky does not believe he can beat Apollo Creed. But he does believe he can go the distance with him and decides his goal is to still be standing when that final bell rings. "Winning is going the distance" is the premise of the film spoken quietly, intimately and brilliantly. Good luck finding very many films that can make their point with such unexpected eloquence as this.The acting in "Rocky" is second to none. If you watch the SAG awards they always like to give out the best cast in a movie award last as the big achievement of the night. When was the last time you saw one with a cast of characters as strongly written or acted as the ones in this film? Every performance in this film is flawless, and not just the main characters but all the small ones; the bartender, the mouthy girl on the corner, the short guy who cleans out Rocky's locker. Every single one of them is top notch.In addition to the story itself one cannot look at "Rocky" and point out how iconic its musical score is. Bill Conti's aural masterpiece is brilliant; its extraordinarily inspirational, beautiful, and timeless and it manages like a great film score should to be a character woven into the story itself.My only complaint about the DVD is there are no English subtitles. I think it should be a law that all DVD's must have in addition to the complete and unabridged film the original theatrical trailer and English Subtitles otherwise it shouldn't be allowed to go to release. But that is a small complaint. If you have never seen "Rocky" you have cheated yourself out of one of the great film experiences of your life. It's one you'll want to watch over and over and over again.

Here's my essay.(spoilers if ya care about that)Movie Review 2 “Rocky” Rocky, which first debuted in 1976, became a classic hit as a sport-based drama. The film is situated in Philly in the 1970s. Our main protagonist, Rocky, is a small-town fighter pitting in fights to make enough money to get by. He and many characters, especially his girlfriend Adrian change substantially throughout the film. The film itself has many messages conveyed over its two hours of running time, with the most notable being how you must always take your shots. The film starts off with Rocky in a small fight club fighting against a nobody. He wins but fails to impress anyone with his victory. He tells everyone he knows, but they just dismiss him as a nobody. It isn’t until he gets randomly selected, by the world champion, Apollo Creed, that anybody pays him any attention. Except for his beloved, Adrian. Adrian and Rocky first meet at the pet store Adrian works at. At first, Adrian is very shy and almost scared of Rocky, for he is fairly big and is friends with her abusive brother. Rocky changes Adrian's feelings towards him when he tells her that the only reason he fights is due to his father told him it was the only thing he’d ever be good at. Adrian then expresses how her mother told her the same, but only in reverse; that she had a lacking body, so she’d need a sharp mind to compensate. Both characters in the film struggle greatly with what their parents told them. And the best scene in the film is when Rocky tells Paulie, Adrian’s brother, that Adrian “fills gaps” in Rocky. Rocky feels very much so alone; this is evident in how he lives alone and frequently visits the nearing pet store to interact with other people and his refusal to hold eye contact with others. He knows just about everyone in his suburb, yet everyone thinks of him as just a nobody. That of course changes when he gets challenged by Creed. The theme of the film is that one must take their shots whenever they get one. Through the film, you meet many characters who have fully run out of luck. Paulie is stuck working a freezer in a butcher's shop and he’s reaching a point at which he can not do so, anymore. Duke, Rocky’s trainer, has never had a victorious moment in his twenty-plus career, and when he hears Rocky has a chance at getting the heavyweight title he jumps at the chance to be a part of something spectacular. And Rocky himself was in a very bad spot. After Duke left Rocky’s Appartement, after trying to leech off of Rocky’s luck, Rocky very loudly expresses how unhappy he is in life. He hates his Appartement, he hates being treated like a worthless creep, and he hates that he's never amounted to anything in his life. Rocky will accomplish a great feat in the climax of the film. He is able to amount to the task of just standing up against Creed. Rocky makes it through fifteen rounds against him and doesn’t stay down. Rocky didn’t win, yet he needn’t so, for he had proved to himself and everyone that he wasn’t a nobody and could pull some great things. This is why this film is so great. The characters are played so perfectly that small things such as Rocky’s eye contact can tell one how he’s feeling. And of course, it takes tremendous dedicated work and stupid luck to pull anything as great as Rocky did.

I made my wife and son watch Rocky. Neither had seen it before (they're not commimes or libs I swear) and didn't know what to expect. My wife was impressed how it was really a good movie. not just a boxing movie but a real human interest story with a ton of feeling. My son (11) loved how Rocky persevered and did his best against huge odds. The next day he got hit in the face by a batted ball while pitching. His eye quickly became swollen, much like Rocky's. I think the movie helped him take it like a man... barely any crying.

Great movie! Really enjoy the original Rocky!

I love the Rocky movies, but believe it or not, I found the original to be very dry. The series gets more exciting the more of them you watch. You have to watch the first one though. If you have not seen, don't give up after the original

Rocky is my favorite movie, all of them.

This is a great film. The backstory of its making is also great. Watch it.

The product is as described and pictured.

rocky realises early on he has no hope of actually winning the fight. rather, his stated objective is to go the distance. in doing so he finds dignity and self-respect. this results in him finally being able to say the three simple words that have eluded him thus far, "i love you" to adrian. the film is a reaffirmation of where the meaning of life is to be found. it is in the relationships we have with ourselves and others. the beginning and middle of the film is to prepare the audience for the climactic realisation at the end. it's simplicity is it's masterpiece.

What a classic. Sly at his best in every way. The movie that spawned 8 sequels and countless knock offs. Why are you reading this? Go train.

I've got both the DVD boxset and the Blu Ray of just Rocky 1. The DVD version is clearer and more pleasing to the eye. The Blu Ray is just the DVD version with sharpness turned to max. It is very grainy, and just draws your attention to it rather than keeping your attention to the movie playing out in front of you. Not worth the money.

We love the film. Gritty. Very gritty. And it came just as hoped. Five stars.

takes a long time to receive from uk to the usa.I does play on us region 1 psp's. so it is probably region free code.so yes! I would recommend this movie to everybody