#Rocky #sylvesterstallone #videoessay Join Me On Discord: / discord Support Me On Patreon: / cinemastix This is my love letter to Rocky (1976), one of my favorite movies of all time. Hope you enjoy :) Written & Edited by Danny Boyd
Go here for the rest of the video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_SJkTdb8zSg.html For some reason, when I uploaded the full version of this video, it got automatically copyright claimed. But when I tried uploading it in two parts, it was fine. I wouldn’t care, except that with the claim on it, I wouldn’t have been able to turn off mid-roll ads, and I really didn’t want a random ad break disrupting the flow of this video because I worked really hard on it and it’s a topic I’m really passionate about. At least this way I was able to pick a natural break point myself. Sorry about all this though. I hope you’re able to enjoy the full video despite the split :) -Danny
For sure! I turned ads off completely for part 2, so hoooooefully everyone can jump straight to it without technically still having a mid-roll break at the start of it. But I’m not entirely sure how much control I have of that in reality.
I have the awkwardness but not the charisma, yet I still could relate to him in certain aspects. I'm seemingly more book smart but I'm not street smart which is a significant downside.
"Rocky isn't a boxing movie" As someone who just recently watched it again, this is so true. I actually forgot how little boxing was in the movie. Even the finale feels so short compared to what it's built up to.
Boxing my favorite sport so its triggering when yall say its not a boxing movie...you mean it's more then a boxing movie ...Stallone did his homework on the life of actual fighters and what they go through in order to even make a film like this. So what if it's not alot of boxing in the film..it resonates with the life of a fighter that comes from bottom to reach the top.
I think Rocky has a key verbal tic: "it don't bother me none". He says it every time he says something that makes him uncomfortable or insecure, in a thinly veiled attempt to keep up his machismo facade. And then there's that scene where he says to Adrian "Hey you know how I said that stuff on TV didn't bother me none? It did." He's a very vulerable character who feels like he can't afford to be vulnerable, until Adrian allows him to express that.
Rocky improvising on his date and running along side her is the most heart warming thing ive ever seen. Movie really made you root for that guy. You wanted Rocky to make it.
I always jump at the chance to show Rocky to someone who has never seen it before. The movies were always playing on the tv when I was growing up and were family favorites, but you could usually only catch the third or fourth playing over and over again. So when I got into my early twenties I had the chance to sit down and rewatch the first properly and I truly fell in love with the film. It's easy to write off the films and even Sylvester Stallone to a degree, but when you really sit back and appreciate Rocky for what it is, you realize it really is an unexpected masterpiece.
Same thing with Rambo. It was a lot more about a guy battling with PTSD then it was an action film... You see the same thing happen with the sequels with Rambo that you do with Rocky it got a little bit more flamboyant and relying on action and dramatic villainy... Less on that internal plot.
Yeah, I have a video coming out in a bit covering a bit of that issue with the Rambo sequels vs First Blood. I’m excited though to make a video really focusing on it like I did with this one.
Yeah I saw First Blood back in 2016 and was surprised at how it started, I loved it. I had just been homeless for awhile as well so I related to his character. And I just watched Rocky 2 days ago
I think the fact that he could adapt the script so easily, quickly, and believably is because since he knew the character so well he knew how he would actually react when confronted with those things in the moment, and that makes it all the more organic.
Yup, that's literally Stallone dreaming about his future after being given the chance (like the boxing match) to prove himself that he's got it internally. He's not a failure himself. The situation Rocky is in is the exact situation of Stallone at that time if not worse. Man, I'm crying again...
I just realized that Rocky coming into the pet store every day for years only to get shot down and then still trying again tomorrow is him living by his code. The very code he explained to his son years later. It ain't about how hard you hit.
rocky movies are about life and the struggles .. the boxing is just a plus on the story.. each one he goes thru different things in life.. such great movies
It’s honest, it feels like an honest film, it’s so easy to dissect and quantify a goose, to break apart all its pieces with no sentimentality or respect, but even if you line up every organ and study each individual cell for the rest of your days, you won’t come any closer to understanding how that goose laid a golden egg, your time would be better spent talking to the goose than interviewing it’s entrails, it’s how the pieces come together and not just the pieces themselves
It's a shame that Stallone recently voiced that the producers essentially stole Rocky from him, kept him out of the decision making process of Creed 2, and then completely wrote him out of Creed 3 and have no plans on using him for input
@@CinemaStix The real tragic figure in the movie is Apollo, who thinks he's won, but has only fallen prey to his own reputation and hubris, which is why I was relieved when he and Rocky hugged it out at the end of the next movie.
I was hoping you'd talk about Rocky and Adrian. When I was young, I did not understand their romance in any way. It has aged so beautifully for me, especially in comparison to most movie romances, where a girl whose entire character is "hot actress" goes for the protagonist for no reason other than he's the protagonist. A romance in a movie showing people actually being awkward and nervous and imperfect is so wonderful to see. The whole movie you're dealing with real, hopelessly flawed human beings and not superhuman fantasies, yet they manage to build an incredible life.
I love the movie, though I will say it is a bit problematic at times. Even though Rocky is fundamentally kind and caring he is still being very assertive towards Adrian to the point where he occasionally doesn't take no for an answer. I still think their relationship is very sweet, but it does send a kinda weird message that if you're being turned down by someone you should just keep asking until they say yes.
@@felixbache5369 As long as all you're doing is asking it's a part of one of life's games. The worst it can be is irritating, done a certain way. It's when the tone changes that it's a problem.
@@randomobserver8168 Very good point about asking. Rocky is not demanding Adrian date him, does not think she 'owes' him, or any of the other 'toxic masculinity' behaviours associated with being a sexpest. And the most telling thing of all? I think if Adrian had ever said to him directly, "Thank you Rocky, but no thank you" or "I'm seeing someone else", an actual 'no' instead of an avoidance (or she may just be too shy to say yes, which is what I think, considering Paulie is hardly the most sensitive brother in the world, even though he clearly loves his sister and wants what's best for her in his own misguided way) Rocky would probably let her alone and keep it to a lame joke a day. He didn't become the problem that we see so frequently in the news, of young men incapable of handling rejection and turning it into an excuse for hate and violence. Rocky really reads as someone who just needs to connect with *anyone* on a human level...and until Adrian, he's largely denied that. Even Paulie's friendship feels transactional (but that might be me, I really don't 'get' how he and Rocky ever met and became friends in the first place lol).
@@onceinawhile7 Ok, what kind of personality? 'Bland' was because that's what she was supposed to be...a wallflower, someone that no one appreciates. A diamond in the rough, being smothered by an overbearing brother who likely thought her a lesbian or spinster. Nobody appreciated Rocky either. Oh, some people spoke nice to him, they laughed with/at him, but he didn't really have friends. Neither did Ade. Rocky recognized that loneliness in her, because he had it too. And at the end of the day, it was a boxing movie with a splash of romance...not The Notebook or Romeo+Juliet.
Stallone is an incredibly under appreciated filmmaker. Even with Expendables which is by design a “dumb action ensemble” shows intentionality in the shot composition and the writing of story and characters in a way the sequel directors didnt even come close to
Of COURSE "Rocky" wasn't a movie about boxing. It would've failed if it had been. The story was about broken, low-income, barely educated people trying to get by... and then suddenly, boom... "chance at a title fight". It's Pygmalion, but from the perspective of the POOR people in the story, not the rich ones. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
Good video! Really enjoyed it! My only suggestion would be to be mindful of the volume of the background music. At times it was a bit distracting (especially at the beginning of the video).
Stallone, with the benefit of hindsight, I think regrets how his two main franchises went. There's a parallel with both Rambo and Rocky, which is how they began, progressed and ended up. Both Rocky and Rambo started off as very character focused, aiming for street realism that the audience could relate to. Rocky was a brawler, full of heart and emotion and not the most educated guy around, but despite himself, he wasn't stupid. He was flawed, and wasn't relentlessly stoic in the face of everything. On the contrary, his emotions mastered him from time to time. Rambo also is a flawed character. He's a trained solider, but he's badly affected by his experiences, can't fit in with society, struggles to keep his life together, and just wants to be left alone. But also, there's a desire there to fight the war he lost once more for a different outcome. All he needs is the trigger. He's emotionally fragile in many ways, and hides inside his soldier persona to get things done. In both cases, something happens to spur the characters on to the deeds which define them. In the case of Rocky it's a title shot in which he exceeds expectation. In the case of Rambo it's the local law enforcement mistreating him, and setting off a ptsd episode which results in a violent manhunt before his surrender and incarceration. Then the Hollywood phase arrives. By Rocky 3 to a point, but absolutely by Rocky 4, the character we know is nearly gone. Rocky 4 is mostly music-backed montage, Sly is ripped for the Hollywood physique, and the fights are even more fantastical. Meanwhile, Rambo goes from Rambo 2 where he takes on the Viet Cong to Rambo 3 where he takes on the USSR, driving a battle tank whilst also firing the main gun. In both instances, the nuance is fading. Action set pieces are taking over, and characters are being pushed into the background. The heroes are larger than life, the villains are caricatures. Then Stallone tries to draw both franchises back to a more character focused tale with Rocky 6 and Creed, and to some extent the last two Rambo movies. They're less about flashy set pieces, and more grounded, though in the case of Rambo that means the violence is less stylised and frankly more grisly. Stallone would eventually go back and edit Rocky 4 to remove as much of that unrealistic excess as he could, which I think is tacit acknowledgement of his 'action movie' phase.
When I was a kid I never caught why the shorts being wrong was highlighted. It's a great way of showing how little regard the show has for him, with Apollo's shorts being iconic, the show is all about him. Really cool that they turned it into a story beat.
6:28 it’s so interesting how the studio not putting in 100% for Stallone was mirrored by the marketing team not bothering to get Rocky’s image right in the film. Stallone was very much expressing his own ambition and rise to glory without the help of others through Rocky.
When I ask people whether they have seen Rocky, they say "Oh its just a dumb boxing movie, why would I watch it?". Such a shame they r not willing to give it a chance.
@@-0rbital- 4 is so funny lol. stallone hates 5 but it is only bad compared to all the other rocky movies. balboa is like an oscar bait rocky but it’s a good send off. the creed films are legitimately great though they compress 2 or 3 rocky films into one and it works pretty well
I’ve saw Rocky for the first time in one sitting recently. It’s a gem… a masterpiece. It’s relatable to a lot of people. But I think the single greatest reason this movie is so good is because it speaks what we all know to be inherently true at the core of our being. That truth is this: life is tough. It’ll beat you down. You’ll have a crap apartment and have no shot with the girl you like and with no real friends. And in those times in order to rise above it all you need to work hard and get to the gym. It’s sincerely a beautiful movie.
A long time ago, I went to a DVD store and listened to this conversation between two women: - Wanna watch? (holding a Rocky DVD) - Nah... I prefer something with more brains. (holding a Sex and the City DVD) It was the funniest shit I've ever seen in that store.
Rocky should've have turned into a franchise, imo. The first movie is so crisp and clean - should've left it at that. Imagine if Taxi Driver got a whole fucking franchise that kept going into the 2020s lmao
I was watching a video by Slyvester Stallone on writing and genuinely had no idea he had written all the movies he did--many of which I absolutely enjoy the fuck out of.
I only know of movies through pop culture references, thought Rocky was a meathead proving that stubborn grit gets you to the top. Damn I was wrong about Rocky, probably Rambo and Stallone too
I recently watched Rocky on a plane and honestly I was blown away by how good the movie is. I didn't expect it at all. While I'm watching it I'm like "damn, is this one of the best movies I've ever seen?"
Hah, that’s amazing. Honestly, even having seen it several times growing up, I still had a similar reaction to it the first time I saw it with a more developed set of eyes.
It's my favorite movie of *ALL TIME* and I think only "Rocky Balboa" (6th movie in the franchise) might come close to replacing it when I go into my 30's or 40's as Stallone said that after making the 6th movie, that one became his personal favorite from the franchise and I do see some reasons why.
The reason why the shortcomings of budget and errors worked well into the movie, is because the movie is literally a parallel of Stallone's story: an underdog coming out to the lights.
Rocky reminds me of Ashita no Joe Both are genre-making, and widely considered to be boxing stories, but they're really about characters who are boxers.
Stallone is far from stupid.. he wrote Rocky, corrected it... He pushed the script... He wrote several movies.. He has a degree in philosophy....He certainly has also business sense.
A favorite scene of mine: Rocky: I can't do it. Adrian: What? Rocky: I can't beat him. Adrian: Apollo? Rocky: Yeah. I been out there walkin' around, thinkin'. I mean, who am I kiddin'? I ain't even in the guy's league. Adrian: What are we gonna do? Rocky: I don't know. Adrian: You worked so hard. Rocky: Yeah, that don't matter. 'Cause I was nobody before. Adrian: Don't say that. Rocky: Ah come on, Adrian, it's true. I was nobody. But that don't matter either, you know? 'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.
The scene where he tries to tell the girl at the pet shop about his day is pretty accurate as far as how lonely and cold the world can be for most men.
Oh man, 1976 they cried "Aaaadrian!" after the fight, today you hear: "where's my moneeeeeey" different times, eh? Plus: I realized today that I still know every fkn frame of this film by heart, had it years and years on VHS (google it, kids) and it was one of my "feeling bad, stay in bed" films. I know, weird choice. The other ones were like Spaceballs, Predator, Die Harder etc. And now, dear reader of this far-too-long-comment-that no-one-reads-anyway: When - approximately - was I born? Can you guess it? You can win 1 pack of Red Apple Cigarettes.
Thank you! So, glad you asked, because it’s a little complicated. To get the transition right, I had to splice together three different songs. You might be able to hear the changes if you listen for them, but 2:27-2:36 is Same Thing by Iso Indies. 2:36-2:40 is Soulfully by HATAMITSUNAMI. And then the rest of the section (which is probably what you’re mostly asking about) is Salmon Benedict by Timothy Infinite. -Danny
Oh my friend, the entire Rocky franchise is based on the same thing. Everyone of these movies is a love story. Every part is about a man in love, with Adrienne, the boxing profession, his eventual best friend Apollo Creed, his manager, his son, even Paulie. Rocky is a fighter as his wife told him in the third movie, Rocky is tough and hard, but we saw him break. He always had the love of his life with him. Even in the Creed movies, Adrienne was there, Paulie was there, Mickey through his gym was there, and mostly Apollo was there to help Rocky mentor Apollo’s son. Whatever work that Stallone did afterwards was strictly for the money. Deep respects to Sly for his other roles and movies, but Rocky was his love-child. That was his iconic contribution to cinema.
Rocky is one of the absolute classics of American film. At its core, it's a simple story about love and perseverance but it is told in such a genuine, endearing way that it becomes something timeless.
