1976 was the first year in Hollywood such famous bands as “Taxi Driver”, “Television Network,” “All the President’s Men.” However, none of them received the “Oscar” in the category “Best Film”. Instead, the major US film awards went to sports and sentimental romantic drama about an obscure impoverished boxer who got the chance to come together in the ring with undefeated champion. His name was boxer Rocky Balboa, and a film about him, which became the world classics, and is called – “Rocky».
Star and screenwriter “Rocky” Sylvester Stallone did not need to radically transform, to play an Italian-loser. Trouble dogged him since birth, when an inexperienced gynecologist wielding forceps, cut the nerve and partially paralyzed face newborn Sylvester. Medical error is permanently deprived Stallone to speak perfectly clearly – a real disaster for the human actor with ambitions. And that was just the beginning!
Then there were frequent childhood diseases, including rickets, incessant quarreling parents (mother-American father and an Italian), a scandalous divorce, temporary stay in orphanages … According to Stallone, his passion for acting was probably generated by his childish attempt to make a good impression on other people’s people who took care of him until the boy’s parents were considered unsuitable for the education of their children.
When Sylvester became older, he again began to live with family (first with his father, then her mother and stepfather), but the problem in those years only worsened. At school, he looked down upon, and he reciprocated – behaved disgracefully, and studied at the two. Because of their behavior and nightmarish estimates Sylvester was replaced 12 schools and none for a long time did not stay.
Life of a Man, surprisingly, began to improve at a time when other young men begins “difficult age” . At age 15, his mother and his stepfather took him to Philadelphia (Stallone previously lived in New York and Maryland) and recorded in a special school for troubled teens. These places often are “settlers” for children, with whom no one else wants to deal with, but in a special school, where he studied under Sylvester, the guy really helped. First puny teenager became interested in sport (bodybuilding, Fencing, Football, discus throw), became the editor of the school newspaper, she joined the theater club and graduated from high school bully is not a rogue, and one of the most popular boys in the class and the teacher’s pet. It was a lesson for life: “No one shall be written off».
Athletic achievements Stallone earned him a scholarship to study at the American College in Switzerland – “pathos” university, where he studied the offspring of wealthy people from around the world, from the USA to Nigeria. As Sylvester among ordinary student places it does not belong, he received the right to study there on the condition that he would work for women’s track and field coach.
Once in Switzerland, Stallone quickly realized three things. First, the girls from rich families do not really like to run and jump, so they have to put a good score only because they come to school. Second, you can make good money if the wages of a blind eye to it, with whom the girls spend their free time (He was responsible for taking care of the moral character of charges). Third, in Switzerland at that time were not found real American hamburgers, and Stallone additional moonlighting as a chef, cooking and selling hamburgers homesick students tribesmen.
After studying so two years, Stallone has returned home . By the time he decided what would become an actor. He continued his studies at the University of Miami, and then in 1969, at age 23, he moved to New York. There Stallone worked and which have wandered through auditions in the hope that someone will pay attention to it. Note it does sometimes pay, but more and more producers of erotic show, which was interested in his powerful body, rather than acting talent. In 1970, even Stallone starred in the erotic film “The Party at Kitty and Stallion.” In his memoirs, he had no choice – he needed the $ 200 he received two days of filming to pay for housing. By the time he was a few days living on the street, where it was cold and dangerous.
Also in 1970, Stallone began acting in “real” movie, but he trusted only a tiny role of bandits and “Gopnik” . His typical Italian looks and his peculiar way of speaking was closed for a more significant role. However, at the moment the Italian gangsters just started to come into vogue, and Stallone was hoping to light up in “The Godfather.” But this famous picture of him just did not take. Beginning in high school, his life light bar firmly replaced the usual dark.
In order to cope with depression, Stallone began to invent stories and write scripts. At first he worked in the table, then he began to offer their works to the producers. Something he even managed to sell. However, for a penny and without much chance that these scripts will be filmed. But in the wallet of the future stars, each bill was in the account, and even tiny fees were important.
Good luck turned back to Stallone’s face only in 1974, when he played a supporting role in the youth “gopnicheskoy” drama ” The Lords of Flatbush “(Flatbush – a borough of Brooklyn). It already had a job, which can be invoked without fear in the summary. The main role in the film was supposed to play the then unknown Richard Gere, but during rehearsals they had a falling out with Stallone and fought, and directed by Martin Davidson fired Gere as the instigator of the hassle. In its place has been transformed by Perry King, later firmly spelled out on TV.
Also in 1974, Stallone married actress and photographer Sasha Chuck, and they moved to Los Angeles, where there was less work theater, but more work in film. Moving to actually helped – Stallone immediately played supporting roles in several films, of which today is best known for the satirical thriller “Death Race 2000″, produced by the master of trash Roger Corman.
Encouraged by these achievements, Stallone has continued to visit listening to and meeting with producers on the actor and scenario work. One day, his agent was able to arrange a meeting with Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoffom, producers known historical drama 1969 “They shoot horses, do not you?” And a number of other noteworthy and are usually inexpensive productions, sometimes with arthouse bias.
Technically, the theme of the meeting was Stallone’s acting work, but when it became clear that Chartoffa Winkler and no suitable projects in mind, the conversation flowed in small talk about Hollywood. Producers liked so unexpectedly intelligent and well-read (for his “gangster” appearance) young man that they did not notice that instead of the 30 minutes, talked with him for an hour. At the end of the meeting Stallone timidly hinted that he wrote the script, and asked producers to read one of his things. They agreed, as is their no non-binding.
The script that Stallone sent Winkler and Chartoffu, was later made into a movie by an actor named “Paradise Alley” (a historical film in 1978 was the directorial debut Stallone). Producers liked the text, but Stallone had already sold it to another Hollywood-for $ 500, and the partners did not want to cooperate with the producer, who “Alley” then belonged. So Winkler and Chartoff advised Stallone to keep writing and notice that perhaps it is waiting for a successful career as a writer than an actor. In response, Stallone said that he has the example of a promising story about unlucky boxer who gets a chance to shlestnutsya world champion. At that we decided to do.
The main source of inspiration for Stallone was a fight March 24, 1975, which for the championship beat the legendary Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in US history, and the boxer from New Jersey Chuck Wepner . Vepner was not a “loser”, and he had an impressive list of victories, but his career was on the wane, and many thought that Ali’s overthrow his knockout early in the fight. This view was so popular that Vepnera even in the pre-match interview asked how he hopes to stand under the powerful blows of the champion. In response Vepner noticed that survived service in the Marine Corps, and therefore stand and before Ali.
Indeed, Verper in the battle lasted all 15 rounds, while the champion towards the end of the match it literally izmochalil. It predicted a knockout took only a few seconds before the end of the final round. It was an impressive battle, and she was struck by Stallone, which inspired him to compose the story of boksere- “losers” who stand in 15 rounds against the champion and proves capable of more than he thought, and many people who knew him.
Among the other sources of inspiration Stallone were biographies of famous American-Italian boxers Rocky Marciano and Rocky Graziano and sports drama based on the autobiography Graziano “Someone in the sky like me” (1956) and the classic social drama Elia Kazan ” In the port “(1954), where the young Marlon Brando played a former boxer who became assistant crime boss. But perhaps the main prototype of Rocky Balboa himself was Stallone. Sports were a metaphor for the failure of the Rocky professional problems actor and writer who wanted to be in the center of Hollywood, rather than on its periphery, and who believed that the show itself in all its splendor when producers give him that opportunity. This for Stallone was the main idea of the film – everyone deserves “Star chance”, and everyone can use this chance, if properly prepare for it. Clearly, Stallone saw no one but himself in the title role.
By the time he sat down to write “Rocky”, he had already spent more than one month to think about this story. Therefore Stallone needed only three days to write the script of the hand. Typewritten copy has prepared his wife, who for years has been the “official typist” actor.
Of course, the first version of the script was pretty crude. But Stallone has been opened for producer amendments and proposals, and he quickly led Chartoffa Winkler and brought the text in the divine form. The main focus of edits were sawing sharp edges of text that are not suitable for the intended duhopodemnogo cinema. So, Stallone thought that old coach of the protagonist to be a notorious racist (believable trait given the age of the character), but the producers insisted that the film has nothing to gain from such remarks as a story about sport and human dignity, not about race tensions and contradictions. Yes, the main character of the film – as white as Vepner and his opponent champion – black, like Ali, but it’s a detail that does not merit the OSD discussion and even on-screen reference.
By the time the main work the script was completed, the producers are so used to the idea that Stallone will play a major role in a film that is not seriously consider other candidates. They liked him and the actor himself, and that he was willing to work practically for free, based on a percentage of future profits of the tape. If the picture fails, Stallone would have remained with nothing – his fee would be enough just to life during the shooting.
However, the last word was not for Winkler and Chartoffom. The producers have collaborated with the studio United Artists, and she prefers to play the title role more famous performers than Stallone. In fact, when Winkler and Chartoff said United Artists, which cooperate with Stallone, studio officials first of all wanted to know who he is. Learning that an actor from the “Lords of Flatbush”, they got hold of a copy of the picture and looked at it the first ten minutes. Then they decided that the time Winkler and Chartoff Stallone put on, then probably he played in the “Lord” the main role – that is the role actually played Perry King. However, officials have stopped short when he realized that the Italian can hardly be blond and blue-eyed, but then someone remembered that the inhabitants of northern Italy is “Aryan” appearance. And as they liked King and externally, and as an actor, the United Artists film included a “green light».
When it became known that Stallone does not look like King broke vnutristudiyny scandal. To avoid a fiasco because of their own carelessness, United Artists Stallone tried to pay off in the future to invite to the role of Rocky held the actor like Robert Redford (naturally blond and blue-eyed). But the actor was not going to give up its stellar chance, and he did not give up, even when he was offered a compensation of 350 thousand dollars. Services that while his wife was pregnant with their first child, and the “bird in the hand” of his family was very much needed.
When the studio realized by Stallone’s not so easy to shake, she tried to put pressure on producers. In response, Winkler and Chartoff announced that use the item of their contract with the studio, according to which the United Artists automatically pledged to fund their films with a budget of less than a million dollars. Of course, the “Rocky” would have benefited from large investments, but million budget guarantee to its creators the freedom from studio interference. Also, the producers promised that if the tape fails catastrophically, they will cover the costs of United Artists at the expense of “guaranteed income” big-budget musical drama Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York” with Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. As we now know, everything turned out exactly the opposite – hit “Rocky” has covered the costs of the failed band director “Taxi Driver.” But then, in 1975, “Rocky” was considered a dark horse, and the film Scorsese – future blockbuster. So the studio reconciled with the decision of the producers and allowed Stallone to play the title character.
For the production of “Rocky” producers hired John G. Avildsen. It was a bit strange decision, because while Evildsen former second director Arthur Penn Hollywood masters and Otto Preminger, was known as the director of the two darkest tapes – “Joe” (1970) and “Save the Tiger” (1973). To understand how far have these films on the spirit of the “Rocky”, noting that “Joe” told of two conservative middle-aged men, who in the final of town in a hippie commune and shot everyone who lived there, including the daughter of one of the heroes in performance of a young Susan Sarandon. It was not a life-affirming film about the triumph of the “little man” and an ominous warning of the dangers of people who feel that life passes them by. “Save the Tiger” was not as intimidating, but he explored a similar theme, and offers a similar protagonist.
But, as they say, in the soul of any caustic satirist sincere romantic lives, and it is easy to go Evildsenu turned from gloomy filmov- warnings to the idealistic picture-call. According to the director, he initially did not want to engage in “Rocky” as not interested in boxing, and sports films. But as soon as he read the script, he realized that this movie is not so much about boxing, but about experiences of “little people” and that “Rocky” pays almost equal time to sport and personal life Rocky and his beloved Adrian. In addition, Evildsen already knew a little Stallone (actor came to audition for films directed), and that he liked to “Lords of Flatbush.” So he, unlike studio United Artists, had no doubt about who should play Rocky. It was important and that that was a great experience Evildsena low-budget filming. “Joe,” for example, was filmed in 106 thousand dollars – a tenth of the budget “Rocky».
Stallone wanted the best friend of his hero and his sister, the beloved Rocky was from an Irish family. So it away on the role of Harvey Keitel Martin Scorsese and actress Carrie Snodgress, nominee “Oscar” for 1970 tragicomedy “Diary of a Mad Housewife.” But as actors’ fees “Rocky” were tiny, then convince these actors filming the filmmakers failed. As a result, two key characters made by Italians, and played a character actor Burt Young (Rocky’s best friend by the name of Poly Pennine) and Talia Shire, sister of director Francis Ford Coppola and one of the actresses in “The Godfather.” Her character was named Adrian Pennine.
The difficulty of casting the role of Adrian was that it was like the image of the main character of the Soviet “Office Romance”. At the beginning of the film appeared as Adrian shy, silent and pointed unattractive and non-sexual young woman who sees a Rocky. Thanks to his love Adrian finds the strength to get out of their emotional “shell”, and she gradually relaxed beginning to behave and dress as a young woman, not as a pious old lady. But, although the heroine finds attractiveness, beautiful hand-written, it still does not becomes.
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