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Apr 27, 2017

40 years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic.

by Patrick Hazard

Upcoming Documentary to look out for – 40 years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic.

Some good movies fade away, unnoticed and without causing much of a grievance to anybody. This is something that could very well have happened to the instant-classic from 1976 – “Rocky”.

Sylvester Stallone, now one of the most recognisable persons in the world and an actor beloved by many, were not always the glamorous, well respected superstar he is today. As a struggling actor and screenplay-writer, he was trying to sell the screenplay to Rocky while also trying to sell his own dog because he couldn’t afford to feed it. Stallone had only $106 to his name when he got offered a staggering $350,000 for the rights. The amazing story could have ended here, and most for most people it would, but Stallone insisted that he would be acting the part of Rocky. Completely unknown at the time, that was not an easy sell. Today, we can all be happy that Stallone is a man who like to gamble, lest we might not have his extensive and excellent work in our lives.

Fast-forward 40 years and here we are today. Rocky is considered a classic; Stallone is considered one of the most iconic personalities in Hollywood. With many sequels, some considered much worse than others, Rocky truly laid the base to something amazing. Striking the very heart of people all around the world with its first instalment, it is now time to find out more about the story behind the Cinderella-like story.

Little is known so far about this 60-minute, upcoming documentary which is currently in post-production. What we do know is that Sylvester Stallone and John G. Avildsen are going to narrate behind-the-scene footage from when the film was being made. It’s safe to speculate that this will be an emotion filled homage to the film, and most likely to the man behind it.

It is clear that Rocky is still rooted within Stallone’s heart, as, even though 40 years have passed, the latest installment was just a couple years ago, in 2015. Although not reaching the epic level of passion that was clearly visible in the first movie, Creed still sat well with the audience. With a budget of $35.0M it has managed to gross close to $110.0M. Still, it is not as impressive as the original movies budget at about $1.M, which grossed close to $120.0M, in the 1970s.

Although current information on the documentary is scarce, one thing is for certain; Rocky and Stallone will take us an emotional rollercoaster in a mix of nostalgia, amazement and hope, and we should all settle in for the ride.

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