a supporting role in his film in order to get his dog back. That same Butkus be- came the official movie dog that follows Rocky through the gloomy streets of Phil- adelphia. Hollywood initially wanted the script, but not the unknown Stallone. Studios offered a then huge amount of $350,000 for the script, on condition that the role be taken on by a recognisable star like Robert Redford, Al Pacino or Jack Nichol- son. Stallone refused every offer, insist- ing that he play the main character. He ultimately got his way and the film re- ceived a green light, albeit with a modest budget of barely a million dollars. Due to the lack of funding, the pro- duction became a real family affair and guerilla workshop project. Stallone’s fa- ther, Frank, got the role of the fight time- keeper and bellringer, while his brother, Frank Jr., can be seen in the film as a streetcorner singer and Sylvester’s then- wife, Sasha Czack, also played a support- ing role. The filming conditions also led to authentic anecdotes: during the fa- mous training scene in a meat cold-stor- age facility, Stallone, in the heat of play- ing his role, punched the raw halves of frozen beef so hard and continuously that he permanently damaged the bones and joints in his hands. The tough, authen- tic streets of Philadelphia, coupled with Bill Conti’s theme song (Gonna Fly Now), ended up creating a visual and acoustic identity of sweat, damp and – triumph! Rocky made history as the first sports film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as receiving a total of ten Oscar nominations. But that was just the start of an epic tale that has endured for half a century. The film expanded to be- come a gigantic franchise with six official sequels (from Rocky II to Rocky Balboa), only to continue through the hugely suc- cessful Creed trilogy spin-offs. Over the decades, Rocky evolved from an under- dog to a champion, and the music of the movies followed his transformation. The third instalment gave us unparalleled mo- tivational music with the song Eye of the Tiger by the group Survivor, which has a distinctive opening beat that went on to become a global sound code for strug- gling and never giving up. The story’s cultural impact had such surreal proportions that it extended far beyond the borders of America. Apart
outsider, manage to go 15 rounds against the undisputed champion that was Mu- hammad Ali. Stallone recognised the es- sence of that drama in which the audience was cheering not only for a sporting tro- phy, but for the pure survival and digni- ty of a man who wasn’t given a chance by anyone. He wrote the script about Rocky Balboa – a third-rate boxing talent from Philadelphia who receives the chance of a lifetime to fight champion Apollo Creed – in a state of complete creative ecstasy. He later admitted that he was driven by sheer desperation at the time, saying: “I had nothing to lose. When you’re at rock bottom, the only way you can go is up – or through the wall.” During that darkest period of his life,
Stallone slept at a New York bus station because he couldn’t afford to pay the rent. The toughest blow for him was the reali- sation that he could no longer afford to feed his beloved dog, a Bullmastiff called Butkus. With tears in his eyes, he sold the pet to a complete stranger in front of a local convenience store for just $25. However, just a few weeks later, when the Rocky script received the greenlight, Stallone did the first thing that came to mind: he waited in front of the same store for days, until he finally spotted the man who’d bought his dog. The buyer knew that Stallone had received money and demanded an astronomical sum to re- turn the dog, and Sly ultimately paid a whopping $15,000 and offered the man
42 | Jubilej » Jubilee
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator