Product Description

Nominated* for 10 Academy Awards(r) and winner for Best Picture, it's the film that inspired a nation! Audiences and critics alike cheered this American success story of an "everyman" triumphing over all odds. Featuring a dynamic musical score, a thrilling fight sequence and four Oscar(r) - nominated* performances, this rousing crowd-pleaser will send spirits soaring. Fighting for love, glory and self-respect, Rocky(r) scores an exultant knockout! Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere. But whena stroke of fate puts him in the ring with a world heavyweight champion, Rocky knows that it's his one shot at the big time - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go the distance and come out a winner! *1976: Actor (Stallone), Actress (Talia Shire), Supporting Actor (Burgess Meredith, Burt Young), Director (won), Original Screenplay, Original Song, Editing (won), Sound

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18507 in DVD
• Brand: STALLONE,SYLVESTER
• Released on: 2006-12-05
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 119 minutes

Amazon.com
The only remaining evidence that Sylvester Stallone might have had a respectable career, this 1976 Oscar winner (for Best Picture, Director, and Editing) is still the quintessential ode to an underdog and one of the best boxing movies ever made. After writing the script about a two-bit boxer who gets a "million-to-one shot" against the world heavyweight champion, Stallone insisted that he star in the title role, and his equally unknown status helped to catapult him (and this rousing film) to overnight success. The story is familiar, but it has been handled with such vitality and emotional honesty that you can't help but leap and cheer for Rocky Balboa, the chump turned champ (despite his valiant defeat in the ring) who stuns the boxing world with the support of his timid girlfriend, Adrian (Talia Shire), and grizzled trainer, Gus (Burgess Meredith). Oscar nominations went to all the lead actors (including Burt Young as Adrian's hot-tempered brother), but four sequels could never top the universal appeal of this low-budget crowd pleaser. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
Disc two of this special edition of Rocky covers a lot of ground that should appeal to budding filmmakers as well as fans of the 1976 Oscar winner for Best Picture. In a thorough, thoughtful, and highly entertaining way, the special features in this set focus on the achievement of Rocky from the perspective of some of the film's principal creators. Director John Avildsen discusses his strong draw to writer and star Sylvester Stallone's Everyman tale of a Philadelphia nobody whose true potential is tested in a bout with heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Avildsen and producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler speak with passion about the rarity of Stallone's original story, the simplicity and purity of an urban fairy tale about a nobody who gets a chance to shine while also winning the heart of his soulmate (Talia Shire).

Also included are genuinely interesting featurettes about some key contributors to the films' dynamic look and feel, which were accomplished despite a very low budget, a 28-day shooting schedule, and a hit-and-run production in which Stallone, Avildsen, and others would spontaneously pull up somewhere in a van, grab a shot, and move on. Among these short pieces is an extended interview with Garrett Brown, whose then-new invention, the Steadicam, really got a chance to show its full potential by fluidly tracking Stallone's many scenes of running in Rocky. A highlight is Brown's description of how he arrived at the iconic moment when Stallone runs up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Never having tested himself or his Steadicam in such a situation, Brown did a practice run, using a willowy female assistant as his subject as she ran up and down the familiar steps. (That footage is included.) Another featurette concerns the make-up wizardry of Michael Westmore, who explains how he was responsible for making the increasing physical damage to Rocky and Apollo Creed during their lengthy fight look grisly enough to seem real. Composer Bill Conti talks about the gladiator theme music we all know by heart, but also discusses scoring the film's quieter, intimate moments. Tributes to co-star Burgess Meredith and cinematographer James Crabe are informative, moving, and sentimental. Stallone himself sits for a lengthy monologue about making Rocky, from his decision to turn down $360,000 for the script to choreographing and shooting the climactic battle. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

GREAT movie gets PROPER DVD edition...finally!
Hello Folks,
I want to thank MGM for this release....they really got it right!
first off...
all the excellent bonus features from the 25th Anniversary edition..
the 30 minute on camera commentary by Stallone, the tributes to Burgess Meredith, the cinematographer James Crabbe and Bill Conti..ALL made it to this edition...which means you don't have to hold onto older inferior editions to have all the bonus features...and this IS a big deal. Too many recent DVD editions of movies lose old features which make keeping mutliple copies essential and that stinks.
The extra features are really too many to list...multiple commentaries..and the Stallone alone is worth the update...its truly like watching the movie with him in the room...WOW!
all the past trailers...the appearance on the Dinah Shore show..featurettes...this is a NO BRAINER for fans of the movie.

The three part "making of" which runs about an hour and half and features the main players is extraordinary in its revelations about the movie and the craft of making movies and WHY this was a million to one chance and WHY their lack of budget actually helped in many ways. The twenty minute documentary on the Steadicam and its inventor ...who filmed his demo on the art museum steps before heading to Hollywood....its just proof that all the planets lined up for this one!
For those out there bitching about the upgraded releases of DVDs...don't buy em...for those of us who love the movies...these higher quality releases are very welcome. I picked this 2 disc set up for $15 at Target...and there are hours of features...WHAT A DEAL!

If you love the movie...get this version.
if you don't care about bonus features...stick with your old copy.

ROCKY - 1080P glory with none of the extras...
One of the only films in my top ten list that seems to get better every time I see it. Rocky Balboa is one of the most charming down on his luck loser's the cinema has ever seen. The film sweeps a range of emotions from hope where it was all but gone to chill you to the bone despair. A film of loneliness, surrender and ultimately redemption. Just re-watched the scene where Mickey comes to ask Rocky if he can manage him. The fear in the sub-text and in Rocky's eyes is so tragic and beautiful. I still get caught up in it after dozens of viewings. Just amazing.

Movie 5.0 out 5.0 stars

Blu-ray details

The picture quality is stellar, grainy and wonderful. There are some inconsistencies in the shadows during the fight and of course a large color shift when they cut to stock footage of the audience, but most if not all of these artifacts are probably from the original release. The sound is tinny here and there and over modulates once in a while, again I think this probably due to the original sound track being 30 years old but it is distracting on occasion.

The biggest disappointment is the lack of extras. MGM simultaneously released a collector's edition 2 disc DVD of ROCKY with commentary from Stallone and hours of behind the scenes and documentaries on the film. Unfortunately none of these are on the Blu-ray edition. The only extra is the original theatrical trailer. Quite a disappointment and although the picture is great, I would have opted for the DVD if I knew ahead of time. A 30 year old film is technically sub-par to what we see today and seeing it on a DVD vs. a Blu-ray Disc is probably not a hugely dramatic difference. I suggest saving a few bucks and getting a lot more with the 2 Disc DVD.

Blu-ray score, due to lack of available extras: 3.0 out of 5.0

"He doesn't know it's a show. He thinks it's a fight."
Rocky Balboa is a local guy who is just going through life making ends meet. He boxes at underground clubs for extra cash. He breaks legs for a local bookie on the side. He trains at a gym, but only does so halfheartedly--to the point where the owner of the gym gives his locker away because of his lack of focus. He has a crush on his best friend's sister, a girl named Adrianne who works at a pet shop. All in all, Rocky is just another guy trying to make it in 1975 Philadelphia.

When the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed, has problems finding someone to fight at a holiday spectacle he's planning on New Year's Day, he decides to give a local guy a shot at the title. He chooses Rocky not for his skill, but because he's known as the Italian Stallion. Apollo thinks beating this hometown boy will let people know that he is the American Dream.

Rocky is the quintessential American hero. This is the greatest underdog sports movie and the one that paved the way for all the ones to follow. This rerelease in a two-disc collector's edition is long overdue. Some have problems because the film has been released so times, but with Rocky Balboa hitting theaters this winter it was pretty much a given that they would rerelease this film.

The extras:
About the best thing in this collector's edition (in my opinion) is the inclusion of three sets of audio commentaries. The one with Sylvester Stallone is, in itself, worth the $20 price tag. Since Stallone wrote the movie as well as starred in it, he has some interesting perspectives and his reflection on the project 30 years later will be a big draw for longtime fans of the film. The "making of" featurette on the second disc is lengthy, so be prepared for all the info it contains. It comes in three parts and I watched them separately since they contain over an hour's worth of extra info. Finally, the booklet that comes with this set is an excerpt from an upcoming book called Rocky: The Ultimate Guide.

I would definitely recommend this DVD set for fans of the movie, and anyone who loves underdog sports movies. Rocky's whole life was a million-to-one shot and watching this movie will be uplifting and inspirational for anyone who has ever been down on their luck.