22 unknown facts about the film “Rocky”, in which they even saved money on Sylvester Stallone’s torn pants (10 photos)

The sports drama "Rocky", thanks to which the world learned about such an actor as Sylvester Stallone, hit the big screens in 1976. At the box office, the budget film made a huge profit and over time became a cult classic.





1. Sylvester Stallone wrote the script for Rocky in three days, inspired by the fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. In 2003, Wepner filed a lawsuit, believing that Stallone profited from his biography without paying him anything. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount :)

2. Producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff were so impressed with the script that they offered Stallone to buy the rights for a mind-blowing $350 thousand. “Beautiful” is never sarcasm. Firstly, it was 1975, the purchasing power of the dollar was completely different, and screenwriters' fees had not yet flown into the sky. Secondly, Sylvester Stallone was a nobody and nothing was in store for him. Thirdly, Stallone had $106 in his account and he even thought about selling his dog (see point 6), because he had nothing to support it.



3. The script made no less an impression on the film company United Artists, which expressed its readiness to immediately write a check for $2 million for the production of “Rocky” and offered to choose an actor for the main role from a motley host of Hollywood stars, including Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds.

4. Despite the generous offer and the impressionability of other parties, Stallone went for broke and put forward a condition: he himself would play the main role in the film, period. Winkler and Chartoff persuaded United Artists to accept the ultimatum, but the film company instantly halved the budget, and the producers themselves added another $100 thousand from above by mortgaging their houses.





5. Stallone himself did not receive a penny for developing the script and played for the minimum fee set by the Screen Actors Guild ($35 thousand). However, thanks to his participation in the profit sharing from the film, his income from “Rocky” amounted to a mind-blowing $25 million (again, “mind-blowing” without a hint of sarcasm) + cosmic revenues from the franchise. Would the Stallone phenomenon have happened at all without this role?

6. You yourself guess that during the filming they saved on everything, and then they saved on what they saved. For example, Balboa’s runs through the deserted (read: no crowd) streets of Philadelphia were filmed with a pirate “jump-jump” camera without municipal permission; Stallone’s younger brother Frank (a street singer and “back alley hooligan”) appears in the frame.



their father Frank Sr. (the man who hits the gong at the end of the rounds).



And even Butkus is Stallone’s personal dog, which he almost sold due to lack of food. And why does Rocky and Adrian's first date take place at an empty skating rink? The producers saved on extras!

7. But Joe Fraser was real. I was unable to find the price tag for this cameo, but, based on the postulate of budgetary discipline set out in paragraph 6, I believe the boxer played this episode for free.

8. After filming the film, Sylvester Stallone took the Rocky Balboa Turtles with him. In May 2018, the actor published a photo in which those same “Kaf” and “Link” are still doing well.



9. They even saved money on doubles. Although the hackwork of boxing punches in the combined filming immediately catches the eye, nevertheless, during the filming of the Creed-Balboa fight, Carl Weathers' nose was really broken, and Stallone's ribs were badly damaged.

10. The scene of the night conversation between Rocky and Adrian before the fight was filmed in one take. Filming was delayed, there were no more houses left for bail, and the producers asked Stallone to skip this slobbering moment. However, the actor considered the scene key for the image of the boxer, insisted on filming and did it in one go.

11. Notice that Rocky performs in white boxers with red stripes, but on the poster he, on the contrary, wears red boxers with white stripes?



12. “Rocky” is the third full-length film shot using the Steadycam camera stabilization system invented in 1975 by Garrett Brown. In particular, the famous climb up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

13. Here’s another interesting fact about the stage at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Both stair climbs were filmed on the same day - in the morning (end of training) and in the evening (beginning of training). Both times with Brown's Steadicam.



14. For the filming of the film, Stallone quit smoking - he didn’t have enough breath.

15. Stallone painted the final fight frame by frame on 32 pages.

16. Balboa and Creed use Casanova gloves (in the next series of the franchise - Cleto Reyes and Tuf-Wear). It is curious that these gloves are still prohibited for use in professional fights due to the threat to the health of boxers. The producers chose them purely because of their appearance - Casanova is noticeably smaller than other gloves.

17. Filming lasted only 28 days.



18. The photographs of young Rocky on the mirror in his apartment are real photographs of young Stallone.

19. A few words about Talia Shire, who played the role of Adrian Pennino. Born Talia Rose Coppola, she is the younger sister of director Francis Ford Coppola (who became famous for The Godfather), as well as the aunt of Sofia Coppola and Nicolas Cage. Shire's son from his second marriage is the popular actor Jason Schwartzman, known for his collaboration with director Wes Anderson, including in the films The Grand Budapest Hotel, Train to Darjeeling, Isle of Dogs, The French Messenger and Asteroid City. .



20. Al Salvani's second is actually called Al Salvani.

21. Rocky's house is 7.3 km from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

22. Budget - $1.1 million. Box office - $225 million. This is one of the most profitable films in the history of American cinema. And the first sports, boxing film to receive an Oscar for best picture.

22.1. The film's advertising costs were 4 times higher than the production budget.