My Number 13 is a classic.
Yes it is, maybe dated, but it captures the 70's perfectly.
For those who think it is a boxing film, oh you are so wrong.
This is a story of a couple who both find each other, and together change for the better.
It is a love story...not just between Adrian and Rocky, but Rocky and Mickey his manager.
And yes there is boxing.
You may notice I did not say...Rocky the series. There are good and bad in the Rocky series so I did not choose the series. There is only one great Rocky, and that is the original.
Directed by John Avildson
Screenplay by Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone; Talia Shire; Burt Young; Carl Weathers; and Burgess Meredeth
You know the story so let me give you some fun facts:
-Butkus the dog was actually Stallone's dog
-The famous run through the streets of Philly was shot guerrilla-style for they did not have the money to get permits. So they would jump in and out of vans to take shots.
-The fighting or boxing part of the film was influenced by the Chuck Wepner and Muhammad Ali fight.
-During Weathers tryout for Clay he accidentally hit Stallone on the chin. Weathers then said if he could have an actual actor instead of a stand-in he would do better. He then learned Stallone was the actual actor. In which Weathers said..."Well..maybe he will get better as filming moves on."
-This was the highest grossing film in 1976. Made for 960,000. It grossed 5 million in its opening weekend. Total for its run was 117 million dollars.
-This film was shot in 28 days
-Talia Shire jumped at the chance to play Adrian. Even for the mere 7500 dollars she was payed. She was hoping to get out from under the shadows of her big brother Francis Ford Coppola.
The film touches people in different ways or for different reasons. There is a reason the 72 steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum are called the Rocky Steps. It is estimated that about 100,000 people run the steps each year....maybe more. There is a reason for that...the film touches on the underdog, at one time everybody has been there, so it is very relatable.
"Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed., and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I am still standin', I'm goin to know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood."
Rocky my number 13 film of 20.
From the shadows as always thanks for your time.
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