After the smashing success of ROCKY, it occured back in the late 1970s that a sequel would have to parallel everything the story is about - pressure, strong will, indefatigable struggle and constant climbing upwards in order to retain its essential concept more powerfully. That is exactly what Sylvester Stallone had to cope with when the idea came up to make a sequel - a lot against the odds. The director John G Avildsen had another vision, there were certain complications with the studio managers, some actors, including Talia Shire were busy making other films, there were complications about the production rights and, foremost, the question about the portrayal of the protagonist.
What is Rocky, the former underdog, who dared go the distance with the champ, going to be like? He proved to be equal. How can he handle this achievement, both physically and psychologically? What to do to make him more identifiable with the audience? What to do not to disappoint so many people that saw the story as the one that truly appeared to parallel life - never give up?
And Sylvester Stallone took up directing the film and it was the key moment for what direction ROCKY would take. Nobody will just need to explain who Rocky is, we all know him but we wait for what he has to offer (more or less like in every sequel but there are so few that really succeed). Much at stake, a lot of risks are in store and yet...
ROCKY II from the very start proves to be a wonderful continuation at multiple levels. It starts, as most of the other sequels to come, with the last moment of 'its predecessor' when noone actually wins, neither Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) nor Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), but the story continues...
Apollo Creed in his pride challenges the Italian stallion for the rematch, perhaps thinking that the fight itself has done harm to his image of indestructible, top notch heavyweight champion. In this moment, Rocky's face reveals the quintessential aspect of his nature. Content with where he stands - not refusing to give it a chance. That is all for us waiting for a victory so far... The story somehow goes apart from the boxing context creating an excellent context of, I am not afraid to tell it, one of the very best psychological depictions of a character. We see the priorities in Rocky's life: what is the most important goal for him now is not winning Apollo Creed but Adrian's (Talia Shire) love. He develops the relationship. He takes her to the zoo (perhaps following the advice he got in the first part, perhaps out of his personal choice - anyway, a place for animals, there is a part of 'animal' in every man) and proposes to her with the tiger in the background. With humor, he exclaims the invitation to their wedding loudly not yet having this 'eye of the tiger' that will be needed one day. It is wonderful how this rather simple guy, very delicate at these moments combines this manly gentleness indicated by the pet turtles in his flat with the manly strength and savageness indicated by a tiger. Their wedding, the priest who 'done real good', the reaction to Adrian's fear of oblivion: 'you never ain't getting rid of me' and simple life is what follows. Perhaps, not so simple because Rocky is now well known and more is expected of him. But does the fame inflict upon it, in a way?
The moments are beautifully incorporated into the whole story how life is built apart from the context of great fame and money influencing it. That appeals to wide audiences because the film is not watched merely by sportspeople but a lot of ordinary movie-goers who want to find something of themselves in the main character, some comfort that they are not alone in their struggles, dilemmas and fears. Rocky buys a car, takes Adrian to expensive shops, he sets up a family buying a flat not exactly knowing what it looks like upstairs. It is funny but does not show the character from some negative point of view. he is rather very likable and someone viewers may easily identify with. He is the one who loses his job, looks for other jobs, but all of them appear to be not for him. The hilarious sequence with the commercial rehearsals indicate the strange reality that individuals find themselves in the system. When I saw the scenes for the first time, I found them pretty foolish but then, after seeing them more times, I realized they really fit to the story and the moment of Rocky's life (also Sylvester's life because the story constantly parallels the actor's life). Then, he realizes that boxing is the only thing that he can make a living on.
The climax of emotions with reference to ordinary life, however, comes when Adrian gives birth to their son and goes into a coma. Along with the wonderful, touchy but no kitschy tunes by Bill Conti and the camera shots by Garret Brown, but foremost with the performance by Stallone, the scenes are landmarks of the sequel. Nothing is important for Rocky, not even seeing the child, but praying and waiting for the redemptive moment of Adrian's awakening. he waits...he hopes...he fights one of the most difficult struggles within himself (not the last one, sure). He will see the child but with Adrian because the child is theirs, not merely his... And the sports context does not leave him, does not push him but accompanies him in the person of Mickey (Burgess Meredith).
The chapel scene resembles that best...Mickey still has dreams, plans, yet, he is a true friend who affords patience at the side of his tired, worried friend. Mind you the camera shots and the details of pictures in the background...yes, everyone with aspirations is on their way to a sort of heyday, a sort of coronation that is not solely a religious resemblance of life. When Adrian wakes up, she says these crucial words that embody the motivational power a beloved woman can hold and make perfect use of: WIN! And Mickey nearby: "What are we waiting for?" And that is when the overwhelming flush of victory is born. This is the important 'rebirth' in his life and the wonderful scenes of training that follow. The training must follow this because Rocky has the people he does it for, he does not do that just for himself but for Adrian and for the baby. Therefore, boxing is in the background, yes, it is the driving force, the power behind without which Rocky could not exist, but, what makes the character so compelling to us and viewers of a few generations now is this striking priority of a simple, ordinary man.
Now, in the background, we get the development of Apollo Creed's character. it is significant to mention that Carl Weathers does not portray him as a villain, as the one who really hates Rocky and wants to drag him down, humiliate him, but we have a picture of a man who knows his value, who knows what effort he has taken to achieve what he has, and yet, struggles within himself how was it possible that some unknown fighter, an underdog could manage to go the distance with him. He neglects even his family obsessively reading about himself in the papers. And his trainer Duke (played brilliantly by Tony Burton) sees that power of the opponent well saying to Apollo "He's all wrong for us...the man kept coming after you" in spite of the fact he got beat so much before. Mr Weather in an interview admitted that he wanted to make Apollo an antagonist, sure, but without making him a villain. We do not necessarily like him, we do not take his side, sure - it is, after all, a Rocky film but we see him from a more psychological perspective than in the first part. And to say just far more psychology does he embody on the screen than some Rocky's opponents to come in III and IV... And here we get the rematch of the two who were equal in the first part and who both did their best.
The training moments are unforgettable here. I am not going to say by this that others are worse, not at all, but in ROCKY II they show the man on the streets of his city, Philadelphia, as the one who really has some fame, gets more and more skills, humorously chases a chicken and feels like a "Kentucky Fried idiot," appears to be a 'superhero' for those kids who leave their schools and run with him, climb the same steps, see an example to follow - the way against the odds. This of course leads to the climax on the "greatest night in the history of his life"..."Adrian, we did it!" Mind you that he does not say "I did it" but uses the first person Plural...that is a very important point because it somewhat defines the fact who Rocky actually is.
The character of Rocky makes progress (there would be no sportsman without it) but so does the music score by Bill Conti. Here in ROCKY II it becomes more deeply rooted in the character and in the direction his life takes. A lot of tunes do not reflect a slightly hesitating underdog fighting hard to push himself forward, to succeed, to go the distance but a more self-confident spirit. There are combinations of some truly tough tunes of hard moments that, as if, tell you EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON YOUR INNER CHOICE and some moments of comfort, relief, that whisper THE THINGS YOU DO ARE NOT IN VAIN. The soundtrack, therefore, is something that you might listen to apart from the movie itself and you feel that it awakens a vast scale of emotions from your depths. It is incredible. Very few musical pieces from films are able to do that on that scale.
ROCKY II is a film that supplies you with some key moments of the whole story, it is a parallel to life and its struggles, to emotions and their rises and falls, it is everything that makes Rocky so compelling. One of the very best sequels that have ever been made in the history of cinema. A masterful production!
What is Rocky, the former underdog, who dared go the distance with the champ, going to be like? He proved to be equal. How can he handle this achievement, both physically and psychologically? What to do to make him more identifiable with the audience? What to do not to disappoint so many people that saw the story as the one that truly appeared to parallel life - never give up?
And Sylvester Stallone took up directing the film and it was the key moment for what direction ROCKY would take. Nobody will just need to explain who Rocky is, we all know him but we wait for what he has to offer (more or less like in every sequel but there are so few that really succeed). Much at stake, a lot of risks are in store and yet...
ROCKY II from the very start proves to be a wonderful continuation at multiple levels. It starts, as most of the other sequels to come, with the last moment of 'its predecessor' when noone actually wins, neither Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) nor Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), but the story continues...
Apollo Creed in his pride challenges the Italian stallion for the rematch, perhaps thinking that the fight itself has done harm to his image of indestructible, top notch heavyweight champion. In this moment, Rocky's face reveals the quintessential aspect of his nature. Content with where he stands - not refusing to give it a chance. That is all for us waiting for a victory so far... The story somehow goes apart from the boxing context creating an excellent context of, I am not afraid to tell it, one of the very best psychological depictions of a character. We see the priorities in Rocky's life: what is the most important goal for him now is not winning Apollo Creed but Adrian's (Talia Shire) love. He develops the relationship. He takes her to the zoo (perhaps following the advice he got in the first part, perhaps out of his personal choice - anyway, a place for animals, there is a part of 'animal' in every man) and proposes to her with the tiger in the background. With humor, he exclaims the invitation to their wedding loudly not yet having this 'eye of the tiger' that will be needed one day. It is wonderful how this rather simple guy, very delicate at these moments combines this manly gentleness indicated by the pet turtles in his flat with the manly strength and savageness indicated by a tiger. Their wedding, the priest who 'done real good', the reaction to Adrian's fear of oblivion: 'you never ain't getting rid of me' and simple life is what follows. Perhaps, not so simple because Rocky is now well known and more is expected of him. But does the fame inflict upon it, in a way?
The moments are beautifully incorporated into the whole story how life is built apart from the context of great fame and money influencing it. That appeals to wide audiences because the film is not watched merely by sportspeople but a lot of ordinary movie-goers who want to find something of themselves in the main character, some comfort that they are not alone in their struggles, dilemmas and fears. Rocky buys a car, takes Adrian to expensive shops, he sets up a family buying a flat not exactly knowing what it looks like upstairs. It is funny but does not show the character from some negative point of view. he is rather very likable and someone viewers may easily identify with. He is the one who loses his job, looks for other jobs, but all of them appear to be not for him. The hilarious sequence with the commercial rehearsals indicate the strange reality that individuals find themselves in the system. When I saw the scenes for the first time, I found them pretty foolish but then, after seeing them more times, I realized they really fit to the story and the moment of Rocky's life (also Sylvester's life because the story constantly parallels the actor's life). Then, he realizes that boxing is the only thing that he can make a living on.
The climax of emotions with reference to ordinary life, however, comes when Adrian gives birth to their son and goes into a coma. Along with the wonderful, touchy but no kitschy tunes by Bill Conti and the camera shots by Garret Brown, but foremost with the performance by Stallone, the scenes are landmarks of the sequel. Nothing is important for Rocky, not even seeing the child, but praying and waiting for the redemptive moment of Adrian's awakening. he waits...he hopes...he fights one of the most difficult struggles within himself (not the last one, sure). He will see the child but with Adrian because the child is theirs, not merely his... And the sports context does not leave him, does not push him but accompanies him in the person of Mickey (Burgess Meredith).
The chapel scene resembles that best...Mickey still has dreams, plans, yet, he is a true friend who affords patience at the side of his tired, worried friend. Mind you the camera shots and the details of pictures in the background...yes, everyone with aspirations is on their way to a sort of heyday, a sort of coronation that is not solely a religious resemblance of life. When Adrian wakes up, she says these crucial words that embody the motivational power a beloved woman can hold and make perfect use of: WIN! And Mickey nearby: "What are we waiting for?" And that is when the overwhelming flush of victory is born. This is the important 'rebirth' in his life and the wonderful scenes of training that follow. The training must follow this because Rocky has the people he does it for, he does not do that just for himself but for Adrian and for the baby. Therefore, boxing is in the background, yes, it is the driving force, the power behind without which Rocky could not exist, but, what makes the character so compelling to us and viewers of a few generations now is this striking priority of a simple, ordinary man.
Now, in the background, we get the development of Apollo Creed's character. it is significant to mention that Carl Weathers does not portray him as a villain, as the one who really hates Rocky and wants to drag him down, humiliate him, but we have a picture of a man who knows his value, who knows what effort he has taken to achieve what he has, and yet, struggles within himself how was it possible that some unknown fighter, an underdog could manage to go the distance with him. He neglects even his family obsessively reading about himself in the papers. And his trainer Duke (played brilliantly by Tony Burton) sees that power of the opponent well saying to Apollo "He's all wrong for us...the man kept coming after you" in spite of the fact he got beat so much before. Mr Weather in an interview admitted that he wanted to make Apollo an antagonist, sure, but without making him a villain. We do not necessarily like him, we do not take his side, sure - it is, after all, a Rocky film but we see him from a more psychological perspective than in the first part. And to say just far more psychology does he embody on the screen than some Rocky's opponents to come in III and IV... And here we get the rematch of the two who were equal in the first part and who both did their best.
The training moments are unforgettable here. I am not going to say by this that others are worse, not at all, but in ROCKY II they show the man on the streets of his city, Philadelphia, as the one who really has some fame, gets more and more skills, humorously chases a chicken and feels like a "Kentucky Fried idiot," appears to be a 'superhero' for those kids who leave their schools and run with him, climb the same steps, see an example to follow - the way against the odds. This of course leads to the climax on the "greatest night in the history of his life"..."Adrian, we did it!" Mind you that he does not say "I did it" but uses the first person Plural...that is a very important point because it somewhat defines the fact who Rocky actually is.
The character of Rocky makes progress (there would be no sportsman without it) but so does the music score by Bill Conti. Here in ROCKY II it becomes more deeply rooted in the character and in the direction his life takes. A lot of tunes do not reflect a slightly hesitating underdog fighting hard to push himself forward, to succeed, to go the distance but a more self-confident spirit. There are combinations of some truly tough tunes of hard moments that, as if, tell you EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON YOUR INNER CHOICE and some moments of comfort, relief, that whisper THE THINGS YOU DO ARE NOT IN VAIN. The soundtrack, therefore, is something that you might listen to apart from the movie itself and you feel that it awakens a vast scale of emotions from your depths. It is incredible. Very few musical pieces from films are able to do that on that scale.
ROCKY II is a film that supplies you with some key moments of the whole story, it is a parallel to life and its struggles, to emotions and their rises and falls, it is everything that makes Rocky so compelling. One of the very best sequels that have ever been made in the history of cinema. A masterful production!