This is a great docudrama that can't be missed by Arnold fans or those who like to pump major iron. Without a doubt this is what helped launch Arnold's career and start the fitness revolution that would later come about in the 80's. It also helped to bring bodybuilding out of the basement into the mainstream.
The documentary follows mainly Arnold Schwarzenegger "The Austrian Oak" and Lou Ferrigno as they train and work their way up to the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest in Pretoria South Africa in the Golden age of bodybuilding. Along the way we meet plenty of other famous bodybuilders, such as Franco Columbu, Ed Corny, Robby Robinson, Ken Waller and many others. Director George Butler goes behind the scenes of training and shows how Arnold thinks, trains and intimidates to stay on top, as the worlds greatest bodybuilder. Arnold of course delivers some famous lines even in his early days. The pump is as good as having sex with a woman and cuming, is classic. We also get to see many staged scenes like Arnold talking about skipping his father's funeral, how he gave fake advice to other bodybuilders and a staged scene with Lou's parents at breakfast. Arnold is shown as this unstoppable German machine, while Lou is the man who trains in the shadows and is unleashed on the world. Lou supposedly is being trained by his father in some cheap gym in Brooklyn, while Arnold trains at Gold's, in Venice Beach California. Finally at the Mr. Olympia contest Arnold and many others do pose downs to see who the overall winner is. Arnold takes on Franco in the finals and defeats him, though some think Franco was the better. Arnold then retires from competitive bodybuilding for now and the rest is history.
Some other memorable moments are of course Ken Waller and the shirt hiding incident with Mike Katz. Though somewhat staged as well, it still makes for an entertaining watch. Mike Katz's story is one of the better moments in the film, where he goes into how he got into lifting and bodybuilding. Indeed there's always a method to our madness. Franco's scene, "The Italian Way" in his home town in Italy is great when he dead lifts a car. Some like Arnold, Lou, Katz, and Franco have short bios of themselves in the film. The entire film is not totally staged, but some of it is. I guess Michael Moore watched this "documentary." One of the biggest fakes in the movie is the participation of Matty Ferrigno in his son's training. This was staged to show father and son working together. In reality Lou had a hard time with his father. Of course one can't forget Arnold smoking a joint after he wins the Mr. Olympia contest. No this is not fake. People who are not into lifting I'm sure would find some parts boring, but that's reason it's a docudrama to get a more mainstream crowd to watch and get into the characters.
Overall this docudrama gets a big 10 out of 10, no Arnold fan or person who is into bodybuilding can possibly miss this. There is no better film to watch when one is lifting to get serous motivation for pumping up. Be sure to watch the 25th anniversary DVD edition that tells all.
The documentary follows mainly Arnold Schwarzenegger "The Austrian Oak" and Lou Ferrigno as they train and work their way up to the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest in Pretoria South Africa in the Golden age of bodybuilding. Along the way we meet plenty of other famous bodybuilders, such as Franco Columbu, Ed Corny, Robby Robinson, Ken Waller and many others. Director George Butler goes behind the scenes of training and shows how Arnold thinks, trains and intimidates to stay on top, as the worlds greatest bodybuilder. Arnold of course delivers some famous lines even in his early days. The pump is as good as having sex with a woman and cuming, is classic. We also get to see many staged scenes like Arnold talking about skipping his father's funeral, how he gave fake advice to other bodybuilders and a staged scene with Lou's parents at breakfast. Arnold is shown as this unstoppable German machine, while Lou is the man who trains in the shadows and is unleashed on the world. Lou supposedly is being trained by his father in some cheap gym in Brooklyn, while Arnold trains at Gold's, in Venice Beach California. Finally at the Mr. Olympia contest Arnold and many others do pose downs to see who the overall winner is. Arnold takes on Franco in the finals and defeats him, though some think Franco was the better. Arnold then retires from competitive bodybuilding for now and the rest is history.
Some other memorable moments are of course Ken Waller and the shirt hiding incident with Mike Katz. Though somewhat staged as well, it still makes for an entertaining watch. Mike Katz's story is one of the better moments in the film, where he goes into how he got into lifting and bodybuilding. Indeed there's always a method to our madness. Franco's scene, "The Italian Way" in his home town in Italy is great when he dead lifts a car. Some like Arnold, Lou, Katz, and Franco have short bios of themselves in the film. The entire film is not totally staged, but some of it is. I guess Michael Moore watched this "documentary." One of the biggest fakes in the movie is the participation of Matty Ferrigno in his son's training. This was staged to show father and son working together. In reality Lou had a hard time with his father. Of course one can't forget Arnold smoking a joint after he wins the Mr. Olympia contest. No this is not fake. People who are not into lifting I'm sure would find some parts boring, but that's reason it's a docudrama to get a more mainstream crowd to watch and get into the characters.
Overall this docudrama gets a big 10 out of 10, no Arnold fan or person who is into bodybuilding can possibly miss this. There is no better film to watch when one is lifting to get serous motivation for pumping up. Be sure to watch the 25th anniversary DVD edition that tells all.