NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Rocky IV

Rocky IV is the fourth and most successful movie, in terms of box office gross, of the Rocky franchise.^[1] Rocky Balboa (played again by Sylvester Stallone), plans to retire from boxing after recovering his title from Clubber Lang in Rocky III. A new sensation from the Soviet Union, Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren), however, begins to emerge as a top contender. Image File history File links Rocky_iv_poster. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Robert Chartoff (b. ... Irwin Winkler (born May 25, 1931) is an American film producer and director. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Talia Shire (born April 25, 1946), is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. ... Burt Young (born April 30, 1940 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American actor, painter and author. ... cs|football team]]. This led to a brief career as a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders, where he played 7 games in 1970 and one game in 1971. ... Brigitte Nielsen (born Gitte Nielsen on July 15, 1963) is a Danish actress who became popular in 1980s B-movies. ... Tony Burton is an American actor. ... Dolph Lundgren (born Hans Lundgren, November 3, 1957[1]) is a Swedish actor, director and karateka. ... Michael Pataki (b. ... Vince DiCola is a composer, best known for his work on Transformers: The Movie and Rocky IV. DiCola has a cult following amongst Transformers fans. ... Bill Butler (born April 7, 1931) is an American cinematographer, part of the New Hollywood generation. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... Download high resolution version (1085x724, 102 KB)Earth flag created solely from public domain sources and released into the public domain by Derrick Coetzee. ... United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures (owned by Viacom) and Universal Studios (owned by NBC Universal), to distribute some of the two studios films outside United States (including territories) and Canada. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... Rocky V is the fifth film in the Rocky film saga. ... The Rocky IV Soundtrack featured many catchy songs such as Burning Heart by Survivor, Hearts On Fire by John Cafferty and The Sweetest Victory by Touch. ... For other uses, see Rocky (disambiguation). ... Robert Rocky Balboa, Sr. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ... Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... Ivan Drago is a fictional boxer played by Dolph Lundgren who was featured in Rocky IV in the Rocky series. ... Dolph Lundgren (born Hans Lundgren, November 3, 1957[1]) is a Swedish actor, director and karateka. ...

Plot

The year is 1985 and following another friendly sparring match with Apollo Creed, Rocky returns to his home in Philadelphia to celebrate Paulie's birthday. Its also Rocky and Adrian's (almost) 9 year wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a highly intimidating 261 pound Soviet boxer, arrives in America with his wife Ludmilla, his manager, Nicolai Koloff, and a team of trainers headed by Igor Rimsky to challenge the best American fighters. Rimsky takes great pride in showing off the giant's gym to the American press. The training room is spotless and antiseptic, looking more like a laboratory than a place for athletes to get in shape. Rimsky goes on at great length at how all of this aids in improving their man's performance, while Drago, hooked to electrodes and computers, waits for an order to be given. When asked what the result of all this is, Rimsky replies, "Whatever he hits, he destroys." This article is about the year. ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Ivan Drago (Russian: ; portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) is a fictional character in the movie Rocky IV. Drago is characterized as an extremely tall (2011cm tall, as the real-life man) and powerful amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, as well as a former Olympic gold medalist. ... Dolph Lundgren (born Hans Lundgren, November 3, 1957[1]) is a Swedish actor, director and karateka. ... Soviet redirects here. ...

Seeing Drago on TV, Apollo Creed, motivated by patriotism and a desire to prove himself after retirement, quickly jumps at the chance to step back into the ring in an exhibition bout against Drago. Despite apprehension from Rocky, who eventually agrees to help train him, Apollo sets the match between himself and Drago in Las Vegas. Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

With Rocky in his corner, Apollo flamboyantly makes his way to the ring with an even bigger show than when he first fought Rocky, which includes fireworks, James Brown performing "Living in America," and a patriotic theme, including a crowd implacably hostile to the visiting Soviet boxer. Apollo starts the fight in his trademark manner, dancing around the ring and flicking jabs at Drago. Apollo's punches, however, have no effect on the giant Russian, and Drago throws a crippling right hand that sends Apollo reeling. Drago remorselessly batters Apollo with a series of devastaing punches, leaving him bloodied and battered at the end of the round. Rocky pleads with him to quit the fight, but Apollo refuses to give up, despite the punishment he's taken. The match ends in tragedy in the second round as Drago brutally smashes the very life out of Creed. Duke begs Rocky to throw in the towel, but Creed refuses to let him, diving heroically back into combat. The Soviet is momentarily stunned, but he starts launching blow after blow. Following one final hard punch, Creed drops lifelessly to the canvas. For other persons named James Brown, see James Brown (disambiguation). ... Living in America is a song performed by James Brown, and composed by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight. ...

After Apollo's funeral, feeling wracked with grief over not stopping the fight, and incensed by Drago's cold indifference to Apollo, ("If he dies, he dies.") Rocky decides he must avenge Apollo's death and sets a match with the Russian, for Christmas Day, in Moscow, but neither Rocky's world heavyweight title is on the line nor is there any purse, for the boxing commission refused to sanction the fight. Furthermore, Balboa must give up the title as Drago is technically still regarded as an amateur boxer. Image File history File links Drago. ... Image File history File links Drago. ... Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ...

Finally, Balboa decides to get away from everything by training in Russia. Adrian tries to talk Rocky out of it, fearing for his life, but Rocky is undeterred, realizing that Apollo was right, that fighters are a breed apart and there are certain things they have to do. After saying goodbye to his son, Robert, Rocky flies with Duke and Paulie to a remote and rustic part of the Soviet Union to train.

Serious training begins in earnest for the two warriors, although their methods differ wildly. Drago, ever attached to electrodes and constantly monitored by computers, works out with ultra hi-tech equipment. Like a machine responding to the flick of a switch, he snaps out punches at blinding speed whenever ordered, coupled with regular injections of what are implied to be anabolic steroids. Crystal structure of human sex hormone-binding globulin, transporting 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone. ...

Rocky, on the other hand, uses only whatever material is available. He climbs rope, does pull-ups on wooden beams, jogs past Russian peasants, chopping wood, running up snowy embankments, and lifting huge rocks; and struggles mightily with a rock-filled sled, dragging it up the side of a mountain. KGB agents also follow Rocky's movements wherever he goes. He is almost ready, but he's missing one thing. When Adrian shows up unexpectedly, to support him emotionally, providing more reason to succeed, Rocky begins to train harder than ever before. His heart is restored, and he is once again at his physical and emotional best.

After intense preparation for both fighters, the two men finally meet in the ring. The match is set in Moscow, before the Politburo, and is broadcast across the globe. Much like Apollo did in the previous fight, the Soviets introduce Drago with an elaborate, patriotic ceremony that puts the attending audience squarely on the side of Drago, leaving Rocky to be fiercely booed, much like the American crowd cheered Creed and booed Drago in Las Vegas. The Politburo (in Russian: ÐŸÐ¾Ð»Ð¸Ñ‚Ð±ÑŽÑ€Ð¾), known as the Presidium from 1952 to 1966, functioned as the central policymaking and governing body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ...

After the ring introductions, an impassive Drago tells Rocky, "I must break you." After a pulverising first round, with the Russian easily winning, Rocky comes back toward the end of the second and lands a shot that cuts Drago just below his eye. With Drago's confidence shaken by the injury and Rocky's apparently limitless endurance and resilience, this is a turning point as Rocky and Duke see that Drago is not superhuman as he appears, conversely while Drago describes Rocky as non-human and a "piece of iron."

The fight degenerates into a brutal battle of stamina and will across all fifteen rounds. Towards the end, the Soviet crowd has been won over by Rocky's determination and endurance, and have begun chanting his name. Koloff, angered by the crowd's change in mood and fearful of retribution from the Soviet premier, gets up from the premier's box and goes to Drago's corner to berate his performance. Drago clutches Koloff by the throat, lifts him off the ground, and tosses him aside, saying "I fight to win ... for me ... FOR ME ....!!" (the last part directed at the premier) The bell rings for the last time and Rocky, all but dead on his feet, he takes one crushing blow after another from Drago. The crowd starts chanting, "Rocky, Rocky..." Suddenly, Balboa comes alive and smashes away at the Russian, knocking him down and out of the ring as Drago's endurance finally runs out.

Following his victory, Rocky gives an impassioned speech to the crowd, acknowledging their initial and mutual disdain for each other, and how they've come to respect and admire each other during the fight. Saying that the brutal battle between him and Drago in the ring was better than war between their two countries, he brings the crowd, including the Politburo, to its feet in applause, by claiming that "if I can change... and you can change... everyone can change!"

Production

Wyoming doubled for the frozen expanse of the Soviet Union. The small farm where Rocky lived and trained was located in Jackson Hole, and the Grand Teton National Park was used for filming many of the outdoor sequences in Russia. The PNE Forum at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, served as the location of Rocky's Soviet bout. The site would later house production of another U.S.-Soviet sports film, Miracle. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area Ranked 10th - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 kmÂ²) - Width 280 miles (450 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 0. ... Jackson Hole is a valley in the U.S. state of Wyoming. ... Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in western Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. ... The Vancouver Forum (also known as the PNE Forum) is an indoor arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Hastings Park is located in the northeast sector of Vancouver in a neighbourhood called Hastings-Sunrise. ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 5th Total 944... Miracle (2004) is an American biographical sports film about the United States mens hockey team, led by head coach, Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. ...

Sylvester Stallone has stated that the punching between him and Dolph Lundgren in the first portion of the fight is completely authentic. One particularly forceful punch to Stallone's chest slammed his heart against his breastbone, causing the heart to swell and his breathing to become labored. Stallone, suffering from labored breathing and a blood pressure over 200, was flown from the set in Canada to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica and was kept in intensive care for eight days.^[2]

Additionally, Stallone claims that Lundgren nearly forced Carl Weathers to quit in the middle of filming the Apollo versus Drago exhibition fight. Lungdren tossed Weathers into the corner of the boxing ring, prompting Weathers to leave the ring and announce that he was quitting and calling his agent.^[3]

Music

The soundtrack for the movie included "Living in America" by James Brown; the film's music was composed by Vince DiCola, and also included songs by John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band, Survivor, Kenny Loggins, and Robert Tepper. Rocky IV is the only film in the series not to feature Bill Conti. Go West wrote "One Way Street" for the movie by request of Sylvester Stallone. The Rocky IV Soundtrack featured many catchy songs such as Burning Heart by Survivor, Hearts On Fire by John Cafferty and The Sweetest Victory by Touch. ... Living in America is a song performed by James Brown, and composed by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight. ... For other persons named James Brown, see James Brown (disambiguation). ... Vince DiCola is a composer, best known for his work on Transformers: The Movie and Rocky IV. DiCola has a cult following amongst Transformers fans. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Survivor is an American rock band formed in 1977 by core members Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan. ... Kenny Loggins (born Kenneth Clark Loggins on January 7, 1948 in Everett, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Go West were an English pop duo, formed in 1982, by Peter Cox (born 17 November 1955, in Twickenham, London, England); and Richard Drummie (born 20 March 1959, in Twickenham, London, England). ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ...

U.S. Box Office

When compared to the other Rocky installments, Rocky IV is the most successful in terms of non-adjusted box office gross.^[4]

These figures only reflect movie theater ticket sales in the United States. The most profitable of the films by far was the original Rocky, which only spent a production budget of US$1.1 million. For other uses, see Rocky (disambiguation). ... Rocky II is the 1979 sequel to Rocky, a motion picture in which an unknown boxer had been given a chance to go the distance with the World Heavyweight Champion. ... Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... Rocky V is the fifth film in the Rocky film saga. ... â€œRocky VIâ€ redirects here. ...

Worldwide reception

Rocky IV made US$175 million outside of the U.S. grossing an overall US$300 million worldwide, the most out of any Rocky film. Additionally, Rocky IV is the most successful sports film of all time in terms of Box Office Adjusted for Inflation.

Trivia

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... A telvision veteran since the 1950s, Stu Nahan is best remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in all of the Rocky films as well as being a longtime sportscaster in the Los Angeles market. ... Warner Wolf on WCBS in 2003 delivering his trademark line, Lets go to the videotape! Warner William Wolf (born November 11, 1937), is an American television and radio sports broadcaster, best known for being a very popular local news sports anchor in Washington, D.C. and New York City. ... Bill (Merl. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Brigitte Nielsen (born Gitte Nielsen on July 15, 1963) is a Danish actress who became popular in 1980s B-movies. ... In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ... For other uses of the word montage, see Montage. ... Vince DiCola is a composer, best known for his work on Transformers: The Movie and Rocky IV. DiCola has a cult following amongst Transformers fans. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Rocky V is the fifth film in the Rocky film saga. ... Rocky Balboa can refer to: Rocky Balboa (character), a fictional boxer and title character of the Rocky film series Rocky Balboa (film), the sixth installment in the aforementioned film series Category: ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: Articles needing additional references from January 2007 | Articles to be expanded since January 2007 | All articles to be expanded | Articles with trivia sections from June 2007 | 1985 films | American films | Sequel films | Rocky | English-language films | MGM films The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Rocky is a saga of popular action films starring Sylvester Stallone, who plays in these films the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa. ... For other uses, see Rocky (disambiguation). ... Rocky II is the 1979 sequel to Rocky, a motion picture in which an unknown boxer had been given a chance to go the distance with the World Heavyweight Champion. ... Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... Rocky V is the fifth film in the Rocky film saga. ... â€œRocky VIâ€ redirects here. ... Robert Rocky Balboa, Sr. ... Michael Mickey Goldmill (April 7, 1905 - August 15, 1981) is a fictional boxing trainer created by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed by Burgess Meredith. ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ... Ivan Drago (Russian: ; portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) is a fictional character in the movie Rocky IV. Drago is characterized as an extremely tall (2011cm tall, as the real-life man) and powerful amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, as well as a former Olympic gold medalist. ... Rocky is a video game of the fighting game genre released in 2002 by Rage Software. ... Rocky Legends is the sequel to the 2002 video game Rocky. ... The Rocky Steps are the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. ... For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... The Distance is a boxing slang term used to refer to boxing matches that last the limit of 15 rounds. ... Chuck Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is a former heavyweight boxer, of Bayonne, New Jersey. ... People who are left-handed are more dextrous with their left hand than with their right hand: they will probably also use their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. ...

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