Stallone writes a very detailed synopsis of the training for his part as a boxer in Rocky.  The article explains how Stallone learned the art of boxing, the pain of filming his intense training sequences in Philadelphia, and how he came upon Carl Weathers for the role of Apollo Creed.  Stallone also details the arduous process of writing and choreographing the nine-minute final fight scene, which he claims took 35 hours of practice.  Obviously, the time spent in producing a film does not correlate to the length of the final product.  By D. Goldstein

This article gives a brief history of Stallone’s creative inspiration for creating Rocky.  It also discusses the numerous problems that Alvidsen and his team ran into while filming the movie in Philadelphia, such as lack of a sufficient budget, extreme weather conditions, and lack of equipment.  The article describes how people threw food at Stallone while Alvidsen filmed Rocky jogging through the streets of Philadelphia.  It is apparent that most people did not know they were witnessing the production of a future blockbuster.  By D. Goldstein

This is Sports Illustrated’s original review of Rocky.  Coursen criticizes Rocky’s unrealistic boxing scenes and concludes the movie is purely fantasy.  He finds the scene of Apollo Creed’s entrance as George Washington crossing the Delaware particularly amusing.  From what I have read of Stallone’s interviews, his motive to create Rocky was not as an homage to the sport of boxing but rather as a Cinderella story of hope.  By D. Goldstein

This is Ebert’s original review of the film Rocky.  Most of the review is a synopsis of the movie.  Ebert compares Stallone to Marlon Brando from On The Waterfront and points out that Alvidsen purposely filmed Stallone in conspicuously deserted streets in Philadelphia in order to detract from the sensation of the film feeling like a documentary.  By D. Goldstein