The Big Picture

Sylvester Stallone reshooting
Rocky’s
ending was crucial for its triumphant and memorable conclusion.

Rocky’s
character development and the emotional depth of the film make it more than just a sports movie.
Sylvester Stallone’s dedication to planning every intricate detail of the final fight scene paid off, creating a cinematic masterpiece.

There’s nothing more iconic than hearing Sylvester Stallone crying out “Adrian!” at the end of Rocky (1979). It’s a beautiful and impactful moment after the Italian Stallion goes the distance against the toughest and most revered boxer, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), and proves that not every underdog can win the day but can ultimately seize it by showing their worth. Forty-eight years later, this final scene has been cemented into the history of classic cinema, inspiring the continuing Rocky franchise today.

Rocky is a sports movie on paper, but there’s much more to the story than just a poor Philadelphia boxer fighting to make a living. At its core, it is a love story about two people inspiring each other to become better. Rocky and Adrian’s character development is the most important story arc of the entire film. Audiences were both emotional and triumphant when Rocky calls out for Adrian (Talia Shire) after he loses to Creed by a split decision. However, this well-written, sentimental conclusion wasn’t what Director John G. Avildsen and Stallone initially planned it to look like.

Rocky A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.Release Date November 21, 1976 Director John G. Avildsen Runtime 120 minutes

Rocky and Apollo’s Final Fight Resembled an Authentic Boxing Match
Sylvester Stallone infamously stated, “Nobody wanted to make it [Rocky]. It was my best writing too”. What went on to become one of the highest-grossing franchises in Hollywood, Rocky was a struggle to develop just as much as it was difficult to get the green light, especially the ending scene. Director Avildsen, Stallone, and Weathers spent weeks preparing for Rocky and Creed’s fight in the ring. Everything had to be planned like an intricate ballet dance, so to speak. According to an article in Yahoo! Entertainment, Stallone planned every punch the characters were going to swing at the suggestion of director John Avildsen. Weathers, being a former NFL player, picked up the intricate, drawn-out boxing sequence within a couple of weeks after spending eight-hour days together with Stallone.

Even after the sweaty practices, the fight needed lots of polishing after the actors watched the playbacks of their rehearsals that Avildsen had shot. The “violent dance”, as Stallone refers to it in the Rocky Blu-ray, 2014 “Heavyweight Edition”, would be paired alongside an operatic score composed by Bill Conti, inspired by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6., and experimental prosthetics for the battered bruises. On the day of the shooting, the final scene was filmed in L.A.’s Grand Olympic Auditorium where each round was shot using two cameras for optimal authenticity. Thanks to Garrett Brown’s Stedicam invention and the marvelous editing, Rocky and Creed’s bout proved to read just as ferociously realistic as seeing the sport in action.

Related The Rocky Movie That Put Sylvester Stallone in the ICU The actor spent nine days in the hospital.

Rocky’s final match oozed glory, triumph, and tenderness through every cut, earning Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad the richly deserved Oscars for Best Film Editing. The fight not only gave audiences a stunning, visual treat to remember, but it also depicted the depth of Rocky’s ambition and how far his character had grown. The ending needed to be just as poignant as the milestone of the Philadelphian surviving head to toe with the best. But what was initially shot during production was drastically different than the conclusion that moved everyone to tears.

Sylvester Stallone Re-shot ‘Rocky’s Ending Due to Test Audience Reactions

As per Yahoo!, the original ending of Rocky was shot to show Apollo Creed being carried out of the ring as fans cheered his name after he was claimed as the winner. Rocky and Adrian were meant to walk out of the area to the parking lot hand-in-hand, which can still be seen in the famed poster. This low-beat, bland ending didn’t match with the uplifting themes wired throughout Rocky, and the creators had a feeling this wasn’t going to work in the editing room.

In the documentary Rocky: An American Hero, it’s revealed that test audiences vocalized their dislike for the ending, deeming it depressing and forgettable. When Sylvester Stallone and Avildsen decided to trim the film during post-production, they knew a re-shoot needed to take place. Stallone comments in Heavyweight Edition, “Maybe we should end it right here, at the height of his exaltation and his love of her, and just freeze it at the pinnacle of his life”.

‘Rocky’s Ending Is Triumphant Rather Than Bland
Image via United Artists

Two months later, the crew went back to the arena, gathering all the actors, family, and crew they could gather for the limited view of the audience. They re-shot the classic ending of Rocky calling out to Adrian as he’s being interviewed in the ring. She calls out for him, runs into the ring, they embrace, and Adrian confesses her love for him and so does he. The famous ending shot freezes on Rocky’s monumental love and once-in-a-lifetime achievement. It couldn’t be more perfect. Over the years, stills of the original conclusion have re-emerged to the public. The black and white pictures show a battered Rocky and a supportive Adrian walking their way out of the area. Rocky is seen picking up a discarded flag on the ground, making this would-be conclusion all the more dreary.

Sylvester Stallone revealed during the documentary that he wanted to use the eliminated footage of the initial ending for scenes in Rocky V. Unfortunately, the United Artists incinerated that specific film during the 1980s, so the original conclusion will forever remain a memory of the creators. Rocky fans continue to celebrate the legacy of the beloved franchise today through the Creed films, remembering the heartwarming final scene that launched the cinematic boxing sensation into a classic.

Rocky is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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