ROCKY II

US, 1979, 119 minutes, Colour.
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton, Joe Spinell.
Directed by Sylvester Stallone.

Rocky II is very much a replay (as well as a rematch) of the original. However, Sylvester Stallone (who wrote the original screenplay) not only writes and stars but directs as well. It is a professional job of broad appeal entertainment with a great deal of sentiment and, even, piety, and marriage, parenthood, illness, challenge situations milked of as much feeling as possible. Rocky trains again, fights again, and (to the loud cheers of the audience) melodramatically wins. The original cast reappears with Burgess Meredith and Carl Weathers (as Apollo Creed) overacting - which makes us like Rocky even more. Stallone (a clever writer) treats us to more of the same nice ingenuous character he created.

1. The popularity and acclaim of the original film? Its basic appeal, the '70s? Hero, winning, enduring? The possibility of a sequel? Audience interest, expectations? Fulfilment?

2. How well did the sequel continue character, style from the original? A re-run of the original, a replay of the incidents, thews, climaxes?

3. The Philadelphia background, the environment of the city? As representing the United States in the '70s? Rocky as an American type? The confrontation with the champion and becoming an American and World Champion? The Italian background, black, white? Endurance, fighting, success? The boxing background?

4. The opening sequences from the original film and the linking with the sequel? Replaying the final fight? The focus on boxing, audience interest in the sport, its skills, violence, harm and bodily injury? Training, risks? Sylvester Stallone and his choreography of the boxing? The build-up of training, vigour, techniques, the fight itself, Rocky becoming a punching bag, victory - but at what cost?

5. How well was Rocky presented as a character? The changes from the original? The laconic style, the humorous remark, taciturn? A pleasant man? A gentleman? Unpretentious? His treatment of others? His resilience? Sylvester Stallone speaking his own screenplay and the nuances of his character? How well did he make him a believable and likable character?

6. Rocky's relationship with Adrian - from the original, during the final fight, the humorous proposal at the zoo? The build-up to the wedding, the marriage ceremony itself? Lovemaking and the marriage night - reticence and sentiment? The build-up to the spending of the money, the exploration of the house and their consultation, the car and Rocky's driving it, clothes? The effect of wealth on the two of them? The importance of Rocky's popularity and the demand for television commercials? The humour and satire in these? The satire on the commercials themselves, the product, the making of commercials, the artificiality? Rocky and his inability to do the job well? The losing of the money, his seeking out jobs and the various refusals especially for a desk job, the advice to go back to labouring? The option to going back to being a loan shark? The contrast with Paulie? Rocky and his selling his car to Paulie, the interview for the abattoirs, the hard work there and the way that it was presented, his finally being laid off? His working at the gym, doing ordinary tasks despite Mickey's advice? His unwillingness to box because of the situation of his eye and the doctor's warnings?

7. The impact of Apollo Creed's pressure? The TV campaign, the hard sell to provoke Rocky into a fight, Adrian and her reaction to it, Mickey and his visit, his holding off especially about the eye, his decision to push Rocky to a fight? The change to training, but Rocky not having any heart in his training because of Adrian ? The humour of the press interviews with Apollo Creed and Rocky - how did each man come out of the interview?

8. Adrian and her love for Rocky, her work at home, her supporting him when laid off, her work at the pet shop, her pregnancy, Rocky's pride in it? Paulie's abuse of her at the pet shop, the possible miscarriage, the premature birth and her coma? The long coma sequence and audience response to Adrian, Rocky and his love for her and his presence at her side, his prayers, Mickey's presence? The birth of the child? Her final awakening and change of heart? Rocky's joy, the build-up of the training collage and its energy? His training in order to fight and win?

9. How well did Sylvester Stallone portray Rocky as a human being, for audiences to identify with, a hero? A genuine kind of person? How were the situations with Rocky milked of the most emotional value for audiences? Mickey and his attitude towards Rocky, training him, praying with him?

10. The character Of Adrian - was her acceptance of his fighting credible? How had she changed in the marriage? Her attitude towards the TV ads, the pet shop and work? The effect of the pregnancy, the coma and the birth? Her shyness, niceness? Her staying at home to watch the fight on television? Rocky's final tribute to her?

11. The character of Paulie - appearing less in this film than in the original, his taking over Rocky's money-collecting job, his attitude towards the car, towards Rocky's going back into the fight, his presence at the interviews, his attitude towards Adrian and his brutality towards her, his presence at the fight and at the end?

12. The character of Mickey - his fighting background, his one chance in training Rocky as the champion, his running of the gym, his arguments, his attitude towards Rocky's eye, training, praying with Rocky, urging him to the final victory?

13. How well portrayed was Apollo Creed? The exaggerations in his challenge? His attitude towards his initial loss? Seeing him at home with his wife, children? His agents and the campaign? As a person, his vanity, showmanship? His training? His participation in the fight, his provoking of Rocky's non-reaction, his conceding victory at the end more graciously than might have been anticipated?

14. The emotional demands made on the audience in view of the niceness of the characters, the humorous touches, Stallone's attention to personal detail? Strong emotional sequences like the coma, the training, the final fight?

15. The impact of the final fight? The way that it was choreographed, its brutality, physical violence, endurance? The people watching, the commentators? Adrian at home? The melodramatics of Rocky's seeming defeat, the final desperate winning? The significance of his interview at the end and the comments that he made?

16. How well did the film utilise the basics of popular entertainment and basic human situations?