This article describes some of the work of John Alvidsen.  It describes his method of directing and his reactions to Times Critic Vincent Camby calling his movie “corny.”  The article also discusses some of Alvidsen’s improvisational skills for working with a limited budget in Rocky.  It seems as if directors working with low budgets could not film according to standard operating procedure, but had to develop techniques as they went along.  By D. Goldstein

This article describes a number of things including:  Audience reception of Rocky as a classic underdog story, Alvidsen’s acceptance speech for Best Director at the 1977 Oscar Awards, comparisons between Stallone and Marlon Brando, to a moderately long biography of Stallone’s life.  Kasindorf’s opinion of Stallone’s acting contrasts with New York Times critic Vincent Camby, showing that Stallone’s acting was well received by some within the critics’ circle.  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 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