Rocky

Given the competition, you may never be able to fully justify Rocky taking the Best Picture Oscar at the 1976 Academy Awards.

Sylvester Stallone's tale about a down-on-his-luck boxer who's given a shot at the title found itself in a category that contained Network, All The President's Men and, of course, Taxi Driver.

However, in the climate of the times Rocky provided something the American public sorely needed - hope.

Burgess Meredith, who played Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill, perhaps put it best; "(Rocky's) a refreshing change after Taxi Driver and Cuckoo's Nest. Brilliant pictures, perhaps, but not rooting pictures. It's the difference between a sunset and a snake."

Rocky Balboa, a low-brow boxer, is 30 and, although a winner of 44 of his 64 fights, is already considered a bum by his gym manager, Mickey, who hates him 'because he had the talent to become a good fighter' and has let his chance slip away and now fights for two-bit purses in smoky halls.

Meanwhile, world champion Apollo Creed has a gap in his schedule that needs filling. The Ali-a-like Creed decides to offer a chance to an unknown home-town boy.

Slowly, but surely, Rocky's life begins to turn. He finds himself in love with Talia Shire's Adrian and a hero among the Philadelphia public.

The nice thing about the film from then on - that allows it to build cleanly to the grandstand finish - is that no one will try to nobble the challenger, or get him to take a dive, since they don't think he has a chance.

The montage sequences - the first of their kind - broke new ground, and owed a massive debt to Bill Conti's awesome score.

When the fight eventually comes, it's worth the wait. Director John G Avildsen's techniques inside the ring are arguably the best fight sequences in cinema, although realism takes a backseat as the sheer brutality of the fight drives the big finish.

Stallone truly is the hero of the piece - and not just because of the character he plays. The script is dazzling, with wonderful one liners and moments of real charm.

And, for an actor long derided for his monosyllabic performances, his portrayal is utterly convincing; perhaps so much so that it was to the detriment of his own career.

If Million Dollar Baby is good enough to win an Oscar in any year, then Rocky is good enough to win an Oscar every year.

Rich Phippen