O Homem dos Músculos de Aço

Every now and then a film comes along that changes cinema or an aspect of it. In the way Enter the Dragon changed films, in that almost all film fight scenes now have martial arts in them. Pumping Iron changed the attitude of many towards muscles and muscle men. It is true to say that before Schwarzenegger came along, men with muscles in film were often portrayed as stupid or slow. Arnold showed in this film that he had tons of personality, his charisma was as big as his chest and he made Bodybuilding seem cool. Look at films made since Pumping Iron, the lead actor often has to have muscle. Stallone, Van damn etc all owe a lot to Schwarzenegger for their success. Pumping Iron itself is an interesting exploration into the strange world of competitive bodybuilding and it successfully shows the variety of characters that exist within the 'sport'. Since it was made bodybuilders are even bigger and certainly more muscular today than they were in Arnolds day. Truth is his build would not win today but at the time he was the best their was. There were more muscular men ( Franco is much more muscular )but he had the ability to show his body to the best advantage, hiding weaknesses and pushing his strong parts to the fore. Certain sides of bodybuilding are omitted ( drug taking, homosexuality ) but the film itself is very entertaining and crams a lot into a relatively short film.

I recommend the DVD edition that others have mentioned as you get a lot more from it.

Taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane, Pumping Iron brings a smile to ones face even if you can't understand Schwarzenegger with his thick Austrian accent.

Pumping Iron looks at the world of body building as a competitive sport, an art, a science, and a religion. Despite his modern day success as an actor. Arnold shows us what he was truly about, a man who hungered to win, and win at what ever lengths it took.

Unlike the unrealistic looking body builders of nowadays, these grandfathers of bodybuilding show us just what real muscle men are about. The rivalry, the pranks back stage at tournaments, the reverse psychology and the rumours they would spread to throw their fellow competitors into disarray.

There was scepticism as to whether most of the content of this movie was scripted or performed ad-lib. One get the impression it's a bit of both especially when you see a very young Lou Ferrigno throw a tantrum infront of his father Matty and telling him he's "gonna beat'im" (Arnold that is) to become the next Mr. Olympia.

Overall, it's one film to watch as a motivator, study guide to understand the psyche of iron pumpers and to note how Joe Weider marketed talents such as Arnold, Lou Ferrigno and Franco Columbu, immortalising them into the world of body building. 6.8/10

This was an extremely well-done "documentary" about men's bodybuilding, and the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest in particular.

The film, of course, features the most famous bodybuilder of all time - Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are also profiles of his handful of competitors, most notably Lou Ferrigno, who gained notoriety by being the green monster in "The Incredible Hulk" TV series.

Anyway, this film really shows the hard work (but not the steroids, by the way), the dedication and the egos of the bodybuilders, particularly Schwarzenegger. Arnold is the defending champion in the field and also has the biggest ego and is pictured as a man obsessed with winning. (To this day, has he ever lost in anything? Like him or not, what this man has accomplished is amazing.)

Ferrigno's story is more about his dad than anything else, a man living out his dreams through his son. However, unlike other driven sports parents (i.e. Jimmy Piersall's father in "Fear Strikes Out"), he gives "Big Louie" nothing but encouragement.

However - please note, because I was fooled for years, too , until the DVD came out - that it turns out that much of the dad's role was made up just for the film, which is why I put "documentary" in quotes. In reality, he had little to do with his son's training, according to a feature on the DVD disc. There is a 25-year reunion with some of the people involved here, and it's very interesting, as they point out what was added for "dramatic effect." (These filmmakers must have inspired Michael Moore).

Also featured in the film were several contestants in another competition, Mr. Universe, which was held at the same venue as the main attraction. In here, we see good guy (Mike Katz) battling bad guy (Ken Waller). Katz was particularly an intriguing study and provides a good example of what motivates many of these guys to build such incredible bodies.

A lot of what these contestants do - and Schwarzenegger was a master at this - was play mind games at these contests, trying to "psych out" their opponents. All of that is pictured.

The physical work, the mental games, the families of these guys, their social life, outlooks on life, and the behind-the-scenes look at a unique sport - all are fascinating. I found it such when I saw it over 25 years ago, and it's still an extremely entertaining film.

Wow.Big men with big personalities. Humor, drama,passion, camaraderie. In my opinion, this is a great guy flick. Especially, if you're a gym fiend like me. I didn't have too much knowledge about Arnold's bodybuilding past,as I'm from the generation of his movie period, just like kids today are part of his political period. I grew up on Arnie, Stallone and Bruce Lee. Discovering this movie was one of the best things that happened.Thanks , IMDb :) To take a close look at the inside world of bodybuilding the way it should be, Pumping Iron delivers big time. With the Mr.Olympia contest as the center stage event, and what happens around it is the premise for this docu drama.

Lots of inspiring moments when the champs are working out-- Arnold's massive barrel chest, Lou's young turk on the rise, Columbo's strongest man in the world angle, the modelling, the charity (Arnold kissing a jail bird and saying "Heyy, she might not have been kissed for a long time yooo knowww..").. It also shows how these Kings bonded....sharing tips (even "bad advices"), lazing on the beach, Arnie showing "little men" how to pose,spotting each other....man, reminds me of when I'm with my gym buddies. Even if you're a girl or a layman who's not into working out,this movie is good entertainment. Lots of funny quips from Arnie--my favorite being "Franco is good..but he's a child...at the day of the competition.. I am his father!" and " When I get the pump I feel like I am coming day and night, I'm in Heaven.."

On a serious note, the anxieties, the passion, the fear and the mental armory these guys possess varies. On one side there's Lou (a big softy) and on the other end, there's good ol' Arnie; acting out the part of likable rogue to perfection.When he talks about immortality and mentions his admiration for dictators and Jesus.."yooo know, people who will be remembered for thhhouuusands of yeaars.." you know you've got a winner on your hands. Some of his quotes are outrageously funny but they also make you think. Maybe that's the true mindset of champions.

At the end of the day, the message is that everyone is friends. And that's the bottomline. Play hard, work hard, party hard. But stay firm friends. That's how it is and that's my belief as well.Male bonding will always be something women can never understand. I love women, and I know how much a part my physique plays in it ;) but when it comes to getting "pumped" or needing a good testosterone boost(without the homosexual overtones), I prefer good solid male company to truly make me feel alive. The competition, the fun, the bonding is something only we the male of the species can share. Great stuff.Inspiring, funny and immensely entertaining. A movie with muscle, if there was one. 10 on 10.

Pumping Iron is simply the best movie about bodybuilding to date. It is a docu-drama, starring some of the top bodybuilders of 1975. The truth is, the drama in this movie was created to make it look exciting. The tension between Arnold and Ferrigno was hyped up, the time when Waller hides Katz's T-shirt was exaggerated, the way Arnold portrays himself as having no emotions is made up, etc. The directors and the bodybuilders really did a great job at creating extra tension. If we just watched a bunch of guys lift weights for 90 minutes, then it would be boring. This added some excitement. The only part that wasn't touched was the parts with the competitions. The bodybuilders were so used to the crew, that they didn't even notice the camera crew was there. Therefore, people get a real straightforward, honest view of what the bodybuilding world is like. Anyone who is a bodybuilder, or is into weightlifting needs to see this movie at least once. Being a person who lifts weights religiously, I watch a segment of it each time before I go to the gym. It is a really great motivational tool.