I am not only a movie buff from France but also a former bodybuilder from my late teen and early adult years. I was totally dedicated in this sport, totally. It was my blood, my spirit, my guts, my sweat. Arnold Schwarzenneger was my idol. I read more stuff about him than anyone else, I bought enough Joe Weider's Muscle Builder magazines to fill up a warehouse or a library, I watched PUMPING IRON dozens of times and thought I knew everything about Arnold. But after watching this series, I suddenly realize how wrong I was. I learned no many things here, saw so many archives videos, footage that I am stunned. And here Arnold is so honest, so sensitive, so poignant. He tells everything about his childhood, his family life with his brother, father, mother, his feelings, his mistakes. He hides absolutely nothing. Except MAYBE sexual details.... He even admits to have taken steroids four months a year during the first part of the seventies, preparing his Mr Olympia contests. He also admits, confesses to have behaved like a German war machine, a robot, an unbeatable, indestructible machine, as later his terrific TERMINATOR character, at least the first one, forget the rest for me. Yes TERMINATOR is the best allegory of what Arnold was during his contest years, a war machine to win, a smart, brilliant machine, millions miles away from all clichés about muscle bound, beefcakes bobybuilders. Arnold was the antithesis of the common bodybuilding image. He did more for bodybuilding - and also himself of course, because he was the most selfish man in the world - he admits it - than any other champion since. But as an actor, he had only a presence, he has never been a actor for me, ONLY A PRESENCE, A F...PRESENCE: TERMINATOR, CONAN THE BARBARIAN and a couple of other excellent flicks such as PREDATOR. This is a damn good document about A S, the best ever for me. He had great genetics, was strong minded, the determination to move mountains, and above all was lucky enough to meet the proper, "good" persons, first in Munich, back in the sixties, and then of course later with the likes of Joe Weider and the Kennedy family, and I am sure many more people in the movie industry. Because, I know, of his terrific charm. Many bodybuilders were luckier than him in terms of genetics - Sergio Oliva - many bodybuilders were also very determined, but those athletes were less lucky than him, less intelligent and also had less charm. I just try here to analyze the reasons of his success.
