Pumping Iron

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.

It was the most fascinating body building documentary i have ever seen.. HATS OFF TO THE GREAT ONE ..Arnold Schwarzenegger.. It is a documentary based up Arnold's training n more than that his mental thinking, Every time he gave a pose it gave me goosebumps..

If you are a body building fanatic this is the video for u, its worth gold...

but if u just like muscles its awesome!! its my personal promise u would'not have seen this side of Arnold in movies or previous video's..

Simply magnificent!!

9 out of 10

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.

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.

Before he was the world's greatest action movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the world's greatest bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. Documentary Pumping Iron follows Arnold and his musclebound rivals as they prepare for Mr. Olympia 1975.

You don't have to be a roid junkie yourself, or even an Arnie fan, to enjoy this insightful documentary. The colourful characters it portrays and the unique world which they inhabit is so engrossing that even those who regularly get sand kicked in their face should have lots of fun with it. Arnold is obviously the big draw here, and he's as charismatic, amusing, arrogant and as driven as one might expect, but the other bodybuilders prove just as fascinating: Lou 'The Incredible Hulk' Ferrigno, who aims to be even greater than his idol Arnie; amateur Mike Katz, driven to seek physical perfection after being bullied as a child; Sicilian Franco Columbu, who makes up for his lack of stature by being able to blow up hot water bottles with his breath!

As strange as their obsession might seem to many of us, it's hard not to admire these men for the passion, dedication and sheer hard work they display in their pursuit of their dream: the perfectly proportioned body.