Pumping Iron (1977)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1977
	Director: George Butler, Robert Fiore
	Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk TV-series), Matty Ferrigno
	Country: USA
	Genre: Documentary
	Conditions of visioning: 19.12.2012, DVD, Home cinema
Synopsis: What is bodybuilding and how do you train to become Mr Universe?
Review: Reading the excellent autobiography from Arnold Schwarzenegger Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story (soon to be reviewed on this blog) made me want to see some of his first and/or less known movies. I have already seen Hercules in New York (1969), his first movie as bodybuilder, and I will soon watch Stay Hungry (1976) in which he learned acting from Jeff Bridges. Pumping Iron is the 1977 documentary that made the world discover bodybuilding. I didn't learn more by watching it than by reading the biography, but I could see the bodybuilders in action! We follow a few of them as they teach us what is bodybuilding and as they train and compete for the amateur title of Mr Universe or the professional one of Mr Olympia. In particular Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning on winning this title for the sixth time in a row. He tells us that bodybuilding is all about symmetry and definition of the muscles, but that to achieve perfection you also need a strong mind. We discover the arrogant side of him, ready to use any psychological mean available in order to destabilize his opponents. In particular how he proudly convinced Lou Ferrigno that he will loose even before the contest starts ("I already called my Mom to tell her that I won", "Too bad the contest is too early, one month later you would have had a chance at least" ...). We feel sorry for the young unexperienced Lou and his hard-working father. Apart from the interesting topic, it is worth noticing that the documentary is quite well done: structure, editing, music...
Rating: 6 /10