This summer, I ran up the Rocky steps in Philadelphia while someone played the theme music on a trumpet.
Honestly, what more could you want?
I even managed to get someone to record it, so I have a video of my own little Rocky moment. As someone who loves films and running, it was a rather special way to bring those two parts of my life together.
Now, with Rocky celebrating its 50th anniversary, I have been back to the cinema to watch the original, managed to get the steps popcorn bucket and followed it up with a trip to see I Play Rocky.
It feels like the perfect time to look back at the films, the music and what this series means to me.
My Own Rocky Moment in Philadelphia
There are film locations you want to visit, and then there are places where you want to recreate the moment yourself.
The steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art were always going to be the latter.
Running them was something I wanted to experience, but having the theme played on a trumpet made it even better. It gave the whole thing its own soundtrack without me having to put my headphones in!
Having someone record it means I can revisit that moment, too. A holiday memory, a running memory and a film memory all rolled into one.
I was emotional just heading along the river walk from the train station towards the steps and hearing the music being played as I got closer was truly fantastic. It was one of those moments that although I had always wanted to do it, I never thought it would actually happen.
Rocky: Back on the Big Screen at 50
On Wednesday, I went to see the cinema re-release of Rocky (review).
There is something special about returning to a familiar film at the cinema. Giving it that time and attention, with the music filling the room and an audience sharing the experience, can make you notice things differently.
For this anniversary viewing, I also had my own Philadelphia visit to think about. Those steps were somewhere I had now actually been and run myself.
This turned out to be the first time I have been lucky enough to see the film in all its glory on the big screen, that is something that I truly love about these different anniversarys. Watching it all unfold on the big screen was truly special, despite the fact that I have watched it so many times before.
I think seeing the steps scene unfold having visted them back in July was super special, as this was the first time I had watched the film since doing that. The fact that this small film went on to win Best Picture and is so well loved to this day shows the impact of it, spanning many generations.
Bringing the Steps Home: The Popcorn Bucket
Naturally, I could not celebrate running the real steps and then miss the opportunity to get the steps popcorn bucket!
I managed to get one thanks to an amazing friend who had it at his local cinema as none in the north east were stocking them, it feels like a particularly fitting piece of memorabilia after this summer.
It now has a story attached to it beyond simply being something that was released at the cinema. I have run the steps, have the video to prove it, and now have a rather unusual reminder of them at home.
I Play Rocky: Another Part of the Celebration
I went to see I Play Rocky on opening weekend, adding another cinema visit to my anniversary celebrations. It was quite perfect cinema planning really to build up towards this film
Watching it so close to revisiting the original gave me the opportunity to think about Rocky from another perspective. Review
I felt as though it captured that getting the film made for Stallone was like the actual story in Rocky, he was a struggling actor and needed the once in a lifetime break. The casting for the film was truly inspiring.
I actually had a rather emotional turn when it got to the steps scene with the people watching in the cinema and jumping up to celebrate – honestly I filled up. Even though I had no clue if that was even based on any truth or not.
Rocky II: What Happens After the Opportunity?
One of the interesting things about continuing Rocky’s story is seeing what happens after that first extraordinary opportunity.
Rocky II takes us back into his life with Adrian and explores the pull between boxing, family and the need to prove himself again.
I have to admit that the steps sequence and training in this film might even be better than that in the first. I know that is a bold statement, but having all of the kids run up with him created a fantastic moment, especially as this is moving towards a rematch with Apollo Creed.
Rocky III: Success Changes the Fight
By Rocky III, the circumstances have changed. Rocky has experienced success, and the challenge is no longer quite the same as it was when we first met him. He had become the champ and had to deal with everything that came with it.
Clubber Lang brings a different threat, while Rocky’s relationship with Apollo gives the series another direction.
Eye of the Tiger, something that Apollo Creed helps Rocky to rediscover the edge he once had and the reason he managed to beat him. Fuelled by the sadness and loss of Mickey really gets Rocky back in the zone.
This one is probably a little underrated.
Rocky IV: No Easy Way Out
When it comes to the connection between these films and my own running, Rocky IV has something particularly important: “No Easy Way Out” by Robert Tepper.
It is my most inspirational running song.
The lyrics, the build of the music, the scene in the film and my own associations with running all contribute to that. It is difficult to separate them because together they give the song its impact.
Hearing it carries something of the film into my own effort. My running is obviously very different from Rocky’s boxing, but that feeling of having to keep going, work through a difficult moment and commit to something matters to me.
I tend to watch this film the night before I run a marathon, just for that little bit extra inspiration. Which I know this isn’t the strongest film in the franchise but with the training montages and No Easy Way Out it certainly gets me fully in the zone.
Then there is the rest of Rocky IV: Apollo, Ivan Drago, the training and the sheer scale of it all.
It has a nice mix to it, even if the death of Apollo is one of the worst scenes in the whole franchise, utterly devastating. We can count on only Rocky to build himself up for some revenge.
Rocky V: Coming Back Down to Earth
Rocky V changes the circumstances again, bringing the story back towards family, money and the consequences of Rocky’s boxing career.
His relationship with his son and his involvement with Tommy Gunn give this chapter different tensions to explore. His good nature well and truly taken advantage of in this one. Damn you Tommy Gunn!
Even after another rewatch I still don’t find many positives about this instalment and it makes me truly think that Paulie did not deserve to be cared for by Rocky and Adrian at all.
Rocky Balboa: Returning for One More Round
There is something fitting about returning to Rocky Balboa while celebrating the original’s anniversary.
It is a film concerned with time passing, loss and what remains of the person you used to be. That makes it an interesting companion to the younger Rocky we meet in the first film.
We have the older Rocky, still trying to deal with the absence of Adrian, his tough relationship with his son and the decision to fight again. At this point he was truly stuggling to come to terms with his life and what he was supposed to do.
I can still remember seeing this at the cinema when it was released and think it really is a fantastic film, with one of the greatest quotes about how much life will truly beat you down (see above) and that has become one of my all time favourites.
Creed: A Different Fighter, a Continuing Story
The Creed films offer another way to look at the legacy of Rocky, with Adonis stepping into the centre of the story.
For this celebration, it also gives me a chance to consider Rocky in a different role and what happens when the familiar fighter becomes a source of guidance for someone else.
Having continued throughout the franchise and revisting the Creed films, which I have not seen anywhere near the same amount of times as Rocky but it was a lovely reminder of just how much Creed demonstrates Rocky still trying to be part of something and have meaning in his life.
Creed review Creed II review Creed III Review
What Rocky Means to Me
Celebrating Rocky at 50 has become about more than revisiting a film.
It has meant running those steps in Philadelphia, hearing the theme played on a trumpet and having that experience captured on video. It has meant going back to the cinema, bringing home a steps popcorn bucket and watching I Play Rocky.
And through my own running, there is “No Easy Way Out”: a song whose music, words and place in the film continue to inspire me.
These are the things that make a film series personal. The scenes stay with you, the music becomes part of your life, and occasionally you find yourself in Philadelphia with a flight of very familiar steps in front of you.
Of course I was going to run them.
What does Rocky mean to you? Which film is your favourite—and which song would get you through your own training montage?