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Pumping Iron - The 25th Anniversary Special Edition Customer Reviews (22 - 24 of 35 Reviews)

Not for girly men
Extras on the DVD version of "Pumping Iron" mostly play like promos for the film and its star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, but there is an odd and compelling new element.

In "Iron Insights," Gov. Schwarzenegger sits alone for the camera, reeling off a 13-minute monologue about what he did and didn't do during the making of the hit 1977 "docudrama" about a body-building competition.

"Now it is important for people to know what is real" in the film, Schwarzenegger intones, not elaborating on the urgency. "Certain things were not true."

Schwarzenegger smoothly revisits the film's hot spots, notably marijuana use, his psychological pummeling of guileless rival Lou Ferrigno, and the scene in which he casually blows off his father's funeral in favor of training for the Mr. Olympia competition. Then there's that messy bit comparing orgasms and pumping iron.

"Pumping Iron: The 25th Anniversary Special Edition" mostly reprises the film-and-featurettes package that ran on Cinemax a few years back. Video (4:3) and audio (5.1 or stereo) were remastered at the time, with decent results considering the source materials.

The movie doesn't retain the shock value it did back in the mid-'70s, when body sculpting was just an odd subculture. But it's still an interesting time capsule. And Arnold's love affair with the camera gives a good indication of what's ahead. (Sorry, no groping.)

In the extras, Live Schreiber gives terse, NFL films-style narration to a 15-minute intro and a making-of docu, both strengthened by outtakes plucked from the 100 or so hours shot by director George Butler ("The Endurance").

The featured bodybuilders reunite and talk about what the film meant to them, both good and bad. Ferrigno, in particular, struggled to come to terms with his image in the film: "I felt like a freak."

PS -- This DVD is no quickie -- it was planned well before Schwarzenegger's guberatorial campaign.

Docudrama
The 25th anniversary edition of Pumping Iron is loaded with special features and behind the scenes footage of the making of the self-titled "docudrama." All the bodybuilders and filmmakers are interviewed, looking back 25 years ago to what really happened. It's amazing to see that a good portion of the film was actually complete fabrication. Nobody ever hid Katz's t-shirt, for example - the scene with Waller saying he was going to hide it actually was shot well after the competition where he lost it. Ferrigno's father wasn't actually involved in his training - they asked him to fake that so they could paint Lou's character differently. These are just a couple of the secrets that are revealed on the DVD. If you are a fan of the film, you need to get this to see how much true info was left out.

If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it, even if you have no interest in bodybuilding. It's a fascinating look into the world of bodybuilders from a safe distance. This is also the dawn of the golden age of the sport, when it was really just getting started in Venice Beach.

This edition of the DVD exposes some remarkable secrets about the original, as well as all the info you could ever want about Arnold. Very entertaining.

An outstanding movie you can watch 3 times a day
This is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. The movie is based on the 1975 Mr. Olympia Pageant, and also the 1975 Mr. Universe Pageant. It starts out with Arnold signing up at Gold's gym to start his training, with 101 days till the Olympia Pageant, where he'll be competing. His main competition is a new bodybuilder to the sport, who has won Mr. Universe two years in a row, and is the biggest guy ever in the sport,Lou Ferigno. But don't forget about serge nubret, who is a thinner, more defined man than the two others, who will also be competing. Also you will see Franco Columbu, a light weight in the Olympia Pageant. This movie also takes you through the training of Mike Katz, Ed Corney, Ken waller, with a Cameo by other men such as Paul Grant, who will be competing for the mr Universe pageant. Mainly this movie shows you the hard work it takes to be a body builder, the hard workouts and the strict diets, and then the rewards that pay off for doing it. This is a great film of the time when bodybuilding was at its best with greats such as Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbo, and Ah-nold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian Oak. You don't have to be a bodybuilder to love this movie, just a person that likes great films. It better be released on Dvd!

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