Pumping Iron
Watched Pumping Iron tonight, the documentary that follows body-builders going to the 1975 Mr. Olympia competition in Pretoria, South Africa. It's also the film that introduced the world to Arnold Schwarzenegger. I couldn't decide if Arnold was just a playful scamp, or a cocky bastard throughout the film. He borders the line between supreme confidence and a smug superiority complex, but remains charismatic the entire time. He teases new-comer Lou Ferrigno almost mean-spiritedly, but then again, I do the same thing to my friends.
In the end I decided that Arnold seemed like a nice enough guy, and he was just a jokester playing it up for the camera. The only creepy part involved a story of him missing his dad's funeral to train for a contest. Turns out in the commentary that this was made up. The ending of the film shows, to my eye, Arnold being himself. After winning his final Mr. Olympia title, he kicks it in an "ARNOLD IS NUMERO UNO" t-shirt, smokes a joint and leads everyone wishing Lou Ferrigno a happy birthday. And the playful final shot in the bus is sweet.
Still, I'm curious if body-building is really a 24-7 orgasm. I might lift weights for that.
Unrelated to anything else, there's some fine camera placement early on, showing Arnold's workout grimace from between his massive pectoral muscles. Cue the "It's not a tumah!" and nasal implant jokes.
In the end I decided that Arnold seemed like a nice enough guy, and he was just a jokester playing it up for the camera. The only creepy part involved a story of him missing his dad's funeral to train for a contest. Turns out in the commentary that this was made up. The ending of the film shows, to my eye, Arnold being himself. After winning his final Mr. Olympia title, he kicks it in an "ARNOLD IS NUMERO UNO" t-shirt, smokes a joint and leads everyone wishing Lou Ferrigno a happy birthday. And the playful final shot in the bus is sweet.
Still, I'm curious if body-building is really a 24-7 orgasm. I might lift weights for that.
Unrelated to anything else, there's some fine camera placement early on, showing Arnold's workout grimace from between his massive pectoral muscles. Cue the "It's not a tumah!" and nasal implant jokes.