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Tolerance Project Blog

Jumping the shark the Tolerance Project and the Jaws Franchise.

The Making of Jaws 1975 The 50th Birthday edition

Introduction

Today 20th June 2025 marks the day that Jaws was first seen in cinemas in the United States it wouldn't be seen in the UK till Boxing day 1975 to mark its 50th Birthday here is revised edition of a blog I wrote earlier this year covering the making of the film and what links it to the Tolerance project

Background  

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. It stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, who, with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw), hunts a man-eating great white shark that attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town. Murray Hamilton plays the mayor, and Lorraine Gary portrays Brody's wife. The screenplay is credited to Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography.

To read an article from the website Movieweb about the 10 biggest differences between the book by Peter Benchley and the Jaws film click here https://movieweb.com/jaws-biggest-differences-between-movie-and-book/

If you want to read more about the book version of Jaws please read the second chapter of my blog called Brought to book which was published earlier this year to celebrate World Book day  

Also do sharks really grow to the the great big size that we see in the Jaws film click on the article bellow for your answer https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/do-great-white-sharks-really-get-as-big-as-jaws

Why does the shark in the Jaws film attack Amity island ?

The answer to that question is answered in this article from the fan website The Daily Jaws https://thedailyjaws.com/blog/extremely-rare-for-these-waters-why-did-the-shark-in-jaws-choose-amity-island

Shot mostly on location at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Jaws was the first major motion picture to be shot on the ocean and consequently had a troubled production, going over budget and schedule. As the art department's mechanical sharks often malfunctioned, Spielberg decided mostly to suggest the shark's presence, employing an ominous and minimalist theme created by composer John Williams to indicate its impending appearances. Spielberg and others have compared this suggestive approach to that of director Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Pictures' release of the film to over 450 screens was an exceptionally wide release for a major studio picture at the time, and it was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign that heavily emphasized television spots and tie-in merchandise.

Regarded as a watershed moment in motion picture history, Jaws was the prototypical summer blockbuster, and won several awards for its music and editing. It was the highest-grossing film of all time until the release of Star Wars two years later; both films were pivotal in establishing the modern Hollywood business model, which pursues high box-office returns from action and adventure films with simple high-concept premises, released during the summer in thousands of theatres and advertised heavily.

Vanity Fair recently published an article on their website ranking all of Steven Speilberg's film output Jaws was ranked at number 7 this is what they had to say

What works best in Spielberg’s breakthrough film, which helped invent the idea of the summer blockbuster, is how textured each of its characters are, from the shifty mayor of Amity Island, to the grieving Mrs. Kintner, to Roy Scheider’s beleaguered Chief Brody. Everyone is real, and thus the stakes of the movie, in which a great white shark stalks the coastline of a New England resort town, feel as high as they can be. Spielberg allows for moments of human exchange in between scenes of suspense, something that only the best genre movie-makers do. Jaws may have inevitably lost some luster as special effects techniques rapidly improved (and then sorta devolved) over the years, but the human factor endures. Nowadays, Jaws almost plays like a small-town drama, occasionally visited by a shark. A perfectly fine thing for a movie to be.

To read the full list click here All 34 Steven Spielberg Movies, Ranked | Vanity Fair

Jaws the perfect Horror film

I myself don’t class Jaws as a horror film feel free to disagree with me the Callider film website wrote an article called 25 movies that are perfect from start to finish Jaws 1975 was on the list at number 1 Callider explained why Jaws was number 1 on their list.

Predating Star Wars by two years, Jaws is often considered the original Hollywood blockbuster. It was a movie that established an already accomplished Steven Spielberg as an undisputed master filmmaker, and it remains his most exciting thriller. As far as the plot goes, it almost couldn't be simpler, as Jaws follows three men who set out to kill a monstrous shark that's been terrorizing a seaside town during the summer holiday season.

No dinosaur movie has ever been as good as Spielberg's Jurassic Park, and similarly, no other shark movie has ever come close to touching Jaws. It's a movie that works wonders with a direct premise that in lesser hands would feel generic, underwhelming, or predictable, and every minute here proves engrossing. It's a movie that's perfectly cast, perfectly paced, and perfectly directed by a remarkably young Spielberg (he wasn't even 30 at the time of its release). In essence, Jaws is - without a doubt - simply perfect.

Jaws the Music and creating that theme

John Williams composed the film's score, which earned him an Academy Award and was later ranked the sixth-greatest score by the American Film Institute. The main "shark" theme, a simple alternating pattern of two notes—variously identified as "E and F" or "F and F sharp"It became a classic piece of suspense music, synonymous with approaching danger. in the film the theme is simply described as Main title / First Victim to listen to it click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX3bN5YeiQs&list=PL17vqAEJv6CV1syq4_fFKgBwSqGdJzH9z&index=343 

Williams described the theme as "grinding away at you, just as a shark would do, instinctual, relentless, unstoppable." The piece was performed by tuba player Tommy Johnson. When asked by Johnson why the melody was written in such a high register and not played by the more appropriate French horn, Williams responded that he wanted it to sound "a little more threatening". When Williams first demonstrated his idea to Spielberg, playing just the two notes on a piano, Spielberg was said to have laughed, thinking that it was a joke. As Williams saw similarities between Jaws and pirate movies, at other points in the score he evoked "pirate music", which he called "primal, but fun and entertaining". Calling for rapid, percussive string playing, the score contains echoes of La mer by Claude Debussy as well of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

Steven Speilberg explains in this article for Fandomwire why he began to laugh when he first heard the famous Jaws theme  https://fandomwire.com/i-began-to-laugh-steven-spielberg-thought-john-williams-pranked-him-after-first-hearing-the-iconic-jaws-theme-only-to-admit-his-mistake-later/

Further Reading

The Classical Music website celebretes The John Williams Soundtrack read it by clicking here Jaws at 50: the story of John Williams' groundbreaking soundtrack | Classical Music

Jaws the film poster

The Man who designed the poster for the original poster for Jaws in 1975 Roger Kastel died aged 92 you can find a tribute to the man by clicking here https://news.sky.com/story/jaws-and-empire-strikes-back-poster-artist-roger-kastel-dies-at-92-13009528 

The Poster by Roger Kastel was also included in the Collider film website article 25 best movie posters of all time. They said this this about Kastels work

There are plenty of great "man vs. creature" movies out there, but few resonate quite like the original Jaws. This was the film that made Steven Spielberg a household name, and arguably kicked off the idea of what a blockbuster movie was. The plot's simplicity was one of its greatest strengths, with three men going on a deadly mission to kill a giant shark that had been terrorizing their coastal town. The straightforward nature of Jaws' premise is reflected beautifully in its instantly striking poster.

Well, the title helps as well, and on the poster in question, those four letters spelling out a single word appear bold against a white background, the colour of the letters blood-red. Below the title swims a single figure, and below the swimmer looms a considerably larger shark barreling straight towards her. It encapsulates the film's opening sequence perfectly, and given that sequence establishes the tone for the entire movie perfectly, it's pretty easy to call the poster for Jaws essentially perfect.

Awards

Jaws won 3 oscars at the 1976 Academy Awards, those being for Best Film Editing,  Best Original Dramatic Score for composer John Williams  and Best Sound (Robert Hoyt, Roger Heman, Earl Madery, and John Carter)

Further watching

To watch the original trailer for Jaws 1975 click here

To watch 10 things you never knew about Jaws from Mintys Comedic arts click here

To watch a video called JAWS (1975) - WTF REALLY Happened To This Horror Movie? about the original Jaws film click here 

Further Reading

To read an article called the 10 harsh realties of watching Jaws 49 years later on the screenrant website click here 10 Harsh Realties Of Rewatching Jaws, 49 Years Later (screenrant.com)

The slash film website recently published a list of the top 10 best Jaws knock off/ spoofs reading this list which you can see by clicking here https://www.slashfilm.com/897480/the-best-jaws-knock-offs-ranked/#:~:text=The%20Best%20Jaws%20Knock-Offs%2C%20Ranked%201%201.%20Tremors,8.%20Grizzly%20Film%20Ventures%20International%20...%20More%20items

This article is worth a read it reveals how a technical issue with the film turned Jaws into a blockbuster https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-a-technical-fault-led-to-the-huge-success-of-jaws/

The first Jaws film has also been turned into a Broadway show starring Robert Shaws son you can read about by clicking here https://uk.style.yahoo.com/shark-broken-brings-jaws-robert-180000628.html

The Original Jaws film made Movieweb list of 20 best Universal pictures films form the 20th Century it made number 18 in their list you can read the full list by clicking herehttps://movieweb.com/universal-pictures-best-movies-20th-century/

 Did you know the Director of Jaws Steven Speilberg had a subtle cameo in the film you can read about it here https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/subtle-steven-spielberg-cameo-jaws/

A Screenrant article on a prequel novel to Jaws published in 2023 called the book of Quint to read about it click here You Probably Didn't Know About This Jaws Prequel (screenrant.com)

A BBC news website article on why love shark films so much you can read it here Something In The Water? Why we love shark films - BBC News

50th Anniversary articles / Features

The Collider film website looks at the one thing we have been getting wrong about Jaws over the last 50 years to read it click here

We've Been Getting This One Thing About 'Jaws' Wrong for the Last 50 Years

Collider again this time highlights the most important character in the Jaws franchise clue its not the shark ha ha to read it click here The Most Important Character in the Jaws Franchise? It Ain't the Shark!

The article from Comicbook.com details the best Jaws RIP off film

50 Years Later, This Is Still the Best of All the Jaws Ripoff Movies - ComicBook.com

The Den of the Geek website looks at the best of the Jaws RIP off films

The Best Jaws Knockoffs of the Past 50 Years | Den of Geek

This 11 minute radio peice celebretes 50 years of Jaws from the listen website

50th Anniversary of Jaws - ABC listen

Jaws and the the Tolerance film

We didn’t see the famous great white shark in the Tolerance film but we did hear him

 We used the famous Jaws theme twice in the Tolerance film once when Robert is nearly knocked over by a passing car only to be saved by a passer by

And the 2nd time time as a spoof with a slight nod to Jurassic Park to introduce the man with a helium voice Mr Grosenberg played by actor Tony Green

I met Jaws myself when I went to Universal Studios in 1989 as 12 year old he decided he wanted to take a chunk out of a tour bus during a studio tour I was lucky to survive ha ha lol. Apprently this was part of something called Jaws the Ride you can find out more about it by clicking here

Pictures

Robert is nearly knocked over by a passing car only to be saved by a passer by

The 2nd time we hear the Jaws music as a spoof with a slight nod to Jurassic Park to introduce the man with a helium voice Mr Grosenberg played by actor Tony Green

The Poster for Jaws

The artwork for the Jaws Soundtrack

Notes

Thanks to Minty Comedic arts and Joblo originals for their Jaws themed videos as well as Wikipedia Sky,com Collidar film and The Daily Jaws websites for the background material and Google images for the pictures

If you want to read more about more about the The Tolerance Project or give us a small donation please click on this link thank you

[yestolerancepro]

The original Jaws from 1975 will get a special edition release for its 50th Birthday in June click on the link for all the details I will be buying this release myself

The Tolerance Project will be celebreting the film itself with a special blog

[yestolerancepro]

Tolerance Project extra The final Countdown The Rocky films Ranked Round 3 My Memories of the Franchise and what links it to the Tolerance project

Introduction

Welcome to the 3rd and final chapter in a blog looking at the Rocky Franchise Chapter 1 covered the making of the original film Chapter 2 covered the sequels Chapter 3 covers my childhood memories of the series as well Tolerance links to the rocky films

Me and the Rocky Franchise

I have always been a fan of the Rocky films the first 4 films in the series any way I don’t  know when me and Matthew first saw the original Rocky film but I know my Dad recorded it on to VHS and we certainly saw Rocky 2 when me and Matthew were given permission to watch it by our Dad when we were staying over at our Nan’s house I didn’t see Rocky III to years later when it was been shown on the ITV Network till I was in my teens

I heard about Rocky III more because Mr T featured in it I didn’t know what the story was about Mind you I saw a lot of Mr T when I was a kid because he featured in his own animated series I only remember seeing a couple of episodes

According to Wikipedia it ran for 3 seasons between 1983-1985 with 30 episodes in total

He also featured in a TV series that I loved and still do  called the A Team where he played the The team's strong man and mechanic is Sergeant First Class Bosco "B.A.", or "Bad Attitude", Baracus

To learn more about the A Team TV series click here

Further Watching

To watch the now classic title sequence click here

Rocky III also had a good theme song in Eye Of the Tiger which was sung by the group  Survivor which reached No 1 in the UK for 4 weeks in the UK in 1982 it was also one of the best selliing singles of the year selling with 956,000 sales making it the third best selling single of the year

The Kellogs Cereal company then used Eye of the Tiger for years afterwards to advertise Kellogs Frosties with Tony the Tiger it would be years before I would hear the song as part of Rocky III

As part of the Screenrant article all 9 Rocky movie songs ranked this is what they had to say about eye of the tiger Although it originated in Rocky III, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" has managed to escape the Rocky stratosphere and become an incredibly popular song in its own right. "Eye of the Tiger" is a quintessential song of the 1980s, with it being well-known by even non-Rocky fans. It also started the trend of Rocky movies getting musicians to make original songs for the films, with this remaining one of the best examples of this pattern.

Eye of the tiger was nominated for best original song at the 1983 Oscars but lost out to Up were we belong from an Officer and a Gentleman

To watch Eye of Tiger pop video click here

Tolerance and the Italian Stallion 

As you can see we nearly had a Rocky reference in the Tolerance film before it hit the cutting room floor in fact I could be wrong I don’t think it was ever shot here it is as detailed in the 4th part of my producers commentary

Deleted scene

Scene 26: (Internal) Cinema Auditorium 

The last scene left on the cutting room floor was a short scene that takes place after the montage where we see Robert get the job at the cinema.

I have a feeling that this scene was cut because it didn’t really add much to the overall film. Robert is making a reference to Rocky Balboa’s girlfriend, Adrian, played by Talia Shire in the film series.

Robert and Julie are sat at the very front of the auditorium and are straining to see the screen.

ROBERT punches the air: ADRIAN!!!!

JULIE looks across at him: Who’s Adrian?

ROBERT: Nothing, nobody, just thinking.

JULIE: Well think on this. If you get this job, you can devise a way we can sit in the middle of the cinema and see properly.

Julie laughs at him and grabs his hand

Not Quite a Knockout on DVD and Bluray

I would love to buy the complete Rocky series on Bluray to add to my collection they have been at least 2 boxsets to my knowledge which have all the films featured in them

My issue with both sets is that they feature great extras for Rocky and Rocky Balboa but the disks with the films Rocky II III 4 and 5 feature no extras at all they should at least feature the trailers for each film being the bare minimum if it was up to me I would love to see the music videos for James Brown’s Living in America Surviviors Eye of the Tiger and Burning Heart also included as extras on the disks

The website art of manliness recently published there list of how each of the Rocky films ranked click on the link to see the full list.   https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/entertainment/the-rocky-films-ranked/

let me know if you agree with them or not there are quite a few websites out there claiming to have there lists of which Rocky films are best I have also added an article from another website called the techrader on a suggested order you should watch the films in https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-watch-the-rocky-movies-in-order

Further Reading

To read an article 10 Rocky and Creed Movie Moments that would never happen in real life boxing click here https://screenrant.com/rocky-creed-movie-moments-real-life-not-happen/#:~:text=10%20Rocky%20%26%20Creed%20Movie%20Moments%20That%20Would,Tommy%20Gunn%20In%20Rocky%20V%20...%20More%20items

To read an article about the 12 biggest mistakes and goofs that have appeared in the Rocky Movies click here:https://screenrant.com/rocky-movies-mistakes-goofs/

All 11 Rocky and Creed Opponents ranked from Weakest to Strongest click here

To read an article called 10 Rocky & Creed Characters The Boxing Franchise Seriously Underused click here https://screenrant.com/rocky-creed-movie-characters-underused/#:~:text=10%20Rocky%20%26%20Creed%20Characters%20The%20Boxing%20Franchise,2%20Tony%20%E2%80%9CLittle%20Duke%E2%80%9D%20Evers%20...%20More%20items

12 Boxing films that pack a punch from the fighter to creed The Rocky and Creed films feature highly in this list to read the full article click here https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/hollywood/boxing-movies-1234244

This article details the making of the training montage from the orignal Rocky film was an an iconic scene also what made it so groundbreaking https://screenrant.com/rocky-iconic-museum-steps-training-montage-steadicam-invention/

To read an article called The 10 harsh realities of watching the 6 original Rocky films click here https://screenrant.com/rocky-movies-harsh-realities/

Notes

Thank you to Minty Comedic arts You tube channel for the short films on Rocky Rocky II Rocky III and Rocky 4 and JOblo originals for the WTF happened to Rocky 1976 and the Oilver Harper youtube channel for his review of the Directors cut of Rocky 4

*A word on the title for this new blog. I know its called the final Countdown this comes from a UK number 1 from a rock group called Europe, for years I thought the song featured in one of the Rocky films.

So much so that I bought a compilation album called the Rocky story you can imagine my disappointment when I found out that it wasn’t included on the album.

If I had listened to song more carefully its nothing to do with boxing but maned spaceflight to watch a video of The Final Countdown by Europe click here

Next week

Tolerance extra Bringing in Bodie and Doyle to finish the Job Remembering The Professionals

Remember if you want to help the Tolerance project after reading this epic 3 part or just want further information click on this link

[yestolerancepro]

Thank you @mylovelysockpuppet and everyone who got me to 25 reblogs!

Tolerance Project Blog update

Hello there first things first apologies this post is a little bit late about 3 days late sorry about that.

Anyway I thought I would update you with a post about our blog schedule over the next few months this is what you can look forward to reading.

We start with the concluding part of our blog on the Rocky series of films The Final Countdown the Rocky Films Ranked.

This will be followed be a blog called Bringing in Bodie and Doyle to finish the Job which looks at the Professionals TV series from LWT that was on our screen from 1978 to 1983.

The final cut series of articles continues with a series of blogs that takes one last look at the Star Wars films covering Empire Strikes Back 1980 Return of the Jedi 1983 and the Star Wars Prequel films from the late 90s to the early noughties .

The John Williams theme continues when we celebrate Jaws 50th birthday with a special blog

New Blogs

Two other new blogs will also be coming soon with a blog called How to Escape the Cutting Room Floor which looks at the subject of deleted scenes directors cuts and Special editions

And finally a new edit of of Memories from a movie set which includes interviews with cast and crew from the The Tolerance film

Thanks for Reading

Ben  

[yestolerancepro]

Tolerance Project Blog update

Hello there first things first apologies this post is a little bit late about 3 days late sorry about that.

Anyway I thought I would update you with a post about our blog schedule over the next few months this is what you can look forward to reading.

We start with the concluding part of our blog on the Rocky series of films The Final Countdown the Rocky Films Ranked.

This will be followed be a blog called Bringing in Bodie and Doyle to finish the Job which looks at the Professionals TV series from LWT that was on our screen from 1978 to 1983.

The final cut series of articles continues with a series of blogs that takes one last look at the Star Wars films covering Empire Strikes Back 1980 Return of the Jedi 1983 and the Star Wars Prequel films from the late 90s to the early noughties .

The John Williams theme continues when we celebrate Jaws 50th birthday with a special blog

New Blogs

Two other new blogs will also be coming soon with a blog called How to Escape the Cutting Room Floor which looks at the subject of deleted scenes directors cuts and Special editions

And finally a new edit of of Memories from a movie set which includes interviews with cast and crew from the The Tolerance film

Thanks for Reading

Ben  

[yestolerancepro]

Such a heartwarming story

[yestolerancepro]

So he should to many people with guide/support dogs are being refused taxis and its against the law

[yestolerancepro]

Reading the article this looks like a classic case of the postcode lottery

[yestolerancepro]

Tolerance Project extra a long time ago in a Galaxy far far away 

The final cut

Part 2 The Galatic toybox Star Wars in other media and the start of this world Toyline

Introduction

Hello there and welcome to chapter two of this revised blog that looks at the original Star Wars film from 1977

Part one looked at the making of Star Wars this chapter looks at Star Wars in other media from the books and the comics to the 1981 radio series and the out of this world toyline that started in 1978

Star Wars in other Media

Books and Comics

Star Wars From The Adventures Of Luke Skywalker Alan Dean Foster

Though initially credited to George Lucas, this Star Wars novelization was actually ghostwritten by sci-fi icon Alan Dean Foster, who wrote it based off the film’s shooting script and Xerox copies of artist Ralph McQuarrie’s pre-production paintings. Foster also spent a day in an Industrial Light And Magic screening room with Lucas and graphic designer Saul Bass, watching unedited, soundless footage of Tie Fighters zooming around and getting blown up.

From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker was published six months before the movie came out in May 1977, and it was panned by critics—but audiences loved it, and the book sold through its initial 500,000-print run by February, still three months before the film’s premiere. By the time the movie came out, another 3.5 million copies had been sold, making it one of the most successful novelizations of all time. (Foster was paid $7500 for the work—worth about $40,000 today

The novelization hits all the movie’s high points, but there are some fascinating differences (a lightsaber is described as a “gizmo” with “a number of jewel-like components built into both the handle and the disk,” for example) that give it a different type of feel from the film. It all adds more to the Star Wars universe, and some of details about certain planets, languages, history, and technology have since become canon for fans.

To go with the book that was in publication while George lucas was still making Star Wars the film was adapted into a a four part comic book series by Marvel Comics you can read about it by watching these 2 videos from Retro Marvel Man on Youtube click here

and here

1979 Storybook and Tape

in 1979 Star Wars was turned into a 24 page book and tape by the Disney company you can listen to that version by clicking here 

Radio

Just before Star Wars got a television Premiere in the UK it was adapted into a 13 part Radio series braodcast by NPR radio in the United states and BBC radio 1 in the UK.

It first aired in the US on March 2nd 1981 It was adapted by Brian Daley from the 1977 film, and directed by John Madden, with music by John Williams and sound design for Lucasfilm by Ben Burtt. The serial was recorded in 1981 at Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California.

Daley adapted the script partly using material from earlier drafts of Lucas's scripts, and restored several scenes cut from the final edit of the film, as well as adding original new scenes created specially for the audio version. The narrative of the first two episodes takes place entirely before the opening scene of the 1977 film, and expands the background to events leading up to the capture of the Tantive IV spacecraft above the planet Tatooine.

Episode 1, largely based on cut scenes from the original, explores the life of Luke Skywalker on Tatooine. During the story, Luke's skyhopper (a vehicle seen in the background in Luke's garage during the film) is damaged during a desert race; Luke sees the distant Star Destroyer battle in the sky; and he is reunited with his childhood friend, Biggs Darklighter. Episode 2, made up of material written entirely by Daley, provides backstory to Princess Leia's acquisition of the Death Star plans from agents of the Rebel Alliance on the planet Toprawa.

In scenes set on the planet Alderaan, Leia discusses the plans with her father, Prestor Organa, and determines to go in search of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Later episodes mostly follow the storyline of the film, but additional scenes expand the narrative. In one scene, Han Solo has a meeting with an agent of Jabba the Hutt called Heater; this dialogue is based on a scene in which Solo meets a humanoid Jabba in the docking bay, cut from the original film but later reinstated in the 1997 Special Edition in modified form. In another episode, Daley inserts a conversation in which Admiral Motti attempts to convince Grand Moff Tarkin to leverage the Death Star as a political tool.

The radio version of Star wars proved to be very popular so much so that the other two films in the Original trilogy Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were also adapted to the radio format Empire was adapted into a 10 part radio series with a running time of 4 hours 22 mins recorded in 1982  at A&R Studios, New York City.The series debuted on NPR on February 14, 1983. in the United States

The last film in the Trilogy Return of The Jedi was adapted for radio in 1996 it adapted into 6 chapters by by Highbridge Audio, the company that had released the first two series on tape and CD. The production returned to the Westlake Recording Studios, where the original series had been recorded.

Television

Star Wars Gets its first TV airing in the UK in 1982

I remember watching on its first British TV premeire when the ITV network showed on the 24th of October 1982 as a a 5 year old it left a rather big impression on me . with its massive space battles light saber fights and the souring music by John Williams

Toys

The Beginning Of the out of This World Toyline

The toys were made by Kenner in the US and released by Palitoy in the UK which imported the figures and packaged them in the UK on Palitoy branded cardbacks.

 Between 1978 and 1985, Kenner produced and sold action figures based on the Star Wars franchise. From a line of over 100 unique toys, a total of more than 300 million units were sold during their original run.

 The license for Star Wars action figures was offered in 1976 to the Mego Corporation, which was the leading company in action figures in the 1970s. Mego refused the offer and the license was subsequently picked up by Kenner.

Star Wars was the first film to successfully market toys based on the movie. In fact, they were so successful that George Lucas independently used the funds to finance the next two movie chapters, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983).

Although the original Star Wars film had been released in May 1977, Kenner was unprepared for the unprecedented response to the film and the high demand for toys, mainly due to George Lucas's unwillingness to provide character/vehicle designs for fear his creations would be plagiarized by movie/TV competitors. Unable to build sufficient stock in time for the lucrative Christmas market, they instead sold an "Early Bird Certificate Package" which included a certificate which could be mailed to Kenner and redeemed for four Star Wars action figures. The first four figures to be distributed were Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and R2-D2. The box also contains a diorama display stand, some stickers, and a Star Wars fan club membership card.

By the time the action figures were offered for direct sale in shops, the range had been augmented with a further eight figures—C-3PO, Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Jawa, Sand People, and Death Squad Commander—bringing the total number of figures in the initial release to twelve. These were supplemented later in 1978 with a number of vehicle and playset accessories, as well as the J.C. Penney exclusive Sonic controlled landspeeder and the Sears exclusive Cantina adventure playset which introduced four new figures.

You might also want to watch this documentary which covers the first 21 figures in the Star Wars toy range asking the question are they any good (95) Kenner's first 21 Star Wars figures | Are they any good?! - YouTube

Star Wars and Me

Like most children growing up in the 1980s Star wars was part of the landscape growing up Me and Matthew bought most of the toys and played Star wars at home..

 I used to be Han Solo and Matthew my Brother would be Luke Skywalker my bed would be the Millennium Falcon and my Teddy Edward would be Chewbacca. To watch a documentary on the Star Wars toy range click here 

The very first Star wars figure me and Matthew got as presents were a Darth Vader figure for me and Luke Skywalker Jedi knight for Matthew from our Nan.

From then on we would get figures as treats save up our pocket money or a get the figures or a spaceship/Vehicle for Christmas or a birthday present.

So it must have been about 1983 when we first got those figures I remember Luke Skywalker had a lightsaber that didnt fit in his hand very well and mum flattening Luke's blaster with her iron ha ha we sorted out the lightsaber problem when I bought the R2D2 figure that came with a lightsaber that seemed to fit his hand like a glove

Apparently the issue with Luke Skywalkers lightsaber has been fixed when the figure was re-issued for the Star Wars Black series

The first big Spaceship I remember getting as a birthday present was the Snow Speeder that Luke Skywalker flew during the Battle of Hoth in Empire a great flyer but very heavy to lift when your little the guns on the speeder would light up when you pressed a button. Advert for the snowspeeder click here

Matthew got Luke’s X wing fighter the wings unfolded when you pressed a button on R2D2s head Toy Advert for the X wing and Tie fighter click here

The best Christmas present I ever got was the Millennium Falcon playset  and Matthew was rather pleased when on the same day he got the Ewok Village . Toy adverts for the Millennium Falcon playset click here

 and Ewok Village click here

Pictures

Star Wars from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker book cover from 1976

Star Wars Radio Poster from 1981

TV Times Magazine cover from October 1982

Early Bird toy promontion

Darth Vader action figure

Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight figure

R2D2 action figure with realible lightsaber

Notes

Thank you to Wikipedia for the background information on the making of Star Wars and its Toyline Thank you to Youtube for the Vairous adverts for the Star war toys also thank you to the vairous websites for their Star Wars articles featured in this first chapter including Movieweb, Screenrant, Gizmondo and Retro Marvel Man for his Youtube videos on the Star Wars comic adaptions

And the Star Wars Radio Youtube page for the 1979 storybook and tape version of the film

Further Reading

The Movieweb website included Darth Vader at Number 3 in their article 10 Best Movie Character Introductions, Ranked you can read the full list by clicking here https://movieweb.com/movie-character-introductions/#james-bond-mdash-dr-no

This article list 20 of John Williams best film scores with both the scores for Star Wars and its sequel the Empire Strikes back both in the top 10 for the full list click here John Williams' best film scores of all time, ranked (avclub.com)

The Mary Sue film website also published a list of his 12 best film Scores you can read that by clicking here https://www.themarysue.com/best-john-williams-scores-ranked/

Collider.com reporting an AFI list (American film institute) of the top ten best Film soundtracks of all time Star Wars was number 1 in this list you can see the full list by clicking on this link 10 Best Movie Scores, According to the AFI (collider.com)

The Movieweb website published a list called the 18 greatest Scifi film Franchises of all time Star Wars was number 2 on their list you can read the full list by clicking here https://movieweb.com/best-sci-fi-film-franchises/#bill-and-ted 

Coming soon

Tolerance Project extra a long time ago in a galaxy far far away part 3 a lost sequel an ice planet.

Next week Part 3 of my blog looking at the Rocky Franchise

[yestolerancepro]

Nathan is right Taxi drivers should follow the law about accepting Guide dogs in there taxis I post too many stories on this about guide dogs being refused fares from Taxi Drivers who should know better

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Good I hope this MP is the first of many to vote against these benefit changes

[yestolerancepro]

You couldn't make this up you think the council would have checked to see the school was actully there before writing out letters to parents and accepting school placea on their behalf

[yestolerancepro]

For one night only the original 1977 cut of Star Wars returns to the ciniema screens as part this years BFI film on Film Festival it will be shown on the opening night of the festival on June 12th 2025.

This will be the first time it's been seen in decades, thanks to the BFI National Archive preserving the unfaded dye transfer IB Technicolor British release print.

According to BFI, those in attendance will also have a chance to view rare production material, including annotations to the script, the original continuity script, on-set Polaroids, and deleted scenes. Even without the screening of the unaltered movie, the bonus material alone is a treasure trove for dedicated Star Wars fans. It is sure to be an unforgettable event for those lucky enough to be in the audience.

Thanks to screenrant and the Film stories websites for the links and the infomation this screening begs the question does the BFI have original cuts of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi hidden away in their archive somewhere

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Tolerance Project extra a long time ago in a Galaxy far far away 

The final cut

Part 1 The Farmboy The Princess and the Smuggler The Making of Star Wars.

Introduction

Hello there and in honour of Star Wars Day may I present a new and revised edtion of a blog that looks at the original Star Wars film from 1977

For ease of reading the blog has been split into 2 chapters each with new material

The first  chapter will cover the making of Star Wars the 2nd Chapter covers Toyline that followed it. As well as the books and the comics the radio series from 1981 and the British film premiere in 1982 other blogs will be coming soon covering the sequels Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983)

Overview

Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. It was the first film released in the Star Wars film series and fourth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set "a long time ago" in a fictional universe where the galaxy is ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, the story focuses on a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance, who aim to destroy the Empire's newest weapon, the Death Star. When Rebel leader Princess Leia is apprehended by the Empire, Luke Skywalker acquires stolen architectural plans of the Death Star and sets out to rescue her, while learning the ways of a metaphysical power known as "the Force" from Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew.

Lucas had the idea for a science-fiction film in the vein of Flash Gordon around the time he completed his first film, THX 1138 (1971) and began working on a treatment after the release of American Graffiti (1973).

To read about George Lucas’s orignal Star Wars plans as a 12 part film arc click here https://screenrant.com/star-wars-george-lucas-12-movie-plan/

After numerous rewrites, filming took place throughout 1975 and 1976 in locations including Tunisia and Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England.

The film suffered production difficulties; cast and crew involved believed the film would be a failure. Lucas formed the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic to help create the film's special effects. It also went $3 million over budget due to delays.

To read about a lost version of the Star Wars film click here :https://movieweb.com/star-wars-original-version-lost/

Star Wars was released in a limited number of theatres in the United States on May 25, 1977  It was released in the UK on the 27 December 1977 6 months after US a bit strange as a large chunk of the film was made here it quickly became a huge hit   

leading to it being expanded to a much wider release. The film opened to critical acclaim for its acting, direction, story, musical score, action sequences, sound, editing, screenplay, costume design, and production values, but particularly for its ground-breaking visual effects. It grossed $410 million worldwide during its initial run, surpassing Jaws (1975) to become the highest-grossing film until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); subsequent releases brought its total gross to $775 million. When adjusted for inflation, Star Wars is the second-highest-grossing film in North America (behind Gone with the Wind) and the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. It received numerous awards at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Saturn Awards, among others

When did Star Wars become Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope

For moviegoers of a certain age—namely those who were alive when the first movie premiered in 1977—that picture will always be Star Wars. And in their defence, that is all the title card said during the now legendary opening crawl: “STAR WARS.” They’re the words that changed the way American audiences thought about going to the movies, and those associated with Hollywood’s slow but ceaseless transition toward franchise entertainment and modern special effects spectacle.

When millions upon millions of moviegoers bought tickets again and again to that film—making it still the second highest ticket-seller in U.S. history when adjusted for inflation—they did so to see Star Wars. Yet their children, and grandchildren, rarely think of one movie when the words “Star Wars” are uttered. Instead the title signifies the brand name of an entire “universe” of interlinking intellectual property that encompasses everything from movies to television shows, to video games, to theme park rides, to pillows and Pez dispensers. And under this large umbrella, the most historically significant Star Wars movie is just that… a Star Wars movie. It’s also one that due to the retroactively added “Episode IV” subtitle is now even viewed as the fourth movie in a chronological saga.

How did this happen?

The ‘A New Hope’ Change

The first time Lucas’ Star Wars hit cinema screens, as well as its first spate of re-releases in 1978 and 1979, a moment where 20th Century Fox cemented its dominance of the highest grossing movie ever up to that point, there was no “A New Hope” subtitle nor an “Episode IV.” So the inclusion of those qualifiers became the first substantial, yet still relatively discrete, change Lucas made to the picture.

The shift occurred in 1981 during the film’s third re-release. By this time, Lucas’ The Empire Strikes Back had been released the previous year, and with it Lucas settled on explicitly suggesting that audiences were coming into the middle of a “saga,” just like the old Saturday morning matinee serials he would watch as a kid, often out of order or while skipping key installments from week to week.

Hence The Empire Strikes Back’s full title, Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Ergo, to align Star Wars with this idea, the choice was made to include a detail that casual moviegoers generally ignored for the next decade or two: the subtitle of “A New Hope.” It was actually the first in a handful of changes Lucas made to the 1981 re-release of the movie, which also included subtly redone sound effects, more Wookiee noises, and even alternate takes of dialogue that Lucas decided he preferred to what was used in the ’77 theatrical release.

"Why Haven't We Started With Episode I?"

Mark Hamill has revealed George Lucas' answer to the ultimate Star Wars question - why did it all begin with Episode IV? Viewers were no doubt surprised back in 1981, when George Lucas retroactively added "Episode IV" as a subtitle to the first Star Wars movie. Since then, there's been unending debate about the best Star Wars viewing orders, and it doesn't really help that the franchise continues to hop around the timeline.

I said to George, 'Why is this Episode IV? Why haven't we started with Episode I?' And he goes, 'Episode I, there's a lot of exposition, it's more political. This trilogy is much more commercial...'

The way I understood it was that he originally planned four trilogies... When we were shooting, I asked him about the first trilogy, and he said, 'This is more commercial, there's a lot of exposition, political, about taxation, blah blah blah...' He wanted you to feel like you walked into a serial chapter play and you'd missed the first few episodes, that's why they had the crawl, to bring you up to speed."

It's reasonable to assume Hamill asked this during production of The Empire Strikes Back, because that was when Lucas first began bandying the episode titles around. It was also after Lucas had settled on the idea Luke Skywalker was Darth Vader's son, which would become the backbone of the entire Skywalker saga.

Lucas' instincts were right; I doubt Star Wars would have been anywhere near as big if he'd tried to begin with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. For one thing, it would have been almost impossible to make that movie with 1970s technology and fight choreography. Meanwhile, the episodic format does indeed lend itself well to the idea of being thrown into a story partway through, helping create the sense that this galaxy is a real place.

The Music of Star Wars Episode IV The New Hope

For me one of the strongest parts of Star Wars is the music by John Williams. Indeed Speaking as a personal fan of John Williams, I was first introduced to his work when I bought a double CD version of his music for the first star wars film for my birthday. I loved it but it took me a while to get the other soundtracks in the series. I didn’t get round to buying Empire and Return of the Jedi till the special edition Soundtrack releases in 1997.

I loved those as well and I have since bought all of the Star Wars Soundtracks that John Williams worked on.

Williams like John Barry before him had a magical talent for making the music come alive in my head to create scenes and adventures that I never saw on the cinema screen.

It was on the recommendation Spielberg, Lucas hired John Williams, who had worked with Spielberg on the film Jaws, for which he won an Academy Award. Lucas originally hired Williams to consult on music editing choices and to compose the source music for the music, telling Williams that he intended to use extant music.Lucas believed that the film would portray visually foreign worlds, but that a grand musical score would give the audience an emotional familiarity. Therefore, Lucas assembled his favourite orchestral pieces for the soundtrack, until Williams convinced him that an original score would be unique and more unified, having viewed Lucas's music choices as a temp track. However, a few of Williams's eventual pieces were influenced by the temp track: the "Main Title Theme" was inspired by the theme from the 1942 film Kings Row, scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and the track "Dune Sea of Tatooine" drew from the soundtrack of Bicycle Thieves, scored by Alessandro Cicognini.

Williams' score for Star Wars was recorded over eight sessions at Anvil Studios in Denham, England on March 5, 8–12, 15 and 16, 1977. The score was orchestrated by Williams, Herbert W. Spencer, Alexander Courage, Angela Morley, Arthur Morton and Albert Woodbury. Spencer orchestrated the scores for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The score was recorded by engineer Eric Tomlinson and edited by Kenneth Wannberg, and the scoring sessions were produced by Star Wars director George Lucas and supervised by Lionel Newman, head of 20th Century Fox's music department.

The soundtrack album was released by 20th Century Records as a double-LP record in the United States in June 1977. The album's main title peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, with a disco version of the film's theme by Meco becoming a number one single hit in the United States in October 1977. You can learn more about the Meco version of the song by clicking here

The soundtrack album itself became the best-selling symphonic album of all time.

Further reading

To take a look at the original music manuscript for the Star Wars theme click here https://gizmodo.com/john-williams-star-wars-sheet-music-auction-darth-vader-1851265635 

The American Songwriter website published this article highlighting John Williams work on the Star Wars Soundtrack to read the article click here On This Day in 1977, George Lucas Debuted ‘Star Wars’ and Set a New Standard for Film Scores - American Songwriter

Awards

Star Wars Oscars

The film garnered numerous accolades after its release. Star Wars won six competitive Academy Awards at the 50th Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. A Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing went to sound designer Ben Burtt, and a Scientific and Engineering Award went to John Dykstra for the development of the Dykstraflex Camera (shared with Alvah J. Miller and Jerry Jeffress, who were both granted for the engineering of the Electronic Motion Control System). 

To watch a collection of Star wars footage from the 1978 Oscars click here thanks to You Tube

What made Star Wars so groundbreaking

Screenrant published an article on their website called 10 moves that redifined their Genres Star wars A New Hope was number 1 in their list Hollywood likely did not expect a new sci-fi movie with a space setting to change the genre yet again less than a decade after 2001: A Space Odyssey came out. Yet Star Wars became the biggest franchise of all time, with Star Wars: A New Hope being the second highest-grossing movie of all time when adjusted for inflation (via boxofficemojo.com). All blockbuster movies are held up to Star Wars as a comparison.

 George Lucas' team notably used miniature models of futuristic ships to capture sequences of them flying through space while further developing the computer-generated effects of the time. Luke's storyline also helped popularize the "Hero's Journey" in cinema, which appears in The Matrix and Lord of the Rings (via IMDB). This demonstrates how genre-defining movies' influence may prove essential to yet another significant moment in cinematic history.

Further Watching

To watch the original trailer for Star Wars from 1977 click here

To watch a retrospecrive review of Star Wars by the Oilver Harper Youtube page click here

To watch 10 things you didnt know about Star Wars 77 from Mintys Comedic arts click here

Pictures

Star Wars Poster from 1977

Star Wars A New Hope title card

Mark Hamil as Luke SkyWalker

Artwork for the Star Wars Soundtrack album

Newspaper advert celebrating Star Wars Oscar success

Notes

Thank to the following websites for their help in completing this blog Wikipedia for the background material as well as Den of Geek for their article on how Star Wars gained its New Hope Subtitle thanks as well to Screenrant and Gizmodo.com

Thanks to Youtube and Oilver Harpers Youtube Channel One Hit Wonderland and Minty Comedic arts for their Star Wars videos and Google images for the pictures

Next week Part 2 A galactic toybox Star wars in other media and the out of this world Toy line   

[yestolerancepro]

Tolerance Project extra The final Countdown The Rocky films Ranked Round 2 The Rocky Sequels

Introduction

Welcome to the 2nd Chapter of our blog that looks at the Rocky Franchise Chapter one looked at the making of the original film Chapter 2 covers the sequels and Chapter 3 will cover my Childhood memories of the franchise and the the links to the Tolerance film.

Where do the other Rocky Films Rank?

As mentioned in the first part of the blog a recent article titled Sylvester Stallone's 18 Best Movies, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes featured 4 of the 6 Rocky films in their chart this is what they had to say about Rocky II III and Rocky Balboa for the record Rocky Balboa made number 7 even their chart with Rocky II and III making numbers 11 and 16 in their chart I have put them in release order to avoid confusion

Rocky 2

Rocky II is the second film in the Rocky franchise and the first to be directed by Stallone himself. The movie proves that Stallone is just as capable on-camera as he is behind it, as it is taut and satisfying from start-to-finish. The movie is, in the eyes of many, one of the rare sequels that live up to the original, and does a great job at furthering the story of the working-class boxing hero. The lovable underdog once again squares off with Apollo Creed, and his romance with Adrian is given new layers of depth.

Stallone the Director Rocky II

Sylvester Stallone took up directing duties for Rocky II and showcased that Rocky Balboa had what it took to lead an ongoing franchise. With an engaging script by Stallone, Rocky II told the story of a newly famous Rocky preparing for a rematch against his greatest adversary Apollo Creed. While Rocky II did not pack the same emotional punch as its predecessor it felt like a worthy addition to the series and cemented Stallone as a capable director after the failure of his debut Paradise Alley. As a result, Rocky II stood as one of the best in the series.

Further Watching to watch a documentary called 10 things you never knew about Rocky II click here

Rocky III

Rocky III is the beloved threequel to Stallone’s smash hit that put him on the map. As with the previous entry, Rocky II, Stallone returns to star and direct this sequel, and does a great job at both. The movie is about Rocky whiling away his time as the rich and famous world heavyweight champion boxer, and ultimately losing his title due to his arrogant overconfidence. Boasting new twists to the Rocky formula and lots of stylish directing, Rocky III may not be the ultimate entry in the series, but it is a massive crowd-pleaser with near-endless re-watch value.

Further watching

To watch a documentary called 10 things you never knew about Rocky III click here

Stallone the Director Rocky III

By the time Rocky III was released in 1982, Stallone and the character of Rocky Balboa had become pop culture icons. However, Rocky III, which Stallone wrote and directed, was one of the weakest entries in the entire franchise and felt like a disappointment following the previous two movies. While Rocky III did provide the world with one of the best theme songs ever with “Eye of the Tiger”, the story of Rocky facing off against Mr. T’s Clubber Lang felt like an unnecessary addition to the franchise, and he was one of the series' most forgettable adversaries.

Further reading

to learn more about Clubber Lang read this article by Screenrant click here Clubber Lang May Have Been Rocky 3’s Villain, But He Was Also Right About Balboa

Rocky 4

Though not mentioned in the Rottern Tomatoes article over on another website going by the name of Joe Rated Rocky 4 the best film of the entire series here are their comments 

Over the years, before Creed came along, there were six Rocky movies released. Four of them were absolute classics so this was always going to be tight.

Rocky IV - otherwise known as the movie that ended the Cold War - either has fans, or folks that don't know what they are on about.

While the original Rocky may have won three Oscars, the follow-up featured that famous training montage and Rocky III the most charismatic 'bad guy', Rocky IV was a bubbling melting pot of what made all those other three work so well.

Sure, we lost a beloved Rocky hero along the way and there was a weird, romantic robot plot-line - Sylvester Stallone got rid of that in the re-master - but Rocky IV has some stone-cold classic scenes, and a banger soundtrack.

Stallone The Director Rocky 4

Rocky IV was one of the best successful movies of 1985 and featured Rocky Balboa facing off against his Russian adversary Ivan Drago, portrayed by Dolph Lundgren. Rocky IV featured a much more engaging villain than Rocky III and showcased Stallone’s talent for making this type of blockbuster boxing movie. Rocky IV had some of the best training montages of the entire series and a 2021 director’s cut addition titled Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago received even better reviews than the original.

Further Watching

To watch a video called 10 things you never knew about Rocky 4 click here

Click here to watch a review of the new Directors cut of Rocky 4 taken from the Oliver Harper Youtube channel

Click here to watch a making of for Rocky 4 the Directors cut  its over 90 mins long you have been warned 

Click here for video from Stryfe the Warrior as he analysis which cut of Rocky 4 is best the new Directors cut or the theatrical Version

How does Silvester Stalone Rocky himself rate the Rocky films himself ?

This question was answered in an article by writer Scot Cambell for Farout magazine titled When Silvestor Stalone ranked every Rocky movie. 

The relationship between Sylvester Stallone and the Rocky franchise has sadly soured after the creator of the iconic boxing series found himself at loggerheads with the people who now own the rights. MGM have happily handed the keys to the kingdom over to Michael B. Jordan, as Creed III marked the first time the ‘Italian Stallion’ was absent from one of the saga’s movies.

Having headlined the first six instalments and then lent support in the following two, it’s understandable that Stallone would be so dismayed at the property he created being continued and expanded without his involvement. It’s not as if the pugilistic sports dramas have been immune from their own fair share of ups and downs along the way.

Plenty of stars and filmmakers have said choosing a favourite role, character, or film is akin to naming which of their children they prefer. However, Sly had no such qualms when he awarded the first five Rocky stories numerical value while appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show.

As you’d expect, 1976’s Rocky – the launchpad for Stallone’s entire mainstream career – was rewarded with a perfect 10/10 score. As a certifiable cinematic classic and the film that changed everything for its writer and leading man personally and professionally, it’s impossible to argue with his assessment.

Rocky II scores significantly lower at 7.5/10, even though it was the sequel that saw Rocky finally achieve his dream of becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. Rocky III shoots right back up to a 9/10, even if opinions may vary as to whether or not Mr. T’s Clubber Lang and Hulk Hogan’s Thunderlips are enough to propel it above the boxer’s second big screen outing.

Rocky IV drops back down to a 7.5/10, which makes sense considering that not only did Stallone revisit the Cold War-era festival of cheese as recently as 2021 to cobble together a director’s cut, but he was almost killed by Dolph Lundgren after instructing his co-star to punch him as hard as possible. The actor ended up in intensive care for a week and a half as a result.

Anyone familiar with Stallone’s career won’t be shocked to find he bestowed Rocky V with a big fat zero, which he was adamant ended the franchise on the worst possible note. It stayed that way until he returned 16 years later for Rocky Balboa, and he even cited his distaste for the fifth chapter as “one of the reasons I wanted to do the last one”.

Far out magazine recently published an article called Silvester Stallone names the worst Rocky movie needless to say he picked Rocky V the article again written by Scot Campbell Stallone outlined his reasons why he didnt like Rocky V

 What’s so bad about Rocky V ?

Rocky V marked the return of the original’s director, John G. Avildsen, in what was presumably intended to be a full-circle moment for the franchise. While Stallone himself directed the three chapters in between, the fifth entry in the boxing saga proved to be a damp squib in every sense of the word

As well as being the worst-reviewed and lowest-grossing entry in the entire Rocky series to date, it gathered seven nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards, including ‘Worst Picture’, ‘Worst Actor’, and ‘Worst Screenplay’ for the script penned by Stallone.

The movie regularly enters the conversation anytime the topic turns to the worst sequels to have left a black mark against Hollywood’s most iconic properties.During an interview with Jonathan Ross, where he ranked every Rocky film out of five, the fifth was slapped with a big fat zero by its own creator, with Stallone admitting “it was that bad”. Going so far as to call it “a goose egg”, the actor and filmmaker admitted that his heart was never in the project from the beginning, saying that “I was definitely not there”.Ironically, given the standing it finds itself held in by the person who wrote the script and played the title role,

 Rocky V’s failure led to the resurgence of the ‘Italian Stallion’ a decade and a half later. Stallone’s refusal to let the titular pugilist’s legacy end on such a dour note prompted him to bring the character back to screens in Rocky Balboa, which he’s labelled as his personal favourite out of any movies he’s ever made in a career that dates back over half a century.Even that proved to be a double-edged sword in certain respects, with Michael B. Jordan being drafted in to headline the Creed spinoffs and getting off to a phenomenal start for Stallone when he landed an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’. 

Following that, he continued to cede the spotlight to his on-screen protégé in the sequel.However, the decision to cut him out of the picture for Creed III and continue mining the Rocky mythology for new storytelling avenues left him furious, with Stallone calling out the producers for their call to carry on without him in no uncertain terms. More than 30 years on, then, the shadow of Rocky V continues to loom large, given how it affected the subsequent four films in a variety of ways.

Even though he didn’t rank the sixth movie, the fact he called its mere existence his “toughest challenge,” an “almost impossible dream,” and his “most memorable film moment” on Instagram suggests he’d more than likely hand it 10/10, too.

Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa is the sixth film in the Rocky franchise, and the first movie to be directed by Stallone since 1985’s Rocky IV. Despite his long respite from the director’s chair, Stallone doesn’t miss a beat in directing the sixth Rocky film, which he decided to put together after Rocky V failed to finish off the franchise on a satisfactory note. The movie is a fantastic swan-song to the Rocky series, and one of Stallone’s finest directed movies.

Rocky Balboa was recently mentioned in a Screenrant article called 10 hidden gems in long running franchises that you might have missed this is what they said about Rocky Balboa

The Rocky series has had plenty of ups and downs and after the abysmal reception to Rocky V, it felt like it was done for good. However, when the sixth installment in the series, Rocky Balboa, was released to critical acclaim, writer, director, and star Sylvester Stallone proved he was not out for the count just yet. Taking a more sentimental approach than its predecessor, this movie featured an older Rocky battling against his legacy. While the future of the Rocky movie franchise now lies on the incredible Creed series, Rocky Balboa showcased there was still interest in the Philadelphia boxer.

Stallone The Director Rocky Balboa

Sylvester Stallone’s greatest achievement as a director was Rocky Balboa. Released 16 years after the previous entry in the series Rocky V, Rocky Balboa felt like visiting an old friend and was produced with a sense of love for the character that the previous movie had been missing. With a heartfelt script that recalled the sentimentality of the original Rocky, Rocky Balboa was a nice epilogue to the Italian Stallion’s boxing career and was a film that nobody had a stronger connection with than its director, Sylvester Stallone.

Further Watching

Click here to watch a review of the Rocky Ballboa Directors cut

Rocky would return in Creed and Creed II

Rocky would be back as a mentor and a trainer to Apollo Creeds son Adonis "Donnie" Johnson in the first two Creed films Creed would be played by Micheal B Jordon Apollo himself had appear in 4 Rocky films between 1976-1985 where he would be Rockys opponent for the first 2 films his trainer in Rocky III after Mickey died and Apollo himself would die at the hands of a russian boxer in Rocky 4

To watch a trailer for creed click here Creed - Official Trailer [HD]

To watch a trailer for Creed II click here CREED II | Official Trailer 2 | MGM

Notes

Thank you to the following website for helping me complete this 2nd chapter of the blog. Rotern Tomatoes for their article Silvestor Stallone’s 18 best movies Screenrant’s 10 hidden gems in long running franchises Scot Campbell for his 2 articles on Rocky in Far out magazine titled How does Silvestor Stallone rate the Rocky films himself and Silvestor Stallone names the worst Rocky movie

Pictures

Poster for Rocky 2

Poster for Rocky 3

Poster for Rocky Balboa

4)Poster for Rocky 4

5)Poster for Rocky V 

Remember If you have read this blog and liked it please consider giving a donation to the Tolerance project by clicking on the above link thank you

[yestolerancepro]

A very bad example of customer care plain and simple

[yestolerancepro]

Tanni is quite right disabled people shouldn't be made to feel guility because they want to be able to access the British Transport service like every one else