Rating: 
Summary: Docudrama at its Best
Review: This is a docudrama. That means not everything is true. What makes this DVD stand out from the earlier VHS version is the story behind the making of Pumping Iron. This special feature alone is worth the purchase of this DVD. For years the muscle media has said that some of this film was staged, but there were many rumors about what was and wasn't true. Butler and cast lay to rest various myths and add some interesting tidbits to the whole package. Successful bodybuilders know that it takes more than muscles to become famous, and for a short time, we are given a glimpse of what that is all about. Louie Ferrigno, Mike Katz, Schwarzenegger all talk about what went on behind the scenes. This is not to say that everything is fictional, because it isn't. But some of it is. The beauty of this film is that in the end, we don't really care. We have seen our heroes and we have been entertained.
Rating:
Summary: A Slice of History from the Golden Age of Bodybuilding
Review: Pumping Iron essentially follows four bodybuilders, two professional (Arnold Schwarzenegger & Lou Ferigno) and two amatuers (Mike Katz & Ken Waller)as they train and compete for their sport's top prize, Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe, respectively. The setting is 1975 and the contests take place in Pretoria, South Africa. There are also several vignettes describing the backgrounds of the competitors listed above as well as Franco Columbo. In addition to the background of the main competitors, we get to see a side of them that is unknown to the audience (at that time) - such as Arnold's use of psychology against opponents and his unsatisfied thirst for victory. Visually, the training at Gold's Gym in Venice,CA and the posedown at the contests, are stunning. Overall, this is an excellent DVD to own. If you are a bodybuilding fan, this will undoubtedly provide you with motivation and insight. If you are not a fan, this may be what makes you one.
Rating:
Summary: Motivation
Review: A lot of other people who reviewed this movie wrote about the "psychological" aspect of it and how Arnold was able to psych out Lou Ferrigno to win the 1975 Mr. Olympia title. The fact is that most of what happens in the movie is acting, except for the training scenes and the actual contest outcome. This is what I want to focus my review on. Arnold retired from the sport of bodybuilding before I was born, so like many people my age the only way we could see Arnold training was through black and white photos in his Bodybuilding Encyclopedia book. However, this DVD brings those pictures to life and now you can see Arnold training "in motion" for the first time (although it is less than 10 minutes of the movie). Two scenes in particular that really give you an idea of how hard he used to train is when he does T Bar Rows and Squats. Its unbelievable, the guy was a machine. I have watched this movie so many times before I went to the gym and it is a great way to get motivated. And as good as the movie is the extras are even better. The interview with Arnold is very interesting and so are the behind the scenes footage. The movie itself is very well done, Arnold has some hilarious quotes but the best thing about it are the training scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Look At The Subculture Of Bodybuilding
Review: It is, as Arnold would typically say, simply terrific to finally discover the movie re-released as a DVD. Curiously enough, as someone who is featured as a member of the audience at Mountain Park when the sequences featuring Arnold guest-posing there were shot, I suppose I was a bit player in this movie. As it turned out, I was invited by Ed Jubinville, who ran the event, and got the chance to meet Arnold after the show. Yet my fondness for this expansive and revealing look into the intense subculture of bodybuilding is based more on the way it opened up the world of physical fitness and bodybuilding, which up to that point had been the subject of crude jokes and ridicule. This in many ways is a documentary, and photographer and videographer George Butler and author Charles Gaines (who wrote the original best-selling book, "Pumping Iron") took quite a risk in pushing this cultish film into the mainstream. Indeed, it originally played in arthouses and didn't become a hit until later. Yet it provided the spring for success Arnold needed to prove he could both emote and act (not many people understood the film was in fact scripted, such that many of the so-called stories and events were derived from the experiences of others,written into the film to provide a plot that otherwise didn't exist. thus events such as Schwarzenegger's father's death just before the Olympia (never happened that way), or Ken Waller plotting to undo Mike Katz. Likewise, the whole Mike Katz teeshirt routine. Still, at base this remains a fascinating look into the otherwise mysterious world of competitive bodybuilding, although the story described herein depicts a world that no longer exists as it did twenty five years ago. Nowadays bodybuilding is a big-money enterprise, and it has changed in the process of so evolving. People are in it for the money and the fame, and drugs play a much bigger part in the calculation than they did then. In that sense at least, it has lost its innocence. Still, for anyone so inclined, this is a memorable and intriguing story, featuring a numbner of world class strength athletes such as Schwarzenegger, Louis Ferrigno, Franco Columbo, Dave Draper, Serge Nubret, and Mike Katz, all then in their prime. This is a terrific movie, and one that I am sure you will enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Documenting Arnold was a star before Arnold was a star
Review: You will never get a better chance to see a movie star in embryonic form than watching 28-year old Austrian body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger in this 1976 documentary about bodybuilding. Arnold is "Pumping Iron" to win his sixth straight Mr. Olympia title and the future Terminator steals the spotlight from his competitors (including Lou Ferrigno in his pre-Incredible Hulk days) with relative ease. Directors George Butler and Robert Fiore capture the world of competitive bodybuilding on film, but it is Arnold who makes it all seem like such a noble effort. With his natural charm and his single-minded determination, it is easy in retrospect to see why he became such a box officer star. This is a man who has always been comfortable with who he is and what he is doing. Even if you find the sight of muscular men covered in oil to be somewhat disquieting (I am pleading guilty here), you will find this look at their world to be both fascinating and insightful.
Rating:
Summary: good movie
Review: this movie wasnt that bad,if your into weight lifting,bodybuilding.this is the movie for you.There are all the classic lifters,lou,franco,aronld,and more.I recommend it as a buy it movie , more then a rent it.
Rating:
Summary: Docudrama
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest!
Review: Best documentary EVER. Arnold mentions in the extras they called it a "docudrama" rather than a documentary, but it is--even if some if fictionalized. It's great, captures the essence of the sport and the drive to be the best. And Arnold's attitude brings along great humor!
Rating:
Summary: Motivation
Review: A lot of other people who reviewed this movie wrote about the "psychological" aspect of it and how Arnold was able to psych out Lou Ferrigno to win the 1975 Mr. Olympia title. The fact is that most of what happens in the movie is acting, except for the training scenes and the actual contest outcome. This is what I want to focus my review on. Arnold retired from the sport of bodybuilding before I was born, so like many people my age the only way we could see Arnold training was through black and white photos in his Bodybuilding Encyclopedia book. However, this DVD brings those pictures to life and now you can see Arnold training "in motion" for the first time (although it is less than 10 minutes of the movie). Two scenes in particular that really give you an idea of how hard he used to train is when he does T Bar Rows and Squats. Its unbelievable, the guy was a machine. I have watched this movie so many times before I went to the gym and it is a great way to get motivated. And as good as the movie is the extras are even better. The interview with Arnold is very interesting and so are the behind the scenes footage. The movie itself is very well done, Arnold has some hilarious quotes but the best thing about it are the training scenes.
Rating: 
Summary: get to see a much younger Arnold!
Review: A film by George Butler and Robert Fiore This DVD was my first look into the world of professional bodybuilding and it provided the opportunity to Arnold Schwarzenegger back when he was a body builder. I only know Arnold from his movies (and now that he is governor), so it was nice to see where he came from. This documentary leads up to the Mr. Olympia competition. Mr. Olympia is the pinnacle of professional bodybuilding. If you can win this, you are the best in the world. At the time of this film, Arnold had won for the previous 5 years and he was trying for his 6th Mr. Olympia title. Also trying to win the title is Lou Ferrigno (who most people know as "The Hulk" from the television show). Ferrigno is young and is entering his very first Mr. Olympia competition. It is easy to see why Arnold became such a success. He has a magnetic personality, he is likable, and he already knew how to play the type of mind games (or political games) that would serve him well later in life. In the documentary, Arnold talked about how he would get in the heads of his fellow competitors, no matter if they were better trained or in better shape, he would ultimately win the competition because he psyched them out. He also talked about how some body builders would come up to him and ask for advice, and he would often give them bad advice so that they would not do as well in competition. It is also impressive to watch these body builders and see just what kind of shape they are in. I think I saw muscles in places that I didn't know there were supposed to be muscles. These are big men, but for the most part, they are not ridiculously muscled. This documentary shows their personalities so that the men are more than just muscle-heads, and it shows their hopes and dreams as they have varying amounts of success and failure. I thought this was a very interesting documentary and a fairly fast moving film. This is good stuff and if the subject (or just Arnold) interests you at all, this is one to check out.
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