Movie Moment Monday - Gonna Fly Now

This is the latest entry in a series in which I present one of my favorite scenes in film history. Each scene will be posted during the first work day of every week thus making it Movie Moment Monday.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has for decades been visited year round by art enthusiasts. But, needless to say, the most common visitor isn't there to check out a classic Renoir or a bizarre Dali. The common visitor wants to see the Rocky statue and, most importantly, run the steps.
Easily one of the most famous images in movies, or pop culture even, is Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa celebrating at the top of the steps with his fists in the air. Since the movie's release in 1976 (Oscar winner for Best Picture) scores of people have traveled to Philly to do exactly that. If I find myself in the "City of Brotherly Love" at some point, there's no way I leave without heading to the museum and recreating the scene myself.

The Players

Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone
Mickey Goldmill - Burgess Meredith
Mike - Jimmy Gambina
Composer of "Gonna Fly Now" - Bill Conti


The Set Up
This scene, or movie for that matter, doesn't need an introduction, but I'll give it one anyway. Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed is struggling to find competition. His managers come up with a plan to allow a nobody the chance to become a somebody by facing the champ. That nobody is Philly's own, Rocky Balboa. Everybody immediately counts him out except Rocky himself who begins to train hardcore style.
Every Rocky movie has a training scene or two, but this is the one that started them all.
The scene begins with those all too familiar trumpet blasts as Rocky jogs along and the sun rises behind him. He runs through the market where someone flips him an apple. Then we get a glimpse of all the training necessities. It's got the punching bags (both leather and meat), the push ups (both clapping and one-armed) and, of course, the running (both jogging and full-out sprinting).
One of the best shots is when Rocky's jogging along the pier with that massive ship behind him. As Conti's music cranks up, so do Rocky's legs. Which leads us to those steps. Those steps which got the best of him earlier in the film. But, not this time.

Doesn't get much better than that.