Review of Pumping Iron (1977) by Dawn C — 13 Jan 2010

There really is no other film that defines Arnold Schwarzenegger. Behind all of the acting, we finally get to view what he was actually like, when he was a bodybuilder. This documentary is very well together, and shows us what bodybuilders go through daily...beautifully.

This film shows us the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the road to his eighth consecutive Mr. Olympia title. We see him training, discussing to the viewers how he works out...amongst various other things. It's both interesting and entertaining to see the giant go through his daily routine's and really see how he got so strong. We are shown various other bodybuilders like Matt Katz and Lou Ferrigno, amongst others.

The camera work in this documentary is done very well. The camera zooms in on muscles that are being flexed as the bodybuilders work out....so we are able to see them getting stronger and stronger. It's very fun.

What I also really like about this film...is how the film goes into detail about specific athlete's training routines. It's really interesting to see how they differentiate from the other bodybuilders.

"Pumping Iron" is a great documentary...and is truly essential to understand Schwarzenegger's life, and how he rose to fame.