Pumping Iron II: The Women

Last updated

Pumping Iron II: The Women
Pumping iron 2 the women.jpg
Directed by George Butler
Written by George Butler
Charles Gaines
Produced by George Butler
Starring Bev Francis
Rachel McLish
Steve Michalik
Music by David McHugh
Michael Montes
Production
company
Distributed byCinecom Pictures
Release date
  • May 3, 1985 (1985-05-03)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Pumping Iron II: The Women is a 1985 documentary film directed by George Butler about female bodybuilding. The film follows four women as they prepare for and compete in a bodybuilding competition. It is a follow-up to Butler's 1977 documentary Pumping Iron , which centered on a male bodybuilding competition, and notably introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger to a wide audience.

Contents

The film's central drama concerns the participation of Australian powerlifter Bev Francis who is unusually muscular even by the standards of female bodybuilders, sparking debates about the importance and definition of "femininity" in female bodybuilding.

Synopsis

The film centers on four female bodybuilders competing in the 1983 Caesars World Cup, held at the Caesars Palace hotel and casino in Las Vegas:

The film begins in the weeks leading up to the competition, observing the women as they train and discuss the contest with their coaches, families, and friends. In the lead-up to the competition, Bev Francis travels to the United States to be trained by 1972 AAU Mr. America, Steve Michalik (who later guest poses during a break in the competition).

A major tension explored through the film is how and whether the competitors should be judged on their "femininity", in addition to their muscular development. [1] Controversially, powerlifter Bev Francis has muscular development which is unprecedented in the world of female bodybuilding. Some competitors and judges applaud her achievement, while others find it excessive and believe that it compromises her femininity. McLish, who has a more conventionally feminine appearance and has enjoyed a very successful bodybuilding career, is positioned as a foil to Francis. In a key moment, the filmmakers show a meeting of the judges before the competition in which they unsuccessfully attempt to elucidate their official position on the role of femininity in their judging.

During the competition, hosted by celebrity journalist George Plimpton, the film captures the athletes posing on stage, the audience's and judges' reactions, and backstage moments, including the judges' deliberations. Ultimately, out of 15 competitors, Bev Francis places eighth—eliciting boos from the crowd—Rachel McLish finishes third, and Carla Dunlap wins first place.

After the competition, the competitors celebrate backstage over ice cream. The camera captures the reactions of the competitors and their supporters to the results, ending with a scene in the hotel room of Bev Francis. Francis appears equanimous, but her supporters express outrage at the judges' decision. The film ends with one of Francis's trainers expressing his bafflement directly to the camera, rhetorically asking what the higher ranked competitors had over Francis: "Explain it to me. Explain it to me. Explain it to me."

Background and production

Pumping Iron II was made as a follow-up to the groundbreaking 1977 film Pumping Iron . [2] [3]

The film avoids devices typical of the documentary genre such as direct-to-camera interviews or narration, instead adopting a more dramatic style. [4] Critics and commentators have pointed out that some scenes appear staged or unnatural. [5] [6] [1] Director George Butler referred to the film as a "semi documentary". [7]

The Caesars World Cup was a contest created specifically for the film. The competitors were a mix of professional and amateur bodybuilders, which was actually a violation of IFBB rules. Charles Gaines, one of the writers of the film, was included on the contest's judging panel. He was interviewed for the film but not identified, and had never previously seen a female bodybuilding contest. [7]

A scene in which Bev Francis and Rachel McLish perform duelling poses in front of the judges was contrived by the filmmakers to play up the apparent rivalry between the two women. Francis had been eliminated from the competition before the "pose down" phase, but the filmmakers convinced the judges to allow her to participate for the sake of the film's narrative. [8]

The film was based on the book Pumping Iron II: The Unprecedented Woman. [9]

Distribution

The film was released on DVD April 8, 2003 by distributor Central Park Media. The DVD is currently out of print, as the distributor went bankrupt in April 2009, subsequently having to close for the foreseeable future.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodybuilding</span> Control and development of musculature

Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting, which focuses solely on increasing the physical load one can exert.

<i>Pumping Iron</i> 1977 docudrama about the world of bodybuilding directed by George Butler

Pumping Iron is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and Larry Silk, it is inspired by the 1974 book of the same name by photographer Butler and writer Charles Gaines and nominally centers on the competition between Arnold Schwarzenegger and one of his primary competitors for the title of Mr. Olympia, Lou Ferrigno. The film also features segments on bodybuilders Franco Columbu and Mike Katz, in addition to appearances by Ken Waller, Ed Corney, Serge Nubret, and other famous bodybuilders of the era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Olympia</span> Recurring sporting event

Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanctioned by the IFBB Professional League. Joe Weider created the contest to enable the amateur Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money. The first Mr. Olympia was held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, with Larry Scott winning his first of two straight titles. The equivalent female title is Ms. Olympia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bev Francis</span> Australian bodybuilder and powerlifter

Beverley "Bev" Francis is an Australian gym owner and retired professional bodybuilder, powerlifter, and national shot put champion.

Rachel Livia Elizondo McLish is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress, and author.

Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

Mary Roberts was one of the top professional female bodybuilders of the 1980s. She possessed a classic short (5-3), thick physique featuring an overwhelming upper body even as a lightweight. Roberts big arms, deltoids and chest with her mature looks and flashing, almost challenging dark eyes projected a very powerful, confident aura onstage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ms. Olympia</span> Professional bodybuilding competition

The IFBB Professional League Ms. Olympia is professional bodybuilding's most prestigious competition and the title of the winner of the competition in female bodybuilding. It was first held in 1980. It was held as part of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend from 2000 to 2014 and since 2020.

Carla Dunlap-Kaan is a professional American female bodybuilding champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge Nubret</span> Guadeloupean bodybuilder (1938–2011)

Serge Nubret was a French professional bodybuilder, actor and self-published author. He won numerous bodybuilding competitions, including 1976 NABBA Mr. Universe (1976). Nubret was nicknamed "The Black Panther."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitness and figure competition</span> Form of physique training

Fitness and figure competition is a class of physique-exhibition events mainly for women but also men. While bearing a close resemblance to bodybuilding, its emphasis is on muscle definition, not size. The class was introduced when bodybuilding's popularity began to decline.

In bodybuilding and physique, a posedown is a free for all posing round in a bodybuilding or physique competition where the participants strike various poses, highlighting specific muscles and their overall physique. Posedowns are usually the final part of the competition and can often decide a close competition. Some competitors like to keep pre-set routine for the posedown in order to keep the flow going and show off their muscles. There are strategies competitors adopt during posedowns to best dominate or intimidate opponents, such as the forced perspective of posing as massive as possible and covering up other opponents on stage or forcing opponents into another pose, which can throw off their pre-set posing routine. For this reason, some competitors like to go through a spontaneous routine and keep the competition off-guard.

Kay Baxter was a pioneer female bodybuilder.

Kenny Waller is an American former bodybuilder featured in the 1977 movie Pumping Iron, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Waller also won the 1975 International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) Mr. Universe contest in Pretoria, South Africa. He was known for his curly red hair, freckles and his graceful, confident posing style.

Dona Oliveira was a professional female bodybuilder from the United States. She competed from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s.

Theresa Jean Bell, better known as Pillow, also known as The She-Beast, was a United States bodybuilder in the early 1980s. While competing in bodybuilding, she was also an exotic dancer in Alaska. She was crowned Miss Exotic World 1995. "Pillow" is her legal name.

The 1991 Ms. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition was held on October 12 and 13, 1991 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. It was the 12th Ms. Olympia competition held.

Bodybuilding in the United States traces its early history to the 1860s when it was based on the east coast. By the 1940s, it had arrived in Hawaii. In the same period, the country was involved with the early internationalization of the sport. The sport had a golden age during the 1960s and 1970s when much of the activity was taking place on the west coast. Bodybuilding for women began to take off during the 1970s. A number of changes took place in the 1980s.

Bodybuilding in Australia traces its early history to the 1940s. In 1947 the first large scale national bodybuilding contest was held, and since then bodybuilding has continued to grow within Australia. It has diversified from originally being largely male-dominated to having equal, or in some instances more, women competitors. Australia has both produced high performing bodybuilders, such as Lee Priest, and also hosted some historically significant events in the field, such as the IFBB Mr Olympia in 1980 where Arnold Schwarzenegger was the winner.

Chinedu Andrew Obiekea born 1985, better known as Andrew Jacked is a Nigerian IFBB Pro League professional bodybuilder, trainer and fitness influencer, residing in Dubai, UAE. His latest victory was at the 2023 Texas Pro in Arlington, Texas. Obiekea first rose to prominence training with powerlifter Larry Williams before becoming one of the most notable bodybuilders in the 2020s.

References

  1. 1 2 Benson, Sheila (May 24, 1985). "Movie Review: 'Pumping Iron II' And A View Of Strong Women". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  2. ↑ Steinem, Gloria (May 15, 2012). Moving Beyond Words: Essays on Age, Rage, Sex, Power, Money, Muscles ... - Gloria Steinem - Google Books. ISBN   9781453250174 . Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ Deford, Frank (May 13, 1985). "'Pumping Iron Ii' Is An Intriguing Film That Examines Women Bodybuilders". Si.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  4. ↑ Kempley, Rita (June 6, 1985). "'Pumping Iron II': The Ladies Turn". Washington Post.
  5. ↑ Ebert, Roger (May 31, 1985). "Pumping Iron II: The Women Movie Review (1985)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Summer of '85: The Strongest Femme in the World: Pumping Iron II: The Women | The House Next Door". Slant Magazine. July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  7. 1 2 McGough, Peter (December 19, 2014). "The Making of Pumping Iron II - Rachel McLish vs. Bev Francis". Muscular Development.
  8. ↑ Klein, Alan (1993). Little Big Men : Bodybuilding Subculture and Gender Construction. State University of New York Press. p. 305.
  9. ↑ Maslin, Janet (May 3, 1985). "Movie Review - - Film: 'Pumping Iron II: The Women'". The New York Times . Retrieved April 27, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.