Pumping Iron

Mixing documentary footage with staged scenes, Pumping Iron captured what many believe to be the golden era of bodybuilding in the 1970s, and was the film that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger’s international career. It shows amateur and professional bodybuilders during their intense preparation for the Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe competitions in 1975. In particular, we meet a young Schwarzenegger, the five-times champion defending his Mr. Olympia title against Lou Ferrigno. Almost 50 years on, the film is remembered for having changed forever the world of bodybuilding.