(2) `Raw Iron - The Making of `Pumping Iron

Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Conan the Barbarian

As the Terminator

Conan and the Terminator were just two of the roles that propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger into Hollywood royalty.  I was more the academic sort, so except for the seminal Terminator, I eschewed many of his films.  The plot and his acting were terrible, and he never quite smoothed out his rough Austrian accent.  They were forgettable, at best.  Still popular culture loved him and lapped him up, and that is what is most important for stardom.  `Raw Iron - The Making of `Pumping Iron, released in 2002, on the 25th anniversary of that iconic film, has Arnold Schwarzenegger covered.

In 1978, I happened into T'ai Chi.  I never really let go of lifting weights and getting fit, but going into the 1980s my whole notion of fitness changed drastically.  Throughout graduate school (1986 - 1993), for example, I worked out at Northwestern University and lifted massive weights and swam laps in the Olympic pool.  Still T'ai Chi brought on meditation, spirituality and philosophy as ways of being and exercising.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD