by Bruce Westbrook excerpts from the Houston Chronicle 12.17.04

Talia Shire hasn't forgotten what made Sylvester Stallone beloved as an underdog actor.

"Before, people used boxing movies as a metaphor for corruption," Shire says of the film, which returns this month in a six-disc DVD box set that includes all five Rocky movies plus the A&E special Sylvester Stallone: The Rocky Road to the Top. "But Sylvester made a different story, where you go 15 rounds with your soul."

Rocky scored a knockout, earning $225 million worldwide and three Oscars, including Best Picture.

"I hope it gets rediscovered," Shire says. "Young people need that kind of folk hero, that inspiration.

"Rocky is about your right to have a dream. It's very much an American piece."