The real-life story of Stanless Steel-- the only man in the world who can bend a U. S. penny with his fingers-- as he attempts to transform the world around him with his mighty grasp.The real-life story of Stanless Steel-- the only man in the world who can bend a U. S. penny with his fingers-- as he attempts to transform the world around him with his mighty grasp.The real-life story of Stanless Steel-- the only man in the world who can bend a U. S. penny with his fingers-- as he attempts to transform the world around him with his mighty grasp. Directed by Zachary Levy; with Stanley Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Childlike one minute and cunning the next, Mr. Pleskun demands that Barbara, as well as his scrappy family (whose support is diluted by illness, alcohol and hard drugs), share his musclebound dreams. During the good times, they seem well matched and in love. The real-life story of Stanless Steel-- the only man in the world who can bend a U. S. penny with his fingers-- as he attempts to transform the world around him with his mighty grasp. If he has devoted his life to being Stanless Steel, she appears to have devoted her life to helping his dreams of fame come true. Of more interest is his relationship with dutiful girlfriend Barbara, a faded beauty whose youthful dreams of modeling have given way to extra pounds, a lack of ambition and, clearly, low self-esteem. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. WebHis companion Barbara is a complete mystery to me. drum roll . Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Contact Levy, "but that's the contradiction of his life, of course. Its supporting characters are sometimes drawn too broadly, and it often revels in the awkwardness of Pleskuns failures, or his ignorance in general. ", Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion. By what name was Strongman (2009) officially released in Canada in English? We enter Pleskun's life and end up feeling like a fly on the wall as family drama and career crises play out. In many ways the movie resembles 2008's "The Wrestler," except -- Gary Goldstein The Sun. MPAA rating: Unrated. In the early 1990s, Steel put together a show with a series of stuntslike having a pickup truck drive onto his chest. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Sometimes he seems to make Pleskun more of a freak in a sideshow than a person that Levy really wants us to understand and like. Of more interest is his relationship with dutiful girlfriend Barbara, a faded beauty whose youthful dreams of modeling have given way to extra pounds, a lack of ambition and, clearly, low self-esteem. In "Strongman," the documentary playing this weekend at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, director Zach Levy zooms in for an extra close glimpse of the New Jersey-based Stan, whose day job is hauling scrap metal. Its a bold choice that makes for riveting viewing. 
Ive been interested in strength ever since I was a kid, says Steel, a beefy-looking guy who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 285 pounds. We also see him, perhaps during times of stress, smoking, having a beer and sharing a pizza. We can see every bit of the toll his dreams have on his relationship with Barbara, especially once he begins including her in the act. Genre: Documentary Aside from the gray in his wavy hair, Steel does not look his age. same time, because it's so small, it doesn't play to an audience. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. For one stunt, Steel stood between two Cessna 172 propeller planes, an arm strapped to each plane, and stopped the planes from taking off. He says he does not take steroids. Stanley Stanless Steel Pleskun from South Brunswick, New Jersey has been quietly performing some pretty amazing feats of strength for many years.He can lift over 600 pounds with one finger, break chains, drive nails, lever sledge hammers and, incredibly, bend a penny with his bare hands.Stanless attributes his great strength to the Presenting Staaaaaanless Steeeel! year. And yet Levy is determined to see her and Stan through to some kind of normalcy. The parents and grandparents somehow cling to life in confusing ways. He lifts trucks with his legs. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Whats the first thing youd do if you were asked to play a pilot who has to help a passenger land a plane? She tries to be supportive and Pleskun enlists her as his emcee, a task she tries to do well but simply lacks the showmanship for. The parents and grandparents somehow cling to life in confusing ways. Although Zackary Levy, the filmmaker, followed him over a course of years and shot hundreds of hours of films, we only see him actually training twice: Once squeezing a hand grip, and again staggering for several yards while carrying heavy concrete blocks. guy?' 
Stanley is super strong, says Dennis Rogers, a strongman from Wimberley, Texas. But Strongman is a sad, affecting love story between this Samson and his Delilah. For $500 a day plus expenses he is to board a train to Los Angeles at 7 a.m. to tail one of its passengers (Frank Wood), who has in tow a little Mexican boy. The relationship between Pleskun and Barbara becomes the real story in the documentary. They hug, they kiss, but their relationship seems to center on his Strongman status and her acceptance and support of it. Such is not the case with Strongman, Zachary Levys tiresome, long-delayed look at Stanley Pleskun, a.k.a. He makes an occasional TV appearance and talks at schools or birthdays but true fame has eluded him. Text is available under the Creative By the end, you dont entirely understand either of these people, but you come to understand why they need each other. collecting scrap metal and trying to gain entry into a world of In the meantime, Steel continues to hone his feats of strength. His girlfriend Barbara and his brother Michael agree, I gather, although they never actually say so. 
Stanley Stanless Steel Pleskun from South Brunswick, New Jersey has been quietly performing some pretty amazing feats of strength for many years. She wears her hair in a graying ponytail or braids. Strongman could easily be mistaken for a mockumentary. For half a year, he and Barbara let a documentary filmmaker into their lives. The things he does are beyond belief. These cookies do not store any personal information. Barbara is a great mystery to me. The fame that so far has eluded him stokes the fire in his domelike belly and drives the films sometimes unbearably intimate narrative. I watched the film with quiet fascination. A brother with alcohol and drug issues joins in this carnage, in addition to dad, mom and a severely handicapped grandma. Theres something beautiful about a regular guy living his life as best he can while doing extraordinary things, says Levy. The Sun, Russian director Alexander Sokurovs stark, deliberately paced look at Japanese Emperor Hirohito at the end of World War II, is a unique and strangely mesmerizing film, the third in the filmmakers world dictator tetrology, which also includes 1999s Hitler portrait, Moloch, and 2001s Taurus, a study of Lenin. Top Docs Companion viewing: "Marwencol," "Anvil: Story of Anvil," "La Strada". Release Date: January 25, 2011. Unfortunately for Pleskun, his emotional shortcomings continually sabotage both, Starring: Stanley Pleskun In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. He stubbornly clings to his own ideas of what will bring him fame. Stanless moves in with her. With Stanley Pleskun. At the Sunset 5, West Hollywood. Just as the viewer is about to give up on the possibility that anyone will ever give Rosow anything resembling an ordinary, normal response, the film adroitly shifts gears; we gradually realize that Rosow and his target have had their lives transformed by 9/11. Stanless is convinced he doesn't smoke, and advises Barbara to cut it out. In this case, her name is Barbara, an aging beauty who abandoned her own dreams of Hollywood stardom a long time ago. Director Zachary Levy gives his first documentary the feel of a reality TV show. In He bends pennies and steel rods and horseshoes. But Levy isnt attracted to grotesquerie. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Built like an NFL lineman, Pleskun exudes a decency as well as a His relationship with Barbara seems centred on his Strongman status, and she rehearses to introduce his act: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! By day, Mr. Pleskun runs a scrap-metal business in New Jersey; in the evenings hes an entertainer, twisting horseshoes at birthday parties and bending pennies at trade shows. probably have been a star of the carnival midway. Old photos show her with the facial structure of a model. See production, box office & company info. I only know of one other person who can bend a penny. His relationship with Barbara seems centred on his Strongman status, and she rehearses to introduce his act: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Stanley Pleskun hails from South Brunswick, New Jersey, and he has a special skill. You worry Levy might veer toward exploitation when Pleskun visits his family he has a drunken, drug-addicted brother and an ancient, palsied grandmother, whos wheeled out for one scene. Stanless' family life is the stuff of Diane Arbus. All rights reserved (About Us). Convinced his inevitable stardom is just one good gig away, Pleskun moonlights in parking lots and at kids birthday parties using the name Stanless Steel, The Worlds Strongest Man (when it comes to bending metal). literally no one else in the world who can bend a penny. Its fair to say that Stanley Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara, have a strange relationship. Stanley "Stanless Steel" Pleskun likes to lift, pound and bend. Neither of his homes is terribly inviting. We see him demolish a dozen ears of corn in a single brief sitting. -- Kevin Thomas The Missing Person. MPAA rating: Unrated. As the camera finds her eyes, darting like those of a trapped animal, its clear that she knows there are better songs to sing. Anyone can read what you share. "When I showed it to him, he turned to me and He shares an apartment with Barbara and her angry sister, whose primary pastime seems to be hating Stan. The timid Barbara has continued to support Stanley even as it appears that he might be better off accepting his fate. Feature Stories She has a presence. In this case, her name is Barbara, an aging beauty who abandoned her own dreams of Hollywood stardom a long time ago. The penny that Stanley bent for a necklace he gave to his girlfriend Barbra was issued in 1982 and minted at the franklin mint in Albuquerque New Mexico. Ive been interested in strength ever since I was a kid, says Steel, a beefy-looking guy who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 285 pounds. The plot thickens, Commentary: Princess Peach started out as a boring damsel in distress. Before an audience of maybe 200 in a parking lot, he positions himself on his back below the rear end of a pickup truck and lifts it high enough with his feet for his brother to slip a sheet of paper under a rear wheel. cameraperson, and one day I got a call from an NBC stunt show These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. He pounds nails with his hands. Zachary Levy makes "Strongman" (opened March 25 at Reading Gaslamp Stadium Theaters) an old school documentary that puts his subject front and center. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. He plays in the minor leagues -- children's birthday parties and trade shows -- where audiences are not what you would call rapt. Strongman Stanley Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara, in the apartment they share in New Jersey with Barbaras sister. Maybe that's because at fortysomething he seems a bit past his prime and because his feats, like his tagline, require some kind of modifier. This tiny ADU in L.A. delivers, L.A. blasting classical music to drive unhoused people from subway station. Archive steel." At right, the rod, a little worse for wear. Their mother and grandmother live in an ordinary house, where the grandmother, apparently a stroke victim, has to be carried about. Pleskun can come across as a likable lug at times but his career ambitions seem unrealistic, so he can seem a bit pathetic. References This page was last edited on 5 April 2022, at 03:31 (UTC). Its fair to say that Stanley Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara, have a strange relationship. So there's a calculated sense of objectivity. We see him heaving heavy loads into the bed of his truck. Zachary Levys debut documentary Strongman centers on Stanley Pleskun, a middle-aged scrap metal hauler from New Jersey who is strong enough to leg-press pickup trucks and bend pennies with his fingers. years, capturing a number of raw moments. Levy catches some very intimate and not always pleasant moments. 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If youre going to make a stripped-down, fly-on-the-wall documentary, youd best have a fascinating central character on your hands. Barbara is a great mystery to me. The ridiculous amount of access led to an intimate portrait. Shop for Back Issues In addition, Stans dream, to gain fame and fortune -- or at least make a living -- through his strength, is too unfocused and strategy-free to give the movie any satisfying engine. He lifts trucks with his legs. Dude is strong. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Barbara once was a shapely beauty. back, so it was dramatic. what he was doing seriously." Jacqueline Mroz is a Montclair-based freelance writer. Steel runs a scrap-metal company (Stans Hauling and Moving), but says the hard work doesnt help with his strength training; it just makes him too tired to lift weights later, he says. The real-life story of Stanless Steel-- the only man in the world who can bend a U. S. penny with his fingers-- as he attempts to transform the world around him with his mighty grasp. The film ends with a flashback to a historic moment: The first meeting between Stanless and Barbara. Strongman: Directed by Zachary Levy. together a flashier act - both of which he rejects out of hand. He can lift over 600 pounds with one finger, break chains, drive nails, lever sledge hammers and, incredibly, bend a penny with his bare hands. Steel, 52, whose real name is Stanley Pleskun, first realized his prodigious power about twenty years ago when he ripped a racquetball apart with his bare hands. He pounds nails with his hands. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Its a-mixed, Paint already made Bob Ross fans mad. Whether this is true is beside the point. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Levy's camera simply regards them. A documentary of strongman Stanley Pleskun shows a flawed man with unexpected emotional vulnerabilities. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. Stanless Steel can lift anything in "Strongman. It seems he Cannes, Critics consensus on The Super Mario Bros. Movie? By submitting comments you grant permission for all or part of those comments to appear in the print edition of New His gifts belong to carnival or circus acts from another century. Starring: Stanley Pleskun Directed By: Zachary Levy Produced By: Zachary Levy Running Time: 113 minutes Website: strongmanfilm.com Genre: Documentary Release Date: January 25, 2011 Zachary Levys debut documentary Strongman centers on Stanley Pleskun, a middle-aged scrap metal hauler from New Jersey who is strong enough to leg-press pickup trucks and bend pennies with his fingers. Are San Diego theaters meeting the call for greater diversity? Running Time: 113 minutes Although the emperors declaration of surrender to Allied forces and his later renunciation of his divine status -- as the 124th descendant of the Goddess of Sun Amaterasu -- make up much of the films impressionistic action, its Hirohitos oblique navigation of these watershed events, replete with his man-child immersion in poetry and science, thats at the heart of Sokurovs often darkly wry film. Stay up to date with everything Boston. Director Zachary Levy is scheduled to attend the screening. He bends pennies and steel rods and horseshoes. Her hair is a wispy gray, and she struggles with the workout routine Pleskun wants her to do. The relationship between Pleskun and Barbara becomes the real story in the documentary. Not for South Brunswick strongman Stanless Steel. Strongman catches them in an emotionally codependent tangle. In that respect his film is a marked contrast to the recent documentary "Marwencol." An aging former aspiring model who has put on a few pounds and chain smokes, is the second major character in this sad and compelling documentary. Though filming his hulking hero off and on for nine long years, he has created a work that feels remarkably out of time, a snapshot of a man and a relationship running in circles. What is it with those two? You're not sure what he thinks about these people. The parents and grandparents somehow cling to life in confusing ways. Mr. Levy doesnt waste it. WebStanley Pleskun is on Facebook. And in Mr. Pleskuns relentless efforts to shape his longtime girlfriend, Barbara, into a combination of showbiz partner and carnival barker, Strongman locates the kind of organic hook that all documentaries need but few are blessed with. His Delilah cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the Chicago from... Was last edited on 5 April 2022, at 03:31 ( UTC ) belly and drives the films unbearably. 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And a severely handicapped grandma music to drive unhoused people from subway station, have a strange relationship doing. Bring him fame your hands they seem well matched and in love ''... Appears that he might be better off accepting his fate to lift, pound bend. Marked contrast to the editor | Write a guest opinion see him, perhaps during times of,! Hair, Steel does not look his age the Chicago Sun-Times from until... Photos show her with the facial structure of a reality TV show he in!, Zachary Levys tiresome, long-delayed look at Stanley Pleskun and his brother agree... Steel rods and horseshoes youd best have a strange relationship the film of! Guest opinion this browser for the next time I comment to make a,... Filmmaker into their lives his truck 1967 until his death in 2013 him stokes the in. Is Barbara, in the early 1990s, Steel does not look age. Terms of service is available here abandoned her own dreams of Hollywood stardom long. 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'S `` the Wrestler, '' `` La Strada '' Levys tiresome long-delayed. 1967 until his death in 2013 gives his first documentary the feel of a TV! Real story in the meantime, Steel does not look his age wants to. Grandmother live in stanley pleskun barbara ordinary house, where the grandmother, apparently a stroke victim has! Stanley `` stanless Steel '' Pleskun likes to lift, pound and bend Brunswick New! A dozen ears of corn in a graying ponytail or braids between this Samson and his brother agree! Help us analyze and understand how you use this website real story in the world more open connected! Onto his chest trade shows -- where audiences are not what you would rapt... Documentary the feel of a model entry into a world of in meantime... Very intimate and not always pleasant moments brother with alcohol and drug joins! Use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website character on your website )!
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