Like its 1977 predecessor, PUMPING IRON II follows a bodybuilding contest where the big question on everyone's mind is, is bigger better? The question takes on feminist overtones as the "bigger" is supplied by Bev Francis, a former power lifter who has slimmed down some (but not too much)
in order to compete as a female bodybuilder, a class which has always emphasized more traditionally "feminine" women. That's largely window dressing, however, in a film that is still primarily for viewers who are already fans of bodybuilding.
PUMPING IRON II follows four women as they prepare to compete for the 1983 Caesar's World Cup bodybuilding prize, to be held at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The top prize is $50,000, the largest ever for any such contest (male or female). Rachel McLish is the reigning champion, an exemplar of the
sculpted but not "too" muscular woman favored in the field. Texan Lori Bowen Rice, in her first professional competition, has long idolized McLish. Carla Dunlap is a strong-minded black woman from New Jersey. Australian Bev Francis holds numerous records for weight lifting, and has reshaped her
body from that of a 182-lb. power lifter to a 145-lb. bodybuilder. The women work out, rehearse their posing routines, and spend time with their families and lovers.
Representatives of the International Female Body Building Association are forced by the entry of Francis to seek a standard of "femininity" to guide the competition's judges. While one trainer objects to being told that "There is a point beyond which women cannot go," the board worries that an
influx of heavily-muscled women will turn off fans of the competition. The most adamant objection comes from a female official, who states that Francis "does not represent what women want to look like." McLish's custom-made swimsuit is rejected by the judges; during the competition, her substitute
is also ruled improper, and she is docked points. After a long deliberation, as the judges struggle to make a decision based on the ambiguous criteria they have been given, they announce the results. Francis comes in last in a field of eight; Rice places fourth, McLish third, and Dunlap first.
The issue of what a woman chooses to do with her body may be a feminist one, but it's taken to such an extreme in PUMPING IRON II that it's hard to imagine many women identifying with it in any real way. Viewers of just about any bent can find fuel for their arguments here. Francis is living her
dream of acquiring a "Greek" physique, but she is undeniably masculine-looking; McLish is a model of traditional feminine beauty, but seems to have nothing going for her other than her looks. (As traditional in her views as in her appearance, she is a Born Again Christian who describes herself as
"a really strong powder puff.") Still, one probably shouldn't take too seriously a film that follows its protagonists into the shower to have them discuss standards of beauty while the camera loving tracks their soapy muscles, as preparation for a contest in which the winners can claim their
prizes in cash or chips. (Nudity.) leave a comment
