"I was always dreaming about very powerful people," Arnold Schwarzenegger says in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. "Dictators and things like that. I was just always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years, or even, like Jesus, be for thousands of years remembered."
It remains to be seen whether Schwarzenegger's iconic status endures into the next millennium or approaches son-of-God-like levels. What is certain is that the popular film star and governor of California has cemented his position as one of the most formidable and well-known personalities in the world. It's this fact that makes watching George Butler and Robert Fiore's film all the more interesting.
In Iron, an impossibly arrogant Arnold chases his sixth consecutive Mr. Olympia title, competing against numerous other lifters, including the awkward, shy, young and deaf Lou Ferrigno. From showing Arnold's ruminations on the orgasmic effects of weightlifting to depicting his cruel psych-outs of Ferrigno and his father, the film offers a fascinating look at the competitive world of body-building and a larger-than-life personality just beginning to move into the public eye.
Pumping Iron screens tonight at 7 p.m. at Muenzinger Auditorium on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder; director George Butler will make an appearance at the show. Tickets are $5, $4 for CU students. For more information, call 303-492-1531 or go to www.internationalfilmseries.com. -- Adam Cayton-Holland
To Asia With Love
Artists send tsunami victims a valentine
MON, 2/14
Denver artist Purcell will send a hand-painted valentine to the Red Cross tonight when he hosts H.E.L.P.: A Benefit Art Sale for South Asia at the Other Side Arts, 1644 Platte Street. "A lot of people view art as a bonus, not as a substantial part of the world," says the painter. "I want to show that the art itself can make a difference."
Collectors can choose from more than fifty of Purcell's paintings, priced as low as $100; he'll donate 50 percent of the proceeds to assist victims of the tsunami disaster. Composer and pianist John Paul Sharp, whose recordings will also be for sale, will perform. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. For more information, call 303-561-3000. -- Kity Ironton
Unlock Your Love
SAT 2/12
Valentine's Day is a time of love, happiness, and over-the-top expressions of romance. Unless you're single. Then your heart is locked up in chains of loneliness. But wallflowers can take heart, because Cottonwood Connection, a company that helps Colorado singles meet others, is throwing a Singles Pre-Valentine's Day Lock and Key Party.
The ploy is simple: Men hold the locks, and the women clasp the keys; the object is for each keyholder to find the person with the matching lock. Cottonwood owner Beth Anderson says this party is "an easy way for people to go around and meet each other." The festivities, which include dinner, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at Mattie's House of Mirrors, 1946 Market Street. Admission is $39 for Cottonwood Connection members and $49 for guests; half the proceeds will be donated to CASA, a non-profit organization that matches volunteers with children in the foster-care system. For reservations, call 303-424-2300 or e-mail [email protected]. -- Corey Helland
