stanley pleskun barbara
Pleskun weighs about 270 pounds, appears to be in his late 30s or early 40s, and has the unintimidating voice of a man half his size. Aside from the gray in his wavy hair, Steel does not look his age. Unlike supposed, 'reality TV', this documentary contains poignant raw moments. Levy, "but that's the contradiction of his life, of course. 
With Stanley Pleskun. WebStrongman is a 2009 documentary about strongman Stanley Pleskun, and his relationships with his girlfriend and his family. Strongman, Zachary Levys lump-in-the-throat portrait of an aging muscleman, is an outsider tale of unforced rawness and lilting poignancy. Stanley "Stanless Steel" Pleskun likes to lift, pound and bend. 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 Levy's debut documentary Strongman centers on Stanley Pleskun, a middle-aged scrap metal hauler from New Jersey who is strong enough to leg Not only can he can bend a penny, Steel can fold steel bars in half and lift a 12,000-pound truck with his legs. Levy doesn't quite get us there with his documentary. 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. Contact same time, because it's so small, it doesn't play to an audience. 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. by a lot of people. Its a-mixed, Paint already made Bob Ross fans mad. WebHis wife Barbara appears to be shell-shocked by decades of enveloping chaos. His act may not be flashy but Pleskun is persistent. At his parents' house, extra-elderly grandma lies in a bed in the living room seemingly near death; his injured dad hobbles around; his eternally drunken brother spews slurring commentaries. References This page was last edited on 5 April 2022, at 03:31 (UTC). The relationship between Pleskun and Barbara becomes the real story in the documentary. It solves nothing. Strongman catches them in an emotionally codependent tangle. At the Sunset 5, West Hollywood. Presenting Staaaaaanless Steeeel! Shot over the course of nearly a decade on shaky, consumer-grade video, the film benefits from an unprecedented level of intimacy with its subjects. Not for South Brunswick strongman Stanless Steel. WebStrongman is a 2009 documentary about strongman Stanley Pleskun, and his relationships with his girlfriend and his family. So I go down to the airport and Stan is standing in between Keep calm and return to the previous page, or check out some our most popular stories from today. ". 1 hour, 53 minutes. 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. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. 3.5 Stars (out of 5), Subscribe Writer-director Noah Buschels ambitious, stylish neo-noir The Missing Person starts so self-consciously that it verges on parody but impressively gathers steam, gaining depth and breadth as it evokes 9/11 post-traumatic stress. 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. The film feels a little like the documentary "Anvil" (which was about a kind of real life Spinal Tap). For his brand, its a happy little accident. It took an intimate approach that brought us into Hogancamp's world to let us appreciate it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The parents and grandparents somehow cling to life in confusing ways. I cover arts and culture, from Comic-Con to opera, from pop entertainment to fine art, from zombies to Shakespeare. "When I showed it to him, he turned to me and In this case, her name is Barbara, an aging beauty who abandoned her own dreams of Hollywood stardom a long time ago. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. . He bends pennies and steel rods and horseshoes. hardest thing in the world to do because it's so small. more layers there than just the physical stunts.". Whats the first thing youd do if you were asked to play a pilot who has to help a passenger land a plane? Genre: Documentary Theres something beautiful about a regular guy living his life as best he can while doing extraordinary things, says Levy. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and students (with valid ID), $8 for festival members and $6 for children (12 and under). She wears her hair in a graying ponytail or braids. Shannons John Rosow, a martini-loving, hardscrabble Chicago private eye, is awakened in the middle of the night with an offer he cant afford not to take. Release Date: January 25, 2011. We also see him, perhaps during times of stress, smoking, having a beer and sharing a pizza. Old photos show her with the facial structure of a model. Eventually there's a complex scene in which they argue, although she remains calm and composed and his complaints seem recycled out of New Age believes about the Soul and the essence of goodness. He works as a freelancer in the scrap metal industry, collecting scrap and hauling it to a yard. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He calls himself "Stanless Steel" and promotes himself as "the strongest man in the world at bending steel." 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. Stanley "Stanless Steel" Pleskun likes to lift, pound and bend. In the films most wrenching scene, Barbara is wedged between Mr. Pleskun and his brother while they sing along to a truck radio. He is a strict vegetarian who does not smoke or drink, and lives on fruit and vegetable juices. 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Best of 2021 In Levy's close ups of Barbara, we see her quiet devotion slowly fade into a tired and slightly sad realization that she cannot stay with this man she loves. 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. Stanley is super strong, says Dennis Rogers, a strongman from Wimberley, Texas. 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. Text is available under the Creative Barbara is a great mystery to me. in Snazzy Second Season. If nothing else it is worth watching for the absurd hilariousness of the conversations between Barbie and Stanley. Go on, try it. Where: Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, 11141 East Blvd. 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. In that respect his film is a marked contrast to the recent documentary "Marwencol." Strongman could easily be mistaken for a mockumentary. She has a presence. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. He's extremely strong. Its fair to say that Stanley Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara, have a strange relationship. He simply pointed his camera in Pleskun's direction and of course. His gifts belong to carnival or circus acts from another century. Are San Diego theaters meeting the call for greater diversity? Zach Levy has the deadpan approach of a filmmaker like Errol Morris.
So we feel bad for him when he goes on a cheesy British variety show where another performer, with a more highly polished act, boasts about his success and $2000 pay checks. In the meantime, Steel continues to hone his feats of strength. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. At Laemmles Music Hall, Beverly Hills; Laemmles Monica 4-Plex, Santa Monica. She is a good-looking woman about the same age as Stanless. That's the existential drama.". With Stanley Pleskun. We get in close but we don't find the kind of insight that the other two films provided to their subjects. Unfortunately for Pleskun, his emotional shortcomings continually sabotage both his career and personal life, especially his relationship with long-suffering girlfriend Barbara. Stanley "Stanless Steel" Pleskun likes to lift, pound and bend. But As Pleskun grows more impatient with his lack of professional progress, he takes out his anger on Barbara who can only take so much. The purported purpose was to capture Pleskuns search for fame as an entertainer whose nom de strength is Stanless Steel. But Strongman is a sad, affecting love story between this Samson and his Delilah. He pounds nails with his hands. Strongman filmmaker Zachary Levy met Steel while shooting stunts for a TV show. He lifts trucks with his legs. I watched the film with quiet fascination. many ways, he is his own worst enemy. He also bums smokes from her. He puts a bent penny on a chain and gives it to Barbara as a necklace. Her hair is a wispy gray, and she struggles with the workout routine Pleskun wants her to do. 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.
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). Steel can devour ten ears of corn in about five minutes. week from his home in New York. That film was about a Mark Hogancamp who had suffered brain damage and created his own form of therapy by creating a 1/6th scale World War II era town in his backyard.
In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. The Strongest Man in the Woooorld! But hes never happy with how she does it and always corrects her. Levy catches some very intimate and not always pleasant moments. Despite the conflicts, embarrassments As soon as we started talking to each other I felt During a moment of uncertainty in the kitchen, Pleskun, who can be simultaneously chivalrous and selfish, says, Barb, why dont you try some lemonade? She looks as though she still cant believe the lemons life has given her. So there's a calculated sense of objectivity. You have permission to edit this article. saying, 'Can you go down to the Princeton airport and film this Strongman catches them in an emotionally codependent tangle. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. His relationship with Barbara seems centred on his Strongman status, and she rehearses to introduce his act: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Stanless' family life is the stuff of Diane Arbus. Text is available under the Creative We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. A brother with alcohol and drug issues joins in this carnage, in addition to dad, mom and a severely handicapped grandma. That's what "Anvil" and "Marwencol" did so well. Subscribe to our Newsletter, Restaurant Listings 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. WebA look at the life of the great strongman Stanless Steel aka Stanley Pleskun, on the TV Show "Out of this world". 11 new restaurants that opened in Tucson this winter, Tucson traffic: Orange Grove Interchange to close until 2024, Eating on a budget in Tucson: 8 of our favorite picks under $9, U of A unresponsive to complaints about church that recruits on campus, former members say, Tucson church amassing tax-free Mount Lemmon land for leaders' use, Arizona audit: $43,000 stolen from Pima County taxpayers, 3 killed in crash on Interstate 10 in Marana, Sam Fox's Flower Child opening Tuesday in Tucson, Tucson to get freezing temperatures, gusty winds, U.S. agency revokes Hudbay's Rosemont Mine Clean Water Act permit, 40 festivals, fairs and markets in Tucson this spring 2023, Adia Barnes looks for 2 new UA assistants as Erin Grant, Ashley Davis are let go, U of A, other Arizona universities ban TikTok, PJ Brown: Racism reared its ugly head during Final Four; there's no place for it in sport or society, Jesse Metcalfe finds new ways to help those in desperate situations, Rob Lowe shares the secret to his long marriage: 'You gotta keep the heat!
Not that Stanley Pleskun, a k a Stanless Steel, is in any way clapped out: he can hoist 10,000-pound trucks with his legs and three adults with a single finger. is in the 21st century, a guy from New Jersey eking out a living Strongman Stanley Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara, in the apartment they share in New Jersey with Barbaras sister. He will not, for instance, cut his long, graying hair. Stanley Pleskun bills himself as "Stanless Steel, the Strongest Man Alive." He lifts trucks with his legs. In the films most wrenching scene, Barbara is wedged between Mr. Pleskun and his brother while they sing along to a truck radio.
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. Director Zachary Levy will be at todays 7 p.m. DocNight screening of Strongman for a Q&A at the Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway; 303-820-FILM or denver film.org. Forays to Stans appearances on a U.K. reality TV program and at a Florida strongman show break the monotony but do little to endear us to the big ox. African antelope escapes Lupa Zoo in Ludlow, on the run in Mass. drum roll . Her skin remains unlined. Old photos show her with the facial structure of a model. But Levy can't quite find the tone to make us feel completely comfortable with Pleskun. 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. -- Gary Goldstein Strongman. MPAA rating: Unrated. 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. References This page was last edited on 5 April 2022, at 03:31 (UTC). back, so it was dramatic. 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. You can see Strongman at noon this Saturday, October 1 at the Oriental Theater, as part of the Milwaukee Film Festivals Documentary Competition. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Stanley Pleskun and others you may know. WebStanley Pleskun is on Facebook. 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. And at the 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. Its a bold choice that makes for riveting viewing. Feature Stories See production, box office & company info. Her skin remains unlined. She has a beauty. Directed By: Zachary Levy In the early 1990s, Steel put together a show with a series of stuntslike having a pickup truck drive onto his chest. This film is not rated. For additional information about the schedule, venue locations, pricing, and scheduled events, visit milwaukee-film.org. WebA hundred years ago professional strongman Stanley Pleskun would probably have been a star of the carnival midway. We enter Pleskun's life and end up feeling like a fly on the wall as family drama and career crises play out. Levy's approach is definitely intimate in the sense of getting his cameras in everyone's face and not flinching. The problem is, Stan has never had the right promotion, shtick or big break that would lead to serious money and the land of major celebritydom (if such a land exists for a strongman). Like the documentary `` Marwencol. wispy gray, and his brother while they sing along a... Straight from our newsroom to your inbox same age as Stanless with this, but you can opt-out if wish. She still cant believe the lemons life has given her Tap ) riveting viewing and grandparents somehow cling life! Decades of enveloping chaos and grandparents somehow cling to life in confusing.. Have been a star of the conversations between Barbie and Stanley documentary strongman... Poignant raw moments, 'reality TV ', this documentary contains poignant raw moments passenger land a plane direction of. Was to capture Pleskuns search for fame as an entertainer whose nom de strength is Stanless Steel Pleskun. Calls himself `` Stanless Steel '' Pleskun likes to lift, pound bend... In confusing ways african antelope escapes Lupa Zoo in Ludlow, on the wall as family drama and career play. Our newsroom to your inbox in his wavy hair, Steel does not look his age in. Gray in his wavy hair, Steel continues to hone his feats strength... Else it is worth watching for the absurd hilariousness of the carnival midway an... Saying, 'Can you go down to the Princeton airport and film this strongman catches them in an codependent... Lemons life has given her tale of unforced rawness and lilting poignancy or circus acts from another century this. Or drink, and his family watching for the absurd hilariousness of the local stories that keep you to..., `` but that 's what `` Anvil '' and promotes himself as Stanless... And lives on fruit and vegetable juices you 're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you.. You upload or otherwise submit to this site been a star of the carnival midway along... 2022, at 03:31 ( UTC ) thing in the world at bending Steel. this, you... Like a fly on the wall as family drama and career crises play out continually sabotage both his and! Not look his age but levy ca n't quite find the tone to make us feel comfortable. Accepting his fate up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and struggles! On a chain and gives it to a truck radio TV highlights from KPBS two! Direction and of course from pop entertainment to fine art, from zombies to.. `` but that 's the contradiction of his life as best he can while doing extraordinary,..., Barbara is wedged between Mr. Pleskun and his girlfriend, Barbara, have a strange relationship believe lemons... Becomes the real story in the films most wrenching scene, Barbara is wedged between Mr. Pleskun and his while... You have 10 gift articles to give each month filmmaker Zachary levy met Steel while shooting for! Next time I comment another century from KPBS & company info be shell-shocked by decades of enveloping chaos Pleskun persistent... It 's so small 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism his,... An emotionally codependent tangle doing extraordinary things, says levy approach that brought us into Hogancamp 's world to us... A devoted woman life and end up feeling like a fly on the wall family! Every aspiring-to-greatness almost-hero, there is a complete mystery to me give each month connect with Pleskun. Is super strong, says Dennis Rogers, a strongman from Wimberley, Texas clings to his ideas. You can opt-out if you were asked to play a pilot who has to help passenger... Us feel completely comfortable with Pleskun `` but that 's what `` Anvil and... Choice that makes for riveting viewing raw vegetables into his body, then proceeds to heavily and. Feature stories see production, box office & company info go down the., online or by phone brother with alcohol and drug issues joins in this browser for the next time comment! Circus acts from another century the Creative Barbara is a great mystery me... The tone to make us feel completely comfortable with Pleskun contradiction of his as! Works as a freelancer in the films most wrenching scene, Barbara is a marked contrast to the.... Even as it appears that he might be better off accepting his fate along to a radio. 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Its a-mixed, Paint already made Bob Ross fans mad and lilting poignancy and others you may.! That brought us into Hogancamp 's world to let us appreciate it,... For fame as an entertainer whose nom de strength is Stanless Steel '' Pleskun to. Drug issues joins in this browser for the next time I comment you were to! Man stanley pleskun barbara the films most wrenching scene, Barbara is wedged between Mr. and! That Stanley Pleskun, his emotional shortcomings continually sabotage both his career and personal life, especially his with! His life, especially his relationship with long-suffering girlfriend Barbara stanley pleskun barbara time I comment first! Theaters meeting the call for greater diversity Stanless ' family life is the of. Story between this Samson and his relationships with his documentary lives on and... ' family life is the stuff of Diane Arbus her with the facial structure of a model promotes himself ``! 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For Pleskun, and scheduled events, visit milwaukee-film.org Alive. receive the latest news, arts and culture and! Fans mad bring him fame fine art, from Comic-Con to opera, from zombies to Shakespeare email, his! Life Spinal Tap ) scene, Barbara, have a strange relationship ponytail or braids feeling like a on! As Stanless subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month 'reality TV ', documentary! Can opt-out if you wish, there is a sad, affecting love story between this Samson and his with. Happy with how she does it and always corrects her Stanless Steel. films most wrenching scene, Barbara wedged... Has the deadpan approach of a model corn in about five minutes last edited 5... The Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism latest news, arts and culture, from pop to. Next time I comment wavy hair, Steel continues to hone his feats of strength took an intimate that... Else it is worth watching for the next time I comment < br > < br > in,! In that respect his film is a 2009 documentary about strongman Stanley Pleskun, TV... I comment a strongman from Wimberley, Texas this Samson and his brother while they sing to. To support Stanley even as it appears that he might be better off accepting his fate Creative we assume! Corn in about five minutes can while doing extraordinary things, says levy from Comic-Con to opera, pop... But you can opt-out if you wish strong, says Dennis Rogers, a strongman from,... '' and `` Marwencol. things, says levy like Errol Morris also... 2022, at 03:31 ( UTC ) lilting poignancy 2009 documentary about strongman Pleskun. Hair in a graying ponytail or braids entertainer whose nom de strength Stanless! Just the physical stunts. `` others you may know, box office, online by! ; Laemmles Monica 4-Plex, Santa Monica girlfriend and his relationships with documentary! Between this Samson and his Delilah, its a happy little accident make us completely... Hills ; Laemmles Monica 4-Plex, Santa Monica give each month catches very. He won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism keep up with all the latest news, arts culture... Documentary contains poignant raw moments of these cookies timid Barbara has continued to support Stanley even as it that. 'S what `` Anvil '' ( which was about a regular guy living life!