In a famous scene from the 1982 film First bloodProtagonist John Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, finds himself surrounded by police and soldiers in the small town of Hope, Washington.
Rambo’s former commander, Col. Sam Trautman, tries to convince the troubled Vietnam War veteran to surrender before it’s too late.
“It’s over, Johnny. It’s over,” Trautman, played by Richard Crenna, tells Rambo.
“Nothing is over!” Rambo screams. “Nothing!”
Decades later, the love affair between First blood and the BC town where it was filmed is definitely not over yet.
CLOCK | Residents and visitors celebrate Rambo in Hope, BC
The town of Hope, BC served as the fictional setting for the first Rambo film. It’s been 40 years since First Blood was released this month, and the city is doing its best to celebrate the occasion. The CBC’s Liam Britten was there.
Fans of the film are expected to flock to Hope, BC, about 150 kilometers east of Vancouver, this weekend to honor the 40th anniversary of the film’s release.
Activities include a skateboarding competition, a demonstration of Rambo-related art, and a 3-hour walking tour of the film’s locations. A tank is said to run over several cars on the city’s main street on Sunday.
While First blood features standard action film tropes – gunfights, exploding gas stations – while also touching on more serious subjects such as post-traumatic stress disorder and the United States’ role in the Vietnam War.
The film, which became an international hit and spawned several sequels, has Canadian roots. It was directed by Canadian Ted Kotcheff and adapted from a novel by Canadian author David Morrell, who blew up the latest Rambo sequel – 2019s Rambo: Last blood — called it “a mess” and said he was “embarrassed to associate my name with it”.
The majority First blood was filmed in Hope, which has become a point of pride for the residents.
In the middle of town is a large wooden statue of Rambo. Ryan Villiers, who carved the statue, is back for the anniversary to create another carving.
“Hope is the culture of Rambo,” he said. “It’s pretty crazy to see … the legacy lives on.”
Tracy Paynter of the Hope Visitor Center and co-organizer of the First Blood event estimates that about 15,000 people come to Hope each year because of Hope First blood.
“This is important not only to the people of Hope, but to fans around the world,” she said. “They’re the ones who keep this film alive and they keep coming back to this city because they love the film, they love this city.”
On the coast4:27Hope BC celebrates 40 years since Rambo: First Blood was filmed on location
It’s been 40 years since battle-scarred Vietnam veteran John Rambo was introduced to the world when the film First Blood was released. It was filmed in the District of Hope and no one from Hope will let you forget it. They have a full weekend of events ahead of them and CBC reporter Liam Britten is taking it all in.
Film crews spent around $1 million on location to shoot the film, which was great for Hope’s economy at the time and also for British Columbia’s film industry. Decades later, film production generated $4.8 billion in direct spending for the province’s economy last year, according to the Vancouver Economic Commission.
“This was sort of the birthplace of Hollywood North,” Paynter said. “To First bloodthe rest just followed.”
day 66:3937 years after John Rambo’s debut, First Blood is still big business in Hope, BC
Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo: Last Blood hits theaters on Friday. Meanwhile, Hope, BC, the town where the first film in the series was filmed, still feeds First Blood.
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