After watching more of "Rocky" in class last Friday, a lot more was revealed about the characters, especially Rocky and Adrian. More character development was also made to the boxer, Apollo Creed and the viewer begins to learn more about this huge bicentennial boxing match. Two themes that stuck out to me from this viewing of Rocky were: "The American Dream" and "The Underdog".
Looking at the "American Dream" first, the setting of the movie alludes to this theme because it takes place in 1976 Philadelphia. 1976 marks the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which was signed by the Founding Fathers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A scene from the movie that really elaborates on this idea of "the American Dream" is when Apollo Creed is in the office with the promoter after he finds out that his opponent has a broken hand and decides that Rocky will be the perfect replacement. In this scene, Apollo comes up with the idea of getting a local, inexperienced boxer to fight him in the match. A quote that stuck out to me was, " I am going to put his face up on this poster with me. I’ll tell you why.‘Cause I’m sentimental. And a lot of other people in this country are just as sentimental. And there’s nothing they’d like better than to see Apollo Creed give a local Philadelphia boy a shot at the greatest title in the world on this country’s biggest birthday.”
Apollo Creed's quote really sheds light on America's fascination with the "Underdog", which is interconnected with "the American Dream". America began as an underdog when it was fighting for its independence against England. But as we know, America was triumphant in the end. Generally, Americans root for underdogs because they are "sentimental" in the way that Apollo explains and feel like they can relate to them. Watching this scene, I was surprised by how business-like Apollo Creed was and intrigued by his use of marketing psychology to draw more attention to the boxing match. This movie does a great job of dismantling the stereotypes people tend to have about boxers and athletes in general. Not only is Rocky more sensitive and compassionate than he appears, but Apollo Creed is more intelligent and clever than you would think a boxer could be.
Rocky and Adrian's ice-skating scene was a major scene in terms of character development . In this scene, both Rocky and Adrian open-up a great deal. While skating, Adrian asks Rocky why he fights, and he replies, "My father said I didn't have much of a brain, so I needed to use my body." Adrian replied with the opposite, "My mother said I didn't have much of a body, so I needed to use my brain." On the surface, it seems like Rocky and Adrian are misfits as a couple, but they have a lot in common. This scene sheds light on the way that the people in Rocky and Adrian's lives have put them down, even at an early age, and explains why they both deal with self-esteem issues. As +Malik Harris best put it, Rocky sees Adrian as a human being, and vice-versa. Rocky can see past Adrian's shyness and Adrian can see past Rocky's tough guy persona. That is ultimately why they make a good fit.
On a closing note, I paid close attention to the way Rocky's felt about himself in this viewing. I noticed in his conversations with Adrian how he constantly referred to himself, as "dumb" and a "moron". When Rocky got the offer to fight Creed, he replied, "I don't have what it takes. I'm just a ham-and-egger type of guy." Even after accepting the role as Creed's opponent, Rocky still doesn't have much confidence in himself, as shown in the press conference where Rocky is painfully passive and let's Creed take several jabs at him. Throughout the movie, Rocky constantly asserts that other people's insults don't bother him. But after leaving Adrian and Paulie's house after watching the press conference, he revealed to Adrian that Creed's words did "hurt" him. This is an extremely powerful moment because it is the first time we see Rocky admit to feeling bad about what other's say. I liked the way the camera shot Rocky from a side angle, with his head down and you can see the blur of Adrian's red sweater as she is standing on the steps. It really captures the moment and makes you feel it from Rocky's perspective.
Johnna, I really enjoy that your blog posts are so meaningful and thorough. You did a fantastic job at noting they key moments in the movie that displayed each of the characters' personalities. I also liked that you noted two common themes, "The American Dream" and "The Underdog", which stood out to me as well. As a student filmmaker, I really appreciate that you took the time to note the camerawork, and how it conveyed the message that Rocky has some underlying depression. To me, it seemed as though the camera angle made him small, which completely demolishes the stereotypical views that people generally have of boxers.
ReplyDeleteAnother awesome post, Johnna! They are very interesting to read. I also agree that Rocky and Adrian are a good fit and I like how you discussed the two different themes. I can't wait to read your next post!
ReplyDelete