Throughout my entire childhood, I have always loved sports movies because of their motivational and inspiring messages. In particular the movie Rocky has always been my favorite. It’s a boxing film about a rags to riches American dream for a young boxer from Philadelphia who gets a shot at the title. I first saw this movie when I was about 10 years old and I immediately fell in love with the character Rocky and his genuine kind heart and personality. I have fond memories of doing pushups and running around the house trying to be like rocky and imitating his workout regimen. I felt sympathy for his tough life and the tough jobs he had to do but admired his hard working mentality and ability to deal with adversity. Rocky is an ordinary person that is elevated by circumstance into a heroic position to prove to the world that anyone can make it and last if they are willing to “go the distance” and believe.
Many of the training scenes and images of Rocky’s daily life show him to be an ordinary person facing the harsh realities of life. It was easier for me to relate to Rocky because of this. Rocky wasn't the most talented boxer or physically gifted but he had tremendous willpower. Often times I think some hero narratives make the hero too exceptional or powerful and it makes the hero tough to relate to. The complex relationship between fiction and life is important and I think this particular movie presents a more powerful message because it somewhat realistic. Yes, it is probably a stretch for a no name boxer who works at a meat warehouse to hang with the world champion. However, in the movie we get the sense that Rocky is destined for success because he has learned to deal with adversity throughout his life and can get back up when others wont.
Rocky taps into the desires and fears of the entire Philadelphia community. His story represents the American dream and shows everyone around him that it is possible to be something and become someone. Everyone around him doesn't want to get out of the life they are living. Initially, even Rocky is hesitant to take the fight because he is scared of the opportunity. He musters up the courage and takes a leap of faith. We do get the sense still that Rocky has support in his endeavor. His coach and the community believes he can compete. His friends support him.
We can see that Rocky's narrative takes from several aspects of Campbell's hero's journey. Rocky starts off as a sort of an underdog simply due to his "rags" status, but quickly makes his way to the top. Like many other heroes, Rocky exhibits different values and his morals are constantly in question across all of the movies, especially in the 4th one when Apollo dies. Rocky is overwhelmed with emotions and this spurs him on to continue his journey to the title, overcoming his initial hesitance to fight and eventually coming out victorious.
ReplyDeleteI was referring to the first Rocky movie in my post but Rocky's journey could be seen throughout the 6 movie series too. He comes out of retirement many times and overcomes several obstacles throughout his career.
DeleteYou brought up a good point about how audience can relate with Rocky. We empathize with the hardships that Rocky withstands. One important thing to note about the story line is that Rocky ultimately does not win the fight. The depiction of the fight makes it clear that Rocky's journey is about his sheer determination and hard work, rather than his skill or talent.
ReplyDeleteYes I forgot to make that important distinction! At the end of the movie Rocky's journey is complete because he had gone the distance with Apallo Creed. In the second movie Rocky has a rematch with Creed and goes on to defeat him and become the world champion. Him and Creed go on to become best friends in movies 3 and 4.
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