“Rocky”- An in Depth Analysis of the American Dream

Introduction

Rocky is a film more ambitious and pernicious as it seems at first and this for reasons relating to both the international context and convulsions that agitate the U.S. society at that time. The film is indeed in a particular historical context. The United States at the time of the release of the feature film, agitated by many disorders. Rocky paints a portrait of this society by placing themselves in popular circles of Philadelphia, the city of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

Thesis Statement

Analyzing the American society in the mid-seventies, the values of the film and how are they conveyed in a socio-historical perspective and political and artistic film

Discussion & Analysis

Stallone updates the American dream, the myth of self-made man and personal success. It tells the story of Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, a son of émigré Italian boxer third approaching their thirties and feeling to end his career. Rocky loneliness behind the bars of dirty neighborhoods of Philadelphia, he earned his living as a kingpin for the small local underworld and involved in boxing shabby. Unable to seduce the shy Adrian (Talia Shire), Rocky is a man resigned to accept defeat in life. However, the latter offers him a chance as incredible as sudden force his destiny (Matthews, p.722). Apollo Creed, a black boxer and world champion undisputed heavyweight, who is deprived of opponent for the match to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States, and at only five weeks of fighting. Ironically, he imagines magnifying the liberalism of America by offering a white boxer bottom of the hierarchy the opportunity to fight against him for the title of world champion. He chose a boxer from Italy by the nickname of the "Italian Stallion" Rocky Balboa, of course.

The hero takes up the challenge. He knows he can defeat Creed, "no one can.”Rocky does not hesitate to go beyond all doubts and overcome its fatalism. It required rigorous training, joined his old manager, gets up before dawn to run and uses of meat as a punching bag. Finally, during an epic match, Rocky resist it better than Creed, he pushed to its limits, and it does not take much he wins (Ebert, p.651). The title of world champion remains the property of Creed, but Rocky won much more: he won the heart of Adrian and he proved that with courage, perseverance and willingness anyone could enter the chance. He had said, "There is no reason why one who is fighting is not one day rewarded. "

When the film was released in 1976, the Vietnam War has just been completed by the fall of Saigon in April of the previous year and the victory of North Vietnam and the Communists. However, internally, this war has deeply traumatized and divided the U.S. population. In addition, at the same time, U.S. society is agitated by the contrast between white and black. Martin Luther King, the charismatic leader and pacifist movement for ...