Rocky (1976) Movie Analysis

The movie Rocky (1976) was released on 21 November 1976. It ranked as the most successful American boxing drama and action movie at the time of its release. It was written by the starring Sylvester Stallone(Rocky Balboa), and directed by John Avildsen. The release of the movie in the industry marked the beginning of Balboa's acting career, having had thirty-two rejected scripts in the past. Sylvester spent three and a half days writing a draft of the film, and later Richard Halsey edited the plot, ensuring that there were no mistakes in the film. James Crabe was the cinematographer, and he played a significant role in graphics making, shooting of the movie, and music. The success of Rocky was evident through the numerous award the movie received. The movie was nominated in nine different categories during the 49th Oscar Awards, and it won three out of the nine which include the best picture, best film editing, and best director, challenging other films that had been released at that time. The movie has won other sixteen awards and gained twenty nominations since its release. Additionally, viewers online have highly rated this movie to an averaging score of eight out of ten. Rocky 1976 movie had a great lesson and portrayed excellent acting. This paper will analyze the plot of the movie, aesthetic choices, the social impacts of the movies, and a reflection of the analysis using the formalist theory.

The movie Rocky (1976) has many actors alongside the starring Rocky Balboa. Rocky Balboa is a kindhearted uneducated person who originates from Philadelphia. He works for Gazzo, the local crime boss, as a tax collector. In 1975, Apollo Creed, the heavyweight boxing champion wanted to organize boxing championship in Philadelphia. However, Creed weeks before the competition that his boxing partner incurred an injury, and won't participate in the competition. Creed is determined to continue with the fight, so he nominates Rocky "the Italian Stallion" to replace the injured heavyweight champion (Gallantz, 1978). Although Rocky is a highly talented man, many people lack faith in his abilities. Rocky seizes this opportunity to build his name in the world of sports.

Rocky meets Miles Jergens, the promoter who informs him that Creed is looking for boxing partners. Rocky reluctantly agrees to participate for  $150,000. Determined to win, Rocky trains tirelessly using all available resources. After several weeks of training, Mickey Goldmill, a gym instructor and a former fighter, offers to train Rocky, he always saw ability in him. At that time, Rocky encounters Adrian Pennino, a lady who works at a Fish pet store (Motley, 2005). The two develop romantic feelings towards each other, leading to a kiss. Paulie, Adrian's brother, is jealous of Rocky's success, but Rocky offers to advertise Paulie's meatpacking business, to calm him down. However, Rocky loses confidence after touring the boxing area, the night before the fight. He admits to his girlfriend, Adrian, that he does not see himself winning the match, but he really wants to fight creed, to prove himself to the world.

The fight between Creed and Rocky occurs on the New Year day. The fight started with creed appearing on stage with clothes similar to those of  George Wahington. Creed is overconfident, and Rocky takes advantage of Apollo’s pride to knock him down in the first round. Feeling annoyed and humiliated, Creed takes the fight more seriously. The championship continues for fifteen rounds, and both parties sustain injuries. Rocky sustains a head injury and retinal detachment, while Creed has a broken rib and internal bleeding. As the fight continues, Creeds skills are challenged by Rocky's extraordinary abilities to sustain punches, and his unwillingness to surrender (Tholas, 2017). The final bell rings with both participants locked in each other, where they promise one another that there would be no rematch. At the end of the match, the audience goes wild, and Jergens declares that the fight was the toughest ever experienced. Adrian comes running towards Rocky. Jurgens announces Creed as the winner following a split decision. Rocky and Adrian embrace one another, regardless of the results.

The movie applies the order of a narrative structure in different occasion. First, the set up of the movie begins with introducing the boxing championship in the Philadelphia United States. The writer introduces the protagonist Rocky as a person with exceptional boxing skills. Second, the writer action is seen when the competition is announced and Creed appoints Rocky as his opponent. Rocky faces the challenge to train more for the upcoming fight (Gallantz, 1978). The climax of the film occurs during the fight day. Rocky and Creed compete in the boxing ring. Further, the falling action happens when Rocky and Creed agrees that there will be no rematch, and Creed is declared the winner. Finally, resolution happens as Rocky has proven his abilities and he doesn't care who the winner is.

The plot of the movie brings spontaneous events that are directly or indirectly related to the story. The meeting of Rocky and Adrian was exceptional as Rocky is a strong and brave man who engages a shy girl. Another occasion is the reunion of Mickey and Rocky after ten years having a distance from one another. Another surprising event happens when Rocky is challenged to fight Creed. Rocky's friendship with Paulie also played a significant part in building his relationship with Adrian (Motly,2005). The plot of the movie is different from the story as while the film is focused on world championship competitions, there are many dramatic and related occurrences. Also, there are various family affairs in the movie.

Sound is a vital aspect in this movie. Silvester integrates both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. The three basic types of sound are significant o the movie's success. Sound effects mean any sounds and not only the sound from speech or music that could be heard during an action. Music is effective in boosting the audiences' mood. Dialogue in Rocky (1976) helps to understand the storyline of the movie. Rocky uses a down to earth Philadelphia accent, which allows the audience to connect to Rocky. The sound effect in the film makes the movie realistic. Example of realistic sounds is the sound in the "Gonna Fly Down" song, and sound of the audience and the boxing arena when Rocky knocks Creed down. Additionally, music is used to cheer Rocky up during the match (Tholas, 2017). Therefore, the Rocky 1976 movie would drastically change if the music gets excluded. Second, the movie uses dull lighting at the beginning to represent the sad and unfulfilling life of Rocky. However, when Rocky gets into boxing, the lightings adjust and become brighter suggesting truth and joy.

Also, the composition of the frame in the Rocky movie is symbolic. Many scenes featuring Rocky and Adrian have tightly framed shots. The frames symbolize their everlasting love towards each other and the bond in their relationship (Gallantz, 1978). Further, a framed shot occurs during the fight between Creed and Rocky. The framed shot helps to make the fight more intense, and bring emphasize on Rocky's ability to compete the Creed.

The Rocky move has a lot of editing. There are various cuts and transitions, photograph angles and shots. First, the film is fonded on arts, evident within the editing. Editing played an important role in Rocky, thus winning the best film editing award in 1976. Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad edited the movie (Tholas, 2017). The movie used continuity cuts in different scenes. Continuity cutting entails maintaining the fluidity of an event without showing the whole scene. For example, only parts of the fights were featured in the final fight between Rocky and Creed, but the audience felt like they had seen the whole fight.

Second, the movie uses exceptional camera angles and shots. Many sets are not manipulated and look like a reflection of the real world. The movies uses both close up shots and long shots. At the start, Rocky is featured in a long shot. This goes on halfway to the movie, when Rocky is introduced as a debt collector and boxer in Philadelphia. The long shots symbolize the meaningless and powerless Rocky at the start (Motley, 2005). However, when Creed presents Rocky with an to participate in Boxing, the camera shots adjust and the photographer uses close up shots to symbolize the importance of Rocky.

However, The use of stock footage was one area that seemed important in feeling the stadium, and one notices empty seats on different occasions. The unbelievable involvement of Rocky in the fight is shown through the "The Calling of St. Matthew" images on Rocky's house (Tholas, 2017). The high technology used determined the extraordinary quality of the film. The Rocky movie became the only the third movie after Marathon Man and Bound for Glory to use the Steadicam Technology.

Rocky had phenomenal impacts on the people of Philadelphia and the world in general. There are many tourist attraction sites in Philadelphia, but the "Italian Stallion" statue of Rocky from the movie is the most rocking. Rocky became a sign of success in the city who achieved a lot under stormy circumstances (Motley, 2005). The Italian Stallion remains strong, even after forty-three years later. Sylvester quest for success was exceptional after unsuccessfully writing thirty-two scripts.

Moreover, the movie Rocky 1976 had tremendous effects on people sharing sports interest. The movie induced the spirit of hard work, determination, sacrifice, and dedication to sports lovers (Gallantz, 1978). The courage and determination portrayed by Rocky motivates individuals to put maximum efforts in the activities. Boxers at all levels have expressed their great admiration towards Rocky's efforts. Personally, I like the film and have learned a lot from watching it.

In conclusion, the Rocky (1976) movie is an extraordinary sports film. The movie has won various awards due to its exceptional filming skills. Rocky has been beneficial to the Philadelphia society and the world in general. However, some critiques claim that Rocky's attitude might mislead individuals in the sports world. But despite the critiques, Rocky is an undisputable winner and a hero in Philadelphia. Evidently, Rocky 1976 is a great movie and portray great acting skills.

Reflection

Over the course duration, I have gained valuable skills on how to analyze a film. At this stage, I have the capability to evaluate films and know the message in a movie in a more detailed manner than when I began.  I have come to know that there is more to movies than just entertainment. Most of the movies are designed in a manner that they relate to the occurrences in society. I have information on the various types of movies, content presentation, and casting styles.

The film theories learned has enabled me to understand the importance of movies and given me the knowledge to study the concept that connects films to other events, other pieces of arts, and the society in general.  The lessons in a move can help viewers to understand the society, economic issues, and politics better. Majority of films portray unacceptable behaviors negatively, and they provide solutions to those behaviors. Some movies act as motivational factors which gave people the willingness to face challenges in life.

I have also gained a better understanding of different cultural practice, diversities, and lifestyles. Also, I have gained a picture of the beauty of some parts of the world, through watching movies from all over the universe. From the learning in this class, I have come to appreciate what other people do. It has helped me to realize that there are different people in the world, but everyone is equal. Furthermore, I have gained a clear understanding of different disciplines in academics including history, religion, geography amongst others.

Moreover,  I have gained expertise in analyzing the themes and styles of movies. When watching a film these days, I find myself more interested in analyzing the film, rather than watching for fun. Also, I appreciate the people involved in movie production. Lastly, I have come to value the work of movie writers, cinematographers, editors and the whole cast that is involved in the acting and success of a movie.

The exceptional knowledge I have gained in this class will play a significant role in my future career.  It will be easy when I have enough knowledge of how the industry operates Since my plans are to become successful in the film industry. I can effortlessly explore themes, acting and casting features. This course has been extremely helpful because it provides a wonderful and quality experience which is applicable in class and the outside world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Gallantz, M. (1978). Critical Dialogue: Rocky’s Racism. Jump Cut, 18, 33-34.

Motley, C. (2005). Fighting for manhood: Rocky and turn-of-the-century antimodernism. Film &

            History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, 35(2), 60-66.

Tholas, C. (2017). From Rocky (1976) to Creed (2015):“musculinity” and modesty. InMedia.

            The French Journal of Media Studies, (6).