As the earnings roll, hundreds of Rocky fans ascend up the famed Philadelphia steps. The final image is of Rocky Balboa's transcendence. He is standing alone on top of the famed steps, starring out on the sunset of his life and covered with pure white snow.
Kozlovic and Sacred Subtext
Stair Lift Story
According to Lindvall, author of Sanctuary Cinema, Hollywood has overtly catered to the Christian community. This is in a large part due to the Legion of Decency's consistent monitoring of Hollywood films from 1930 to 1970. What Kozlovic, author of some Christ-figure articles, draws our attentiveness to is the "less appreciated and even more prolific... Underground holy stories packaged as sacred subtexts in apparently non religious cinematic fare."
Kozlovic and Christ-Figure Semiotics
Kozlovic lifts up the Christ-figure imagery as the most prevalent of all sacred subtexts Underground in favorite cinema. According to Kozlovic, a Christ-figure can be identified by singular actions and symbols that link them with Jesus Christ. Before he proceeds to list and define these essential existing elements that link characters to Christ-figure imagery, he clarifies by saying that all these elements do not have to be present in order for the character to evoke this numinous description fidelity.
Here is a list of a dozen structural characteristics pertinent to my diagnosis of the artifacts Rocky I and Rocky Balboa:
1) beginning their mission at 30,
2) Name references,
3) Holy Associates,
4) Miracles,
5) Child-like Faith,
6) Poverty,
7) White Toga,
8) Cruciform Pose,
9) Cross Imagery,
10) Sacrifice,
11) Resurrection/Rebirth and
12) Ascension.
In the rhetorical diagnosis section, this paper will analyze this description paradigm by cross referencing the Gospel description and other films with the aforementioned artifacts.
Description Of Artifacts
Being a good fighter is not about how hard you can hit "it's about how hard you can get hit and keep arresting forward." These poignant thematic words echoed throughout the Rocky series and culminated in a speech he gives to his son in the final episode Rocky Balboa. These films maintained a focus on fighting the good fight of faith and the inner turmoil that we all deal with. This internal storm is expressed externally in form of training and boxing.
Rhetorical diagnosis Of Artifact
Mission Begins at 30
According to Luke 3:23 (Niv), Christ begins his mission around the age of 30. This is an element that links filmic Christ-figures to Jesus. Clark Kent did not fly out of the Fortress of Solitude and begin recovery the world until he reached the age of 30. Stallone says the fancy we see Jesus over Rocky in Rocky I is because, at that occasion in time, he was being chosen for a spiritual journey. We find out a merge of scenes later that Rocky is authentically "pushing 30."
Name References
Several Christ-figures also have names that sound like Jesus Christ. Although we know Christ is not Jesus' last name, some heroes share the J.C. Initials: John Coffey from the Green Mile, John Connor from Terminator: Salvation, and James Cole from Twelve Monkeys (Kozlovic 14). Other titular examples would be Neo "the one" aka Mr. Anderson "son of man" from The Matrix; Truman "the true man" from The Truman Show, or Mr. Carpenter from The Day the earth Stood Still. Karnick, author of Rocky, Christian Warrior, points out the correlation in the middle of the name Rocky and the name Peter: "his name is a clear reference to the disciple Peter whose name, Petra means rock and whose clear statement of Jesus' divinity was the rock on which Jesus based the Christian church" (Karnick).
Holy Associates
Kozlovic mentions some possible characters that parallel Biblical characters that were associates of Christ: Judas, John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene were among the most popular. Judas appears in Dead Poets Society, turning on their teacher claiming everybody should look out for themselves. The Judas character appears again in The Matrix, selling out Neo and the others so that he can return to blissful ignorance.
In Rocky I and Rocky Balboa there is a holy connect named miniature Marie who parallels the Mary Magdalene figure. She was "sexually tagged" when she was young because she hung out with street thugs on the corner. Rocky takes her away from the "yo yo's" on the street and warns her that she should stop smoking and hanging with these guys or else she will be determined a "whore." He protects her again in Rocky Balboa.
Miraculous Healings
Jesus wept and prayed over his dead friend Lazarus; then, Lazarus comes back to life. In the Rocky series, Rocky cries and prays over his comatose wife; then, she comes back to life telling him that all she wants him to do is "win."
Child - like Faith
This imagery is drawn from a tube in scripture suggesting we become like children in order to "enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3 Niv). If the Christ - frame does not come from another world, land or time, then their miniature intelligence is explained straight through a mental handicap like Karl Childers from Sling Blade, opportunity from Being There, John Coffey from Green Mile or Brother Francis from Brother Sun Sister Moon. Rocky is accused of being slow and "punchy" which is explained later as being the consequent of a relaxed brain. This makes him come across as very harmless and child-like.
The Poor
Several Christ - Figures adhere to Jesus' message that "it is easier for a camel to go straight through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter into the kingdom of God" (Matt. 19:24; Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25 Niv). This verse is prefaced with Jesus telling a wealthy someone to show mercy to the poor and walk a more humble life. Rocky is also connected with poverty. When we first see him, habitancy call him a bum. He wins a miniature money for a small fight; then, he is seen showing love to habitancy on the street. Rocky also works for a loan shark as hired muscle. In one scene, he accosts a man that is supposed to pay up. The man begs Rocky for mercy and Rocky lets him go, yelling "you should have planned ahead." Even in Rocky Balboa he is seen in the marketplace showing mercy towards the poor and living a uncomplicated life.
The Look
Aesthetically, there are times when the Christ-figure wardrobe mirrors that of the Jesus portraits we have grown to know and accept as the image of Christ. This includes the long hair and full beard, but another image is the white toga/hooded robe look. This is noticed in Star Wars: A New Hope with Ben Kenobi. A man with long hair, a full beard and the hooded robe saves Luke. He proceeds to teach him about his "true father" and the power of good. E.T. Is another superior example.
In every Rocky film he's shrouded in a hooded robe just before his battle, but the shrouded scenes in the first film roughly appear last supper-ish. This is followed by an intense prayer and a similar "let this cup pass from me" scene. He jokingly says to Adrian "hey, how about I stay in here and you go out there and fight?" He then heads down the aisles wearing the robe which displays a meat sign on his back.
Cruciform Pose
During Easter we see some films on television that depict this hanging image of Christ's posture on the cross. This posture has been coined the cruciform pose. Christ - figures in film often emulate this very well-known image to possibly foreshadow their own trials. Neo is carried off by the machines in this pose. In Spiderman 2 Spiderman is stretched out in this manner while recovery a subway full of habitancy from their impending deaths.
When Rocky races to the top of the famed Philadelphia steps for the second time in Rocky I, he lifts his arms in victory but he also stretches them out in this well-known pose as if saying to the training sessions "it is finished."
Cross Images
This is directly connected to the former structure. Crosses often appear on or around the Christ - figure. Rocky crosses himself before every fight. He even begins wearing a cross throughout the series. In the very favorite Rocky Iv, he carries a log in a way that closely resembles one of Christ's Stations of the Cross.
Sacrifice
This is probably the most favorite recurring Christ-like motif in favorite film. Shane sacrifices his life to save a group of farmers and ranchers from tyrants. Blaine from Casablanca sacrifices what wants most to save the world. Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark risks his life as he is lowered into the "well of souls" to save the world from the Nazis. And the list could go on and on. This is what Vogler calls the hero's sacrifice. Stallone mentions that Rocky permanently "turns the other cheek."
In Rocky Balboa, he helps "little Marie" get a great job; he risks his life to safe her from thugs; he even hyperbolically suggests laying down his life for her. When she asks him "why are you doing this? What do you want?" he answers the questions with a inquire "why do you have to give something to get something?" This dialogue corresponds with him textually and subtextually bringing light into the darkness, as he screws a new light bulb into the porch light socket. The gift of light is somewhat blinding at first. As Rocky drives off he says "let there be light." This scene juxtaposes dialogues about a free gift and creation. This scene subtly makes covert and overt allusions to generation and regeneration.
Resurrection and Rebirth
Ben Kenobi says "if you assault me down...I will return even stronger." We also consideration this motif in two other robed Christ-figures: Gandalf and E.T. Where E.T. authentically dies and comes back to life, Gandalf appears to fall to his death in Lotr: Fellowship of the Ring; then, he returns stronger than ever in the sequel. In the Matrix there is a scene where Neo (the one) is shot dead and checked for vitals, but he still comes back to life.
For Rocky, the point of rebirth and resurrection is in the center of the ring.
Not only does the term "ring" connote the semantics of origin and an eternal circle but image wise the very first series of shots in Rocky I strongly allude to this idea of sacred origins. In the opportunity shot we see that the name of the gym that Rocky is boxing in is called The Resurrection Gym. Stallone later reveals that this boxing match is taking place in a former church. This foreshadows that Rocky will be resurrected in the ring and it establishes that for Rocky, the ring is his sacred place.
After his first fight he vacillates in the middle of finding at himself in a mirror and a picture of himself as a child. No words are spoken but subtextually we quit that he is not happy with what he has become and he desperately wants to start over. He essentially says this later in Rocky I when he yells to the heavens about missing his shot in life and starts banging on the walls in frustration.
During the title fight in Rocky I, Rocky gets knocked down and everybody in Rocky's angle tells him to stay down. Rocky symbolically dies, probably mental "this is it... It's over" but then he gets back up and from that point on we know that he has been reborn in the center of the ring. When he wins the crowd begins chanting his name; this also mirrors prodigal son imagery. He has been welcomed back home. He is overwhelmed with a sense of love and approval and has become reborn.
This rebirth is reiterated at the end of Rocky Balboa. Once again, Rocky has been knocked down in the center of the ring. The death of his wife haunts him throughout the film. His mind crosscuts with images of the grave and we think this could be the final fight of his life. He appears to want to die in the ring the same way Apollo did; then, he gives himself the "keep arresting forward" speech in his head. Once again - he is reborn.
Ascension
Kozlovic uses outsider terminology to recite the idea of Christ-like transcendence. He references John 8:23 where Jesus says "I am from above... I am not of this world." some filmic examples are John Coffey being described as "falling out of the sky." K-Pax and E.T. Also came from above, but this outsider idea also encompasses returning to the beyond also known as ascension.
He refers to passages in scripture that say Christ ascends up to where he was before (Niv, John 6:62) and "a cloud received him out of our sight" (Nasb, Acts 1:9) leaving us "gazing up into the heavens" (Nasb, Acts 1:11). Two good examples of leaving us gazing into the heavens at a savior would be Powder and Armageddon. We stare up at Powder disappearing into the sky with a bolt of lightening. In Armageddon, our hero sacrifices his life to save the world. The whole world stares up at the heavens where he ascended and they applaud his heroic efforts.
Some other examples would be when E.T. Is telling his disciple to "be good" and then he takes off into space. In The Truman Show, our main character signs off saying "good morning, good afternoon and good night" then he walks up a stairwell of clouds and disappears into the sky. With Rocky I the ascension is more of an emotional one. Rocky is overwhelmed with the chanting crowd's approval and unconditional love of his girlfriend. The love and approval lifts him up towards a spiritual transcendence.
The ascension in Rocky Balboa begins with Rocky walking out of the arena and pointing to the heavens. In the end he stands a top the great stairs, covered in white snow.
From Rocky to Rocky Balboa
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