Review of "Rocky": The Italian Stallion
The diegetic sound in “Rocky” is what made the film a little bit more legitimate, I think. The use of the diegetic sound, or the sound where you could easily identify as being on-screen, was what made it feel like he really was a lowlife in Philadelphia. You always hear some sort of city sounds; trains passing by or dogs barking or cars honking, people yelling at each other on the streets. Another sort of strange example of effective diegetic sound is Rocky’s, or rather Sylvester Stallone’s, voice. He has this strange sort of speech impediment or something that makes him actually sound like he is a boxer who has had his face smashed up and thus has a hard time effectively communicating words as though he needs to.
The non-diegetic sound comes of course, when he is training in the slaughterhouse or running up the museum steps, the build-up and the swell of the music. The music of “Rocky” is sort of stereotypical now as being the soundtrack to every loser who wishes to make something of himself. At the time, however, the non-diegetic music of the music was critically acclaimed, and it works very well. The horns and the orchestra makes the audience feel as though they are able to take on their hardships as well, the odds are stacked against them, but they, as Rocky did, will prevail. Another example of off-screen sound in Rocky being effective is simple sounds like the snow falling and how the orchestration fits so effusively in the final fight between Apollo Creed and Rocky.
To me, the theme of “Rocky” and what makes it work so well is that it is an underdog story. It’s similar to the idea of the American Dream: that a “nobody” who’s never done anything worthwhile can beat the insurmountable odds and achieve their dreams no matter what the cost is. One could argue that the presidency of Barack Obama was also seen as along similar lines – kind of a “well if he can do it, and he doesn’t look like anyone else who’s come before him, then maybe so can I.” Of course the reason that this is just a movie and not actually always viable in reality are things like economic stonewalls and institutional inadequacies that resist change. However, it is what makes us dream and work hard towards our talents: the idea that a one in a million shot will make it big. It’s why we always imagine ourselves as the main characters in our movies when in reality we may only be the supporting characters. A downside to this is that when someone does not succeed despite overwhelming odds, they are seen as “lazy.”
This film was so well received in 1975-1976 could be because it is a classic, and that ideal is a classic. There were stories from the 1930’s in a similar vein about a man who achieved infamy on a political stage despite the world working against him, and everyone loves a good story, like Lenny Skulnik, who was just an accountant but who in a clutch saved a dozen people from drowning when a plane went down. This idea of “nobodies” turning into “somebodies” is prevalent throughout our culture, and it is something that we always love to imagine and idealize. This movie was heralded as a classic underdog story then, and it still is now.
The three examples of “save the cat” that I can think of are when Rocky, as a debt collector, is about to collect a man’s debt but the man cannot pay up. Rocky is supposed to cut off his thumbs as a warning, since he is working for a mob boss, but he doesn’t, which demonstrates that he is a good guy. Another example of “saving the cat” is when Rocky takes Adrianne out ice skating at a rink that is about to be closed for the night – he wants to do whatever he can to impress the girl that he likes, which is something that we can all relate to. Saving the cat is when a writer concocts a story to make a character, especially a main character, more relatable. Rocky is seen as an anti-hero because he works for a mob boss, he’s not the world’s best boxer, but is pretty average, and he lives in a small apartment by himself – however, we are needed to identify with him in order to make him seem more appealing. A third example of “save the cat” in Rocky as at the end when he won’t give up, no matter how hard or how often Apollo Creed hits him, he won’t go down. In the end, the two men embrace each other as the final bell rings and they agree to not do a rematch.