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Post by lowtacks86 on Dec 3, 2018 1:24:48 GMT
Actually he loses 50% of the time the black boxers (Apollo and Clubber beat him in their first matches). But I'm guessing this is a half assesed attempt at trolling, so I shouldn't even be giving a serious response.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Dec 3, 2018 3:29:50 GMT
Since you asked, there's racial politics in the entire series.
In a historical context, Hollywood had certain tropes when it came to race like the "Magic Negro" janitor of the 1940s who was seemingly indestructible to bullets and would sacrifice himself to save the white hero.
This extended for decades. Woody Strode in SPARTACUS is the same type--he could have killed Spartacus but decides to spare him because of his moral integrity-then goes after Crassus and almost gets him. But it is a similar kind of self-sacrifice.
DARK OF THE SUN 1968 has Rod Taylor being saved from Congo rebels by Jim Brown. There's probably a few other "on the nose" examples.
For the original film, Apollo Creed represented a villain of sorts-the powerful successful black man. Intentionally or not, the juxtaposition with the Fourth of July was meant to either rankle John Birch conservatives or provide some minor catharsis when Rocky goes the full 15 rounds (but doesn't win).
In the third film, they used Clubber Lang as the villain, but that was countered by Apollo Creed as Rocky's new mentor-trainer.
Apollo is presented as educated and intelligent--it is Rocky who is shown to be slow-witted.
The 4th is ridiculous with Apollo wanting to fight Drago for an overblown patriotism gesture--but Drago is as much caricature as Clubber Lang--even more so. Lang was ambitious and individualistic, Drago is a drug-enhanced robot (like all Russians).
In the fifth- George Washington Duke is a new type of black villain--Don King obviously--but the working class white guy is also presented as a bad guy. He's not grateful, he's dumb and malicious.
And Rocky needs the ghost of his Jewish trainer to motivate him to fight back.
Then in Rocky Balboa, Rocky starts dating the woman who had a biracial son.
Just have to say though--like Kardashians, NO white person in the 40s wrote to movie studios and said:
Dear studio boss, would you please include characters of black janitors who kill themselves to save whites. Thank you.
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Post by Anonymous Andy on Dec 3, 2018 12:10:39 GMT
I think it's a testament to the quality of the acting and writing of the original Rocky that the race element never really comes into play, even if it seems like it's out there in the open.
Then again, I'm not an incel with a persecution complex like OP.
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Post by vegalyra on Dec 3, 2018 14:27:58 GMT
To me it seems the films give a lot of respect to the profession, those of any color that participate.
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Post by lenlenlen1 on Dec 3, 2018 19:12:03 GMT
I wouldn't go as far as to say racist. I don't think that Rocky was fighting said opponents "because" they were black and he wanted to defeat the idea of blackness.
I would say unrealistic, since we all know black men by far rule the heavyweight boxing ring. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2018 1:17:25 GMT
I wouldn't go as far as to say racist. I don't think that Rocky was fighting said opponents "because" they were black and he wanted to defeat the idea of blackness.
I would say unrealistic, since we all know black men by far rule the heavyweight boxing ring. I know, but in movie logic, it works? Maybe? |
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Post by lenlenlen1 on Dec 4, 2018 6:55:58 GMT
I wouldn't go as far as to say racist. I don't think that Rocky was fighting said opponents "because" they were black and he wanted to defeat the idea of blackness.
I would say unrealistic, since we all know black men by far rule the heavyweight boxing ring. I know, but in movie logic, it works? Maybe? Its called "the great white hope". The last time we had it IRL was Holmes vs. Cooney in the early 80's.
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