THE SIMPLE PIETY OF ROCKY. All weekend, AMC has been showing the Rocky pentology. Not a bad crazy idea, given the Rocky-Philadelphia-July 4th connection. I've never actually seen any of the Rocky movies all the way through before, so my knowledge of the series has mostly been limited to generalities - the basic plot of the series (Rocky loses to Creed, Rocky beats Creed, Rocky fights Mr. T, Rocky beats the Russian, Rocky is washed-up), the music (especially "Eye of the Tiger"), the iconic imagery (the steps of the Museum of Art).
Over the weekend, I've tried to catch snippets of the movies. I've actually been surprised by how good the sequels are - even the much-maligned Rocky V. They're not brilliant, by any means, but compared to the dreck that's released today (or even then) they're more than passable. It's the Godfather, Part III syndrome: when you're following up on a classic, just being okay isn't good enough. So lay off Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago, a'ight?
The other thing that I didn't anticipate was the Catholic piety of the movies, especially the early movies. Rocky is always making the sign of the cross (which looks more than a little odd in boxing gloves). In Rocky II, Adrian falls into a coma after giving birth to Rocky Jr. There's then a lengthy montage, with little dialog, showing Rocky caring for his incapacitated wife: Rocky reading to Adrian from an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, stumbling over the words; then Rocky and Mickey praying quietly in an otherwise empty chapel; then back to the hospital room (where there's a cross over Adrian's bed and statues of Christ and St. Francis in the hallway); then back to the chapel; and so on. Just before his big fight with Apollo Creed, Rocky seeks out the advice of a priest in Roman collar. And in the moments immediately preceding the fight, while Creed is talking trash and shadow-boxing furiously, Rocky is silent, kneeling, praying. A remarkable contrast.
None of this seemed fake or tacked on. It all seemed to flow naturally from Rocky's character. He's a simple, decent man who projects a simple, natural piety. Rocky is not just the Italian Stallion; he's also il Cavallo Cattolico.
So I ask: why wasn't Rocky II included in the Best Catholic Movies online poll?
Over the weekend, I've tried to catch snippets of the movies. I've actually been surprised by how good the sequels are - even the much-maligned Rocky V. They're not brilliant, by any means, but compared to the dreck that's released today (or even then) they're more than passable. It's the Godfather, Part III syndrome: when you're following up on a classic, just being okay isn't good enough. So lay off Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago, a'ight?
The other thing that I didn't anticipate was the Catholic piety of the movies, especially the early movies. Rocky is always making the sign of the cross (which looks more than a little odd in boxing gloves). In Rocky II, Adrian falls into a coma after giving birth to Rocky Jr. There's then a lengthy montage, with little dialog, showing Rocky caring for his incapacitated wife: Rocky reading to Adrian from an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, stumbling over the words; then Rocky and Mickey praying quietly in an otherwise empty chapel; then back to the hospital room (where there's a cross over Adrian's bed and statues of Christ and St. Francis in the hallway); then back to the chapel; and so on. Just before his big fight with Apollo Creed, Rocky seeks out the advice of a priest in Roman collar. And in the moments immediately preceding the fight, while Creed is talking trash and shadow-boxing furiously, Rocky is silent, kneeling, praying. A remarkable contrast.
None of this seemed fake or tacked on. It all seemed to flow naturally from Rocky's character. He's a simple, decent man who projects a simple, natural piety. Rocky is not just the Italian Stallion; he's also il Cavallo Cattolico.
So I ask: why wasn't Rocky II included in the Best Catholic Movies online poll?
<< Home