Realism in Creed (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Realism in Creed The concept of realism in cinema is a difficult concept to grasp since the application of this ideology may have various meanings for different individuals. When it comes to other genres, the entire notion of reality is in turmoil, especially in the media. In his book "What Media Class Really Wants to Discuss: A Student's Guide," Greg Smith discusses how various comedies, such as The Office or King of the Hill, which are distinct kinds of sitcoms, may contain an ounce of reality. As you can see, the concept of reality in cinema is a contentious one, and the film Creed is a prime illustration of this. Creed is a sequel to the Rocky films and follows the path of Adonis Creed, an inspirational fighter and son of Apollo Creed, a legendary boxer who died as a result of an injury sustained during his notorious encounter with Ivan Drago. Creed's status as a realistic picture is contested, since some critics believe the film is more akin to a standard sports film, specifically a boxing film. However, given the movie's portrayal of race, the relationships that emerge, and the cultural imprint of Philadelphia, one may claim that the film is realistic. The Rocky series was set at a period when African American men dominated boxing, so they cast a white Italian guy as the underdog and hero of the tale to "return boxing back to the white race." White viewers wanted to witness a "black boxer be humiliated by a white adversary" in 1976, according to the author of the Atlantic article How Creed Forever Changed the Rocky Series (Serwer para. 7). The film Creed was a backlash to the Rocky franchise. The creators of this film aimed to portray boxing through the perspective of a black guy since most boxing films, or sports films in general, have featured a white male as the primary character. The concept of having a black boxer as the series' champion has always been divisive since it contradicts white masculinity and superiority. "For the black guy to emerge dominant would go against America's principles," Muhammad Ali stated in the Atlantic piece. "I have been so brilliant in boxing they had to create an image like Rocky" (Serwer para. 9). The concept of white supremacy in cinema is not new, and the film Creed's counter-reaction delves into the social realism paradigm that we are dealing with. Besides, they also made Michael B Jordan's character Adonis and Sylvester Stallone's character Rocky Balboa train in order to attain this. This is quite rare, given that Rocky is the series' white hero and is teaching the son of his adversary, as well as Sylvester Stallone's status as "the embodiment of white masculinity". According to the Atlantic piece, while Rocky was preparing to be a boxer, one of Apollo's handlers, Lang, remarked that he couldn't fight like a black guy. Despite the criticism of their strange connection, Rocky is, in some ways, the same kind of fighter as Adonis' father Apollo. "Rocky is seen fighting like Apollo Creed," according to the Atlantic piece. Rocky swaggers, dances, and talks trash before telling Lang, "You ain't that bad". When Adonis fights, he behaves similarly to his father, which comes as no surprise. Despite being competitors with Apollo, Rocky being Adonis' coach is unprecedented, let alone a white guy teaching a black man to be champion, which adds a fresh twist to the series. Despite being from two distinct periods, Adonis and Rocky had one thing in common: the milieu that shaped their boxing careers. Rocky was born and raised in Philadelphia. Despite the fact that Adonis did not grow up in Philadelphia, his boxing career began there. Their Philadelphia is no longer the same. Rocky's Philly is more based in his Italian heritage, while the Philly represented in Creed was more black. The legendary running sequence may be seen in both Creed and Rocky. When they initially filmed Rocky executing that running action, he was dashing through Little Italy's Italian stores and markets. When they filmed the Creed running sequence, all the black youngsters riding their motorbikes after him, which is an important element of black Philadelphia culture (I would know because I am from the Philly area). The majority of the scenes in Philadelphia were filmed in mostly black neighborhoods such as Germantown and Creed near Frankford. "It lingers and lends life to black Philly in a way that Rocky never could, even for Italian Philly," according to the Atlantic piece, "the camera that moves like a boxer, weaving and sliding around a centered point the way combatants would circle one other before striking". This was significant since one of the film's aims was to provide representation to black Philadelphia, which is underrepresented. The culture of Philadelphia had a significant effect on Adonis and Bianca's relationship. The first date they had was at a Philly cheesesteak joint, and she was educating him about Philadelphia culture, notably black Philadelphia culture. I recall her explaining to Adonis what a Jawn is (which is a noun for anything in Philly) and other slang terminology they use in one of the scenes. This was a stepping stone to a deeper connection in their relationship. It was also the first time that black Philadelphia was represented in that way. Further investigation into Bianca and Adonis' relationship revealed that it was not your conventional sports drama romance as shown in Rocky or other films. In such flicks, we usually see your standard pretty/shy yet confident female who stand by her guy through thick and thin, such as Rocky's wife Adrian. They did, however, put a traditional twist on it. Bianca is deaf in the film Creed, and her hearing deteriorates as she grows older, which is unique to the Creed plot. This is noteworthy since there is little portrayal of black women with impairments in general, much alone in partnerships. In fact, the film's director, Ryan Coogler, noted, "We don't frequently see fully-developed love interests and women of color with impairments in films like this, and many female fans in particular have been attracted to this character because of that.” Not only that, but we also see Bianca develop a career as a musician, which is unique in a sports drama. Coogler said, "Bianca was someone I felt like I may know, and in a sense, her enthusiasm for music reminded me of my own passion for writing.”. This portrays a relationship that has never been shown in the media and is more realistic than some of these sport drama romances. According to a Variety Fair...