Rebirth of Rocky
by Steve Watters on 11/29/2006 at 9:23 AM
"No matter what, you can overcome your past. With help, if you look to God, you can overcome your past and be reborn."
That's an unusual message to be coming from Sylvester Stallone, but it's a reflection of his new priorities in life and part of the message he has been sharing with the faith community about the latest installment of his Rocky movie franchise.
At 60 years old, Stallone admits he's reached a point where many would say it's time to move off the stage and let the next generation take over.
He thinks, however, that people of his age and generation still have a contribution to make. Surprisingly, one of the key messages he wants to get across is that Jesus Christ can give redemption to a misdirected life.
That's the message that came across in a recent conference call he led with numerous Christian media reps including a couple of people from Focus on the Family.
The article that CitizenLink's Stuart Shepard wrote about that call is featured prominently on the Drudge Report today (or at least was this morning).
Any thoughts from our readers on the return of Rocky or about the ways Hollywood has been courting Christians to support their films?
1. CLH said the following at 12:46 PM on Nov 29:
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Steve, rather than take up comment room, I'll refer to my post at The Point:
http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2006/11/hollywood_tryin.html
2. Dr. Ransom said the following at 4:19 PM on Nov 29:
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I read this Citizen article just moments before reading this, after seeing its Drudge link -- and was quite thrilled. (Thus far, I actually haven't seen any of the "Rocky" films. Methinks I'll have to go back and catch up. ...)
Meanwhile, what on Earth is happening to "Hollywood"? Mel Gibson's "Passion," "The Nativity Story," "One Night with the King" and "Facing the Giants" and of course "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "The Lord of the Rings and all kinds of non-preachy films either based on the stories of Christ-followers or else advocating a strong Judeo-Christian worldview -- even "Spider-Man," "Batman Begins," "Superman Returns" ...
If this keeps up, if Christians continue to support these types of films to the point that Fox / Walden Media and Sylvester Stallone of all people can feel absolutely comfortable marketing to the "faith and values crowd" ... Christendom may not need to "give up" the domain of big-budget storytelling media yet!
What this also means is Christians will need to expand their storytelling "borders." No, this needn't mean compromising the Gospel -- but dozens of "Christian novels" already do that anyway, either by focusing on "morality" aspects alone or else sacrificing all other messages just to issue altar-calls to readers again and again.
Instead we must focus on story, as did Lewis, Tolkien and myriads of others, whose work lives on in timelessness while shallow, propaganda-pushing stories fall by the wayside. And who knows? Some of those better novels might also just become movies someday. (Watch out for the film adaptation of Ted Dekker's thriller novel "Thr3e" in February ...)
Truly a market exists for these stories, imbued with incredible Christ-honoring messages. The existing stigma hasn't been sourced by lack of profit potential, but by secular Hollywood's myopia -- *and* legalistic Christians who somehow decided Movies Were Bad and thus relinquished control of the celluloid-storytelling domain to the Humanists.
It seems God may be choosing to use some "embedded" people within the market -- Stallone among them -- to work out a new plan to proclaim His glory. If so, is that not awesome?
Now we only need more Christ-glorifying stories from which to choose: not just "morality tales" and not just overt, altar-call propaganda pieces ...
3. Leah said the following at 6:43 PM on Nov 29:
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Keep in mind when it comes to Gibson films that Mel Gibson is actually a Christian and so there is no coincidence there.
4. Dr. Ransom said the following at 9:37 PM on Nov 29:
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Though I just quoted an "Adventures in Odyssey" episode in another Boundless topic, I can't help but repeat the procedure here -- referencing a throwaway "Rocky" sequel-movie parody in the 1995 AiO episode "Gathering Thunder," written by Marshal Younger:
MANAGER: Come on, Champ! You can't do it anymore. Boxers are younger, stronger, faster. You get in that ring and you're gonna kill yourself.
ROCKY: I'm not quittin'. I just wanna go the distance ta prove that I can still fight!
RODNEY RATHBONE (watching movie, hollers at screen): Ha! my grandmother can take ya!
BUTCH: Yeah my grandmother's *teeth* could take ya!
And "Odyssey" writer Nathan Hoobler on his website has the remainder of the scene: "hidden dialogue" that escaped the final program's production:
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MANAGER: You're crazy!
ROCKY: I gotta do it for my kids!
MANAGER: For crying out loud, Champ, they're married and have their own kids! They can fend for themselves. You've proved yourself to them, now you gotta move on.
ROCKY: To what, Mick?! I can't do nothin' but box! I don't know nothin' else! (BEAT) I know what it is. Yeah, I know! You're gonna put me in a nursing home, aren't you?!
MANAGER: Oh, Rock!
ROCKY: You don't want me back in that ring 'cause it'll prove I can take care of myself!
MANAGER: I'm not doubting that you can take care of yourself!
ROCKY: Oh, yes, you are! (BEAT) And I'm gonna prove it to you.
MANAGER: You don't have to, Rock!
ROCKY: I'm gonna do 50 sit-ups, right here in front of you.
MANAGER: Oh, Rock, you don't have to do that.
ROCKY: No, you don't believe me.
[ROCKY GETS ON THE FLOOR WITH A GROAN.]
ROCKY: Hold my feet.
MANAGER:(SIGHS) Okay, if it'll make you feel better.
[ROCKY BEGINS HIS SITUPS. AFTER A WHILE...]
MANAGER: One.
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5. Detective J said the following at 9:08 AM on Nov 30:
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I hope Hollywood gets the message that Christian films make money!