The Cold War was a time of hatred, animosity, and lots of speculation between the United States and the Soviet Union. This time in history was focused on advancement, strength, and perseverance of either the Communist system or the Capitalist system, depending on what side of the world that you are on. This time in history provided an excellent backdrop, for major sporting events to take place, fictional or not. This allowed for two separate nations to be pinned against one another for supremacy, without people losing their lives on a battlefield. Movies such as Rocky IV and Miracle, both capture a sense of nationalism in America, during a time of hardship and conflict between the USSR and the United States. The directors of both films main goal is to capture national pride through the performances of the main …show more content…
Ivan Drago of the Soviet Union, is the model for the prototypical boxer of the future; big, strong, and groomed to fight through science. The portrayal of nationalism is very apparent in this movie, such as when Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago fight in Las Vegas. Elements such as Apollo’s entrance to the ring can be viewed as nationalism because it was very ostentatious, with singing, dancing, and lots of theatrics such as smoke machines, hyping up Apollo Creed. While on the other hand, the movie was discrediting Drago for entering the ring while it was underground and no one could see him until Apollo’s entrance. The difference in their warm up gear can be another example of nationalism, Apollo Creed had a flashy outfit with lots of shiny objects, and was red white and blue like the American Flag. While Drago was brought out in a simple yellow outfit with red stripes, and a small hammer and sickle on the back, to insinuate the United States was better than the Soviet