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Genre History - #2

 Since my project will be a sports drama, I needed to do some research on the genre's history to gain more info. To start off, the Sports genre began with Charlie Chaplin's 'The Champion' (1915), which is a boxing silent film. The drama genre has more confusing beginnings however, since it was said to have originated in Greece as an evolution of religious ritual. Around the same time however, the Sanskrit Indian Prakarana arose, which is a play that consisted of five acts. This may have been regarded to spreading the genre of drama in the east, the same way Greece did in the west.


 As I've said before, 'The Champion' was the very first sports film. However, this was only a silent film which came around during the silent film era. Meaning that there was no real dialogue or important sounds which could influence the meaning of the film. A much more popular sports film that came later was Rocky (1976) starring Sylvester Stallone. Rocky has also remained a cultural icon and hero, representing blue collar workers and the people of Philadelphia.


  Another important point to be made is representation. Before the 1950's, there were not many non-white characters that were featured in starring roles in sports films, other than boxing films. Moreover, non-white characters only acted as a supplement to the mostly white male storylines. As of the 1950's, films such as The Jackie Robinson story and The Harlem Globetrotters featured African American athletes, which was pivotal in the change of color barriers. Following this, The Last Dance, a film featuring Michael Jordan, showcased his impact on the sport of Basketball and of the NBA in the world as a whole.

                                                       

  The most notable films I found in the sports drama genre throughout its history were 'The Champion' (pioneering the sports genre), 'The Jackie Robinson Story' (breaking color barriers not only in film, but sports as well), 'Rocky' (giving the people of blue collar jobs a hero to look up to), 'The Last Dance' (showcasing Michael Jordans major impact on the world) and 'Million Dollar Baby' (a film that heavily represented women). So now I will use the knowledge that I have gained through my research to hopefully advance further in the process of creating my project.

Sources:

https://www.hollywoodinsider.com/the-history-of-sports-in-film/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/history-of-drama-dramatic-movements-and-time-periods.html



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