The Bonus Disc:
In 1976, Rocky earned the Best Picture Oscar and made Sylvester Stallone one of Hollywood’s biggest star. A major hit, multiple sequels followed.
Though this article covers the first four movies as a whole, I want to concentrate mainly on this package’s final platter. Called “Bonus Disc”, it includes a few more Rocky tidbits.
Note that the letter grades above average out the picture and audio ratings for the three movies. The “Bonus” grade averages out the extras on the movie discs and adds those here.
First comes Behind the Scene With Director John Avildsen. In this 12-minute, 32-second piece, Avildsen discusses the fight rehearsal process and also shows a variety of 8mm test shots made to help refine the choreography between Stallone and Weathers.
Also included are some glimpses of early make-up concepts. One of those would have allowed Stallone to easily fit on the set of Frankenstein. Although Avildsen’s remarks repeat some of the material heard on the commentary - indeed, the latter seems to use the exact same tape - the 8mm test material is a terrific find and it offers a fun view of the filmmaking process.
Note that the disc’s producers goof and the menu refers to this sequence as “8mm Home Movies of Rocky” with commentary from Avildsen and pre-production supervisor Lloyd Kaufman. Nope – that exists as a separate piece.
Three Rounds with Lou Duva runs four minutes, 34 seconds and gives us more notes from the trainer. He discusses his early days in the business and aspects of his work. It’s marginally interesting at best but not particularly valuable.
We learn more about technical innovations via Steadicam: Then and Now with Garrett Brown. The piece runs 17 minutes, 26 seconds and features notes from Brown as he discusses his career and how he came up with the Steadicam.
He also chats about his work on Rocky and the subsequent success of the Steadicam. Lots of good archival footage fleshes out Brown’s comments. These allow the featurette to illuminate and entertain.
During the 15-minute, 11-second Make-Up! The Art and Form with Michael Westmore, we hear from the make-up designer and supervisor as he covers his family roots in the business as well as his work on Rocky and other aspects of his career.
Star Trek fans will know Westmore from his designs for the various spin-off series. Westmore provides a nice look at his work on the film and makes this a useful show.
For a look at the movie’s famous music, we head to Staccato: A Composer’s Notebook with Bill Conti. This offers an 11-minute, 30-second program during which the composer goes over his creations for Rocky along with recording the tracks. As with its predecessors, this becomes another solid little take on its topics.
The Ring of Truth lasts nine minutes, 37 seconds as it presents remarks from art director James Spencer. He talks about locations and set design as well as budgetary restrictions. We learn a fair amount about the production dressing in this tight and satisfying show.
A Tribute to Burgess Meredith combines remembrances from Stallone, Young, Weathers, and Meredith’s friend, actress Lee Grant into a seven-minute, 53-second piece. All except for Stallone - whose statements come from his “Video Commentary” sessions - appear only as voice-overs while we see stills of Meredith.
This piece seems respectful and interesting. It adds a classy touch to the disc.
Created in 1990 to promote Rocky V, Stallone Meets Rocky lasts three minutes. In this, the actor chats with his creation in a jokey manner. It offers some fun.
Keep Punching spans 58 minutes, 29 seconds and involves notes from Stallone as he works on the re-edit of the flick. Filmmaker/Stallone friend John Herzfeld shoots on his phone and chats with Sly as he goes through the process.
Sort of, which means one shouldn’t expect a real dissection of the changes made to transform the 1985 movie into the 2021 update. Stallone touches on some of the choices but tends to muse more about his life and career than the film in question.
This makes “Punching” moderately informative and engaging but less effective than I hoped. Though it offers an engaging program, it lacks the insight I expected.
Note that “Punching” appears on YouTube in a longer 93-minute version. Why does the program last 35 minutes shorter here? I have no idea.
We finish with five trailers. We get theatrical ads for the first four Rocky movies as well as a promo for the re-edited Rocky vs. Drago version of Rocky IV.
While the first Rocky remains a classic, I find less to love about its initial three sequels. Though they enjoy some good moments, only the 1976 film really works. This set packages four movies with largely solid picture, inconsistent audio and a decent but underwhelming collection of bonus materials. Due to some glitches, this four-movie package feels like a tough sell until/unless Warner fixes the issues.
