ROCKY: THE KNOCKOUT COLLECTION: 4K UHD Blu-ray (MGM/UA, 1976, 79, 82, 85) Warner Home Video

In retrospect, it is more than a little preposterous Rocky (1976), a testosterone-infused/chest-thumping boxing flick about a small-time wanna-be pugilist, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) should have walked off with the Best Picture Academy Award, particularly in a year rife with such worthy powerhouse entertainments as Paddy Chayefsky’s Network, the politically charged odds on fav, All The President's Men and Martin Scorsese’s breakout vigilante drama, Taxi Driver! But Rocky?!? Really?!?! So, the legend goes, Sylvester Stallone penned Rocky’s screenplay in just 3 ½ days, inspired by a championship match at Richfield Coliseum between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, although Stallone has always denied Wepner as his inspiration. Everybody loves an underdog apparently. But Rocky is about as straight-forward as movie-making gets – Stallone, padding out the boxing material with an unlikely romance between the relatively shy Balboa – a real bull in the ring, but a total pussy-cat where the ladies are concerned – and Talia Shire’s wallflower come gal/pal, Adrianna Pennino. Yo, Adrian – we have a winner here!

Evidently, Wepner agreed, and could see more than a little of himself in the resultant movie, filing a lawsuit, eventually settled out of court with Stallone for an undisclosed sum. United Artists liked Stallone's script.  But the studio did not want Stallone’s name attached to the project. In point of fact, Stallone in 1975 was not a major player, and had, at least in some circles, somewhat tainted his reputation in legitimate circles by appearing in the softcore porn, The Party at Kitty and Stud’s (1970). In the days when the adult film industry and Hollywood proper had yet to align (although, undoubtedly had met in the after hours behind many a moonlit wild party at the Playboy mansion), much less crossover, the notion Stallone could get even a lowly script reader to even peruse his copy of Rocky is a major feat – let alone, inspire an entire cottage industry of like-minded fare that remains as resilient as ever.  UA, however, was ecstatic - albeit, with ideas to cast a well-known and well-respected hit-topping name above the title. So, the likes of a Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds and James Caan were all bandied about for consideration. To his everlasting good fortune, Stallone played hardball with UA, knowing producers, Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff could fast track the picture with him as its star, so long as the budget was kept in check.  As a matter of record, Rocky was one of the first movies to have its production budget ($1,075,000) eclipsed by the outlay allocated for its marketing ($4.2 million spent on advertising costs).

Even after Chartoff and Winkler agreed to Stallone’s terms, the producers had a terrible time finding actors to fill the other major roles. Carl Weathers’ Apollo Creed and Shire’s Adrian came to the project in the eleventh hour – literally. Weathers was a truly last-minute replacement for real-life boxer, Ken Norton. Meanwhile, producers pinned their hopes on Carrie Snodgress for the romantic junior miss. Snodgress, all but forgotten today, was then an Oscar-nominated actress for 1970’s Diary of a Mad Housewife (losing out to Glenda Jackson for Women in Love). A money dispute between Snodgress’ agent and UA ended those negotiations on a sour note. In the interim, Susan Sarandon vied for the part, but was deemed too pretty. Exactly what that says about Talia Shire…well. It should be noted Stallone all but pilfered whole portions of Rocky’s fictionalized circumstances from real-life boxing legends, the parallels between Rocky and Joe Frazier (including the carcass-punching scenes and Rocky’s sprint up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as part of his training regimen) basically homages to Frazier without the latter ever receiving any credit or remuneration. As Apollo Creed had been directly based on Muhammad Ali, Stallone staged a brief and comical ‘confrontation’ with Ali at the Oscar podium to illustrate for fans no hard feelings existed between the two.

To say Rocky was a ‘family affair’ is an understatement. To keep the movie’s budget down, Stallone cast his father to ring the bell at the beginning and end of each round, his brother, Frank – as a street corner singer, and, his first wife, Sasha, as the movie’s stills photographer, with other cameos going to L.A. TV sportscaster, Stu Nahan (as himself) and radio/TV broadcaster, Bill Baldwin. Lloyd Kaufman, the founder of the indie film company, Troma, played a drunk, and, Diana Lewis, then an L.A. newscaster, later to become a fixture on Channel 7 in Detroit, also played herself. Apart from Stallone, the only other alumni from the original movie to carry into the subsequent franchise was Tony Burton, as Apollo’s trainer, Tony ‘Duke’ Evers.  Again, for budgetary reasons, most of Rocky was shot on the fly in Philadelphia, Garrett Brown's newly patented Steadicam employed to achieve a visual smoothness without having to take time to lay costly dolly tracks. Aside: although often cited as the first movie to employ the Steadicam, Rocky was actually third in line for the honor, behind Bound for Glory and Marathon Man (both made and released ahead of Rocky in 1976).  As shooting began, original elements in the story were altered to satisfy the studio, particularly Mickey Goldmill’s (Burgess Meredith) racist attitudes. In the original too, Rocky threw his penultimate bout, realizing he did not want to be a part of the seedy underpinnings manipulating the professional boxing world.

Achieving a sense of realism in the ring, Stallone insisted on real body blows and incurred severely bruised ribs as a direct result of his quest for verisimilitude. Carl Weathers did not escape injury either, suffering a damaged nose. In the movie, it’s Rocky’s nose that gets pummeled and swollen. Shooting on a shoestring, director, John G. Avildsen elected to photograph Rocky and Adrian’s ‘cute meet’ on an empty skating rink after hours when the rink demanded more money to shoot during their regular hours of operation. So, the scene was quickly rewritten to show Rocky bribing a janitor after everyone else had gone home, the couple enjoying their tender moment together without the benefit of a crowd.

Depending on one’s point of view, the realism achieved can either be attributed to clever timing or happy accidents. In two instances, ‘accidents’ could be more counted upon. The poster depicting Rocky wearing red shorts with a white stripe is actually the reverse of what he wears in the ring. This was an error on the part of the publicity department, with no money left in the budget to go back and make alterations. In another instance, the red robe worn by Rocky was sewn two sizes too big. To compensate for these misfires, Stallone wrote several lines of dialogue, Rocky commenting on the flub in the poster art, to which he is told by one of the promoters, “It doesn’t really matter…does it?” and, in the other, Rocky, acknowledging that the robe is, in fact, too big, but wears it anyway as the last-minute trappings of an underdog, mirroring the frenetic pace with which this movie was cobbled together.

One of Rocky’s cleverest bits of timing was the hiring of Bill Conti to compose the picture’s rousing score. The studio had wanted David Shire (Talia’s hubby). Shire refused. Conti, whose underscores and main titles have since gone on to adorn many a memorable movie and television show from the 1980s, cut his teeth on the Rocky franchise. The entire scoring budget – to include Conti’s composer fee, the musicians, rent of the studio and money for the recording tape, was a paltry $2500. You can’t even rent a recording facility for that money today. And Conti, with all his creative juices flowing, composed ‘Gonna Fly Now’ – a soaring anthem, going all the way to #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 list.  In hindsight, Rocky really had a lot going for it, even if Stallone's screenplay was a pretty pedestrian affair. What ought to have been a forgettable, run-of-the-mill melodrama following the downtrodden and, quite often, pathetic exploits of a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, became a runaway charmer with a lot of box office cache. But didn't we already get this build up in The Champ (1931) - doomed to be remade after Rocky's success as...what else?!?...The Champ (1979). But I digress.

Our hero, Rocky starts life as a sort of Marlon Brando knockoff from On The Waterfront, just a thug, collecting debts for loan shark, Gazzo (Joe Spinell). To pass his time and keep in shape, he boxes with ex-trainer, Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) who has faith in Rocky when no one else – least of all Rocky himself - believes he can become the heavy weight champion of the world. But, oh gee - wait for it - our hero is really a shy guy who develops a yen for the even more spectacularly introverted, Adrianna Pennino (Talia Shire). Their casual and very unlikely friendship predictably blossoms into romance. Adrian is hardly the sort of trophy one usually finds draped off the arm of a muscled-up athlete. But she really believes in Rocky. So, Rocky begins to believe in himself. Adrianna affectionately swaps barbs with her brother, Paulie (Bert Young) who could not be happier some man – any man – has finally taken an interest in his gawky sister. The romance between Rocky and Adrianna is slow and cautious. She confides in him, she has never been to a man’s apartment. He sets her mind at ease…then takes her to bed. Go, Rocky!

The central narrative gets back on track when it is announced the current world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) has decided to use the gimmick of giving a virtual unknown a chance to beat him in the ring for the title. Surveying the various training facilities in the greater Philadelphia area, Apollo discovers Rocky and the match is set. The rest of the plot is really just an excuse for the final showdown between Rocky and Apollo. We are treated to endless montages leading up to the big day: Adrianna’s apprehensions, Rocky’s reassurances, his near defeat in the ring, and finally, his triumph over insurmountable odds. It all comes off with mind-boggling clumsiness, keeping perfect rhythm with our toughened-up fighter in training. But even as a movie, let alone one that reports to be based on real life, Rocky's ‘feel good’ just seems rather transparent and overstated. Our hero's escalation from underdog to top dog is utterly predictable and not terribly prepossessing. This sort of escapist wish fulfillment has its place in American movies of a certain vintage. Think of Rocky as the Cinderella story in reverse - where Cinderella needs a shave and breaks a sweat, but beats the hell out of her wicked stepmother in the final bout between good vs. evil.  But again…Best Picture?!? Really?!?

Stallone, who barely had a career before Rocky, after it, could write his own ticket as the muscle-bound, bloody-nosed poster child for all simple-minded lumbering lummoxes aspiring to become a contender in the ring. In retrospect, Stallone might have come off as the epitome of the ‘body beautiful’ if not for legit bodybuilder turned actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s trailblazing debut in Pumping Iron (1977) – the movie that put muscle on the map, kick-started the male fitness craze, and, in the long run, effectively paved the way for a far more diverse and satisfying career. The years following Rocky and its many sequels have been good to Stallone. In fact, he did everything in his power to compete with Schwarzenegger in the 1980’s on the 'body beautiful' level - juicing up and launching into yet another lucrative film franchise - Rambo. And while ‘healthy competition’ is good, Rocky hermetically sealed Stallone's chances to diversify his portfolio. Instead, he was expected to churn out a Rocky sequel every few years – and did – with nauseating consistency.

Rocky II finds Stallone’s Balboa in retirement after his bout with Apollo Creed. Creed believes Rocky’s win was a fluke and challenges him to a rematch. Rocky declines, owing to a detached retina, a condition to possibly leave him permanent blind. On the basis of his win, Rocky becomes a cash cow, living off paid endorsements. Adrian becomes pregnant. Alas, owing to some bad investments, the money runs out and Rocky re-enters the arena after Creed’s insults prove too much for his ego to handle. All this stress causes Adrian to slip into a coma. She delivers a healthy baby, but her life remains in the balance. Mercifully revived, Adrian gives her blessing for the subsequent re-match. It’s a brutish battle, leaving both men bloodied and senseless. In the last round, Rocky gains the upper hand and wins by a knockout.

Rocky II hit theaters in 1979, reuniting principals, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. Stallone directed it under duress, as Avildsen was unavailable, but UA – the studio footing the bills, insisted on a more seasoned name to helm the project. Instead, like a dog with a bone, Stallone hung onto his cache from the previous pic and was eventually afforded the opportunity to prove he was more than a meaty set of pecs. About those pecs – Stallone tore his for real while working on his bench press with pro-bodybuilder, Franco Columbo, necessitating extensive (and only partially successful) surgery to stitch the muscle back into place. Rocky II’s almost $300 million worldwide intake was confirmation enough Stallone knew what he was doing. Rocky III came out in 1982.The formula for this third outing to the same creative well, once again brought back Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. But it also introduced a new adversary, Clubber Lang (the venerable Mr. ‘I pity the fool’ T, who, upon winning America’s Best Bouncer, turned to acting for his bread and butter). By now, it was becoming apparent Stallone had taken the bodybuilding side of his regimented physical fitness pretty seriously, indulging in a strict diet, supplemented by synthetics to completely transform his body. Owing to a shakeup in manage at UA, MGM became Rocky III’s de facto distributor. Critics were not nearly as enamored with this latest installment to the franchise. Nevertheless, Rocky III out-grossed both its predecessors.

The story picks up 5 years after Rocky defeated Apollo for the second time. Rocky, famous and wealthy, doesn’t need boxing anymore…or so, he believes. Alas, Rocky is publicly shamed during an unveiling of his statue by Clubber Lang forcing him to accept a new challenge that Mickey, his manager wants no part of. Under duress, Mickey confesses he ‘fixed’ Rocky’s subsequent matches, picking lesser contenders he knew Rocky could beat. Disillusioned over his own prowess in the ring, Rocky orders Mickey to cue him for one last ‘real’ fight against a worthy opponent. Thus, the match between Rocky and Clubber is set. Tragically, Clubber’s casual assault on Mickey results in a fatal heart attack. Rocky is defeated in his match against Clubber and falls into a deep depression, mourning Mickey. Apollo re-enters Rocky’s life and offers to train him for a rematch against Clubber. Forced to face his demons, Rocky endures a hellish training regiment and (wait for it) comes back from the brink to defeat Clubber and reclaim his title which he now believes is legitimately earned.

Rocky III was a smashing success, despite the critics. However, owing to a copyright lawsuit, Rocky IV began to take shape after a lengthy delay. Returning cast members, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Carl Weathers were introduced to newcomers to the franchise, Tony Burton, Brigitte Nielsen, and, in the pivotal role of Russian boxer, Ivan Drago – a buff/blonde, Dolph Lundgren in his film debut. Stallone’s insistence on ‘real boxing’ temporarily put him in the hospital in intensive care while the picture’s Cold War controversy, fueled by Reagan-era political fireworks, informed renewed audience interest in the flag-waving propaganda/patriotism of the mid-80’s. In a sort of western block/eastern block, behind-the-scenes détente, Stallone began to court Nielsen during the shoot, and this after she was already having an affair with Arnold Schwarzenegger during the making of Red Sonja (1985). Stallone and Nielsen tied the knot as production on Rocky IV wrapped – a very short-lived union (ending in 1987) that, as briefly helped to promote Nielsen (a 5-time loser at the altar) in an American film career. She would co-star again with Stallone in Cobra (1986). Despite some pretty scathing reviews, Rocky IV proved yet another dynamo, grossing $300 million worldwide, outclassing virtually all of its predecessors and become the leader of the pack.

Rocky IV begins in earnest with Drago’s arrival in the U.S., accompanied by his statuesque, swimmer/wife, Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen). Drago’s manager, Nicolai Koloff (Michael Pataki) aggressively promotes Drago's athleticism as definite proof of the Soviet’s superiority. Motivated by his own patriotism, Apollo challenges Drago to an exhibition with fatal results. Drago literally kills Apollo in the ring, displaying no remorse afterward. In retaliation, Rocky challenges Drago to a 15-round fight in the Soviet Union. As Adrian disapproves, she does not accompany Rocky abroad at first, but soon thereafter has yet another sincere change of heart. A prolonged montage depicts the differences in Rocky and Drago’s respective training; Drago’s plied with anabolic steroids while Rocky uses time-honored techniques to toughen his resolve for the match. Duke reminds Rocky, Drago is only a man, and therefore just as fallible. While Drago is an animal in the ring, he is nevertheless quite unprepared to face Rocky’s belligerent stamina. Though bloodied, Rocky remains unbowed and (no surprise spoiler here), he eventually emerges triumphant over his ‘machine-like’ adversary. Sylvester Stallone is now 76-years-young. So, the likelihood of his Balboa ever stepping into the ring again as a contender seems slim to nil. But I have no doubt he will be making his presence and his cameos known in the Creed franchise for some time yet to come. 

Rocky: The Knockout Collection brings together the original franchise in 4K. How impressive is it? Well, owing to the fact, Rocky and its’ sequels have not been given a considerable video remastering/upgrade since their respective Blu-ray releases in 2006 and 2008, created almost at the infancy of hi-def, what emerges on this 4K set is a massive upgrade, a minor revelation, and definitely worthy of consideration and praise. Owing to budgetary constraints, and film stocks of the time, and James Crabe’s earthy cinematography, the first movie in the franchise appears far more grain-rich than its sequels in 4K. This is, as it should be. Color saturation is ‘cooler’ than on the Blu-ray. This too is in keeping with the original look. Flesh tones are accurately rendered. Contrast is uniformly excellent on all of these movies, and fine detail takes a quantum leap forward. As cinematographer, Bill Butler came aboard for Rocky II thru IV and the budgets incrementally increased, the overall slickness of these visual presentations suggests an ‘arguably’ more refined image, where grain recedes into the background.

The smoothest looking 4K transfer is Rocky IV – no surprise as, at 38-years-young, it remains the ‘baby’ in this collection. Color saturation and densities advance with each sequel, the overall palette, as well as flesh tones, turns warmer in the sequels while never appearing unnatural or forced. Virtually every movie includes an original 2.0 theatrical audio in DTS, and a remastered 5.1 DTS. The one exception is Rocky vs. Drago: The Extended Director’s Cut of Rocky IV. This only sports a 5.1 DTS. This set also includes the original theatrical cut of Rocky IV in both 5.1 and 2.0 DTS. Warner Home Video has re-packaged the archival extras previously available, now housed on a separate standard Blu-ray. These include vintage featurettes, outtakes, trailers, the making of Rocky featurette, and, the feature-length making of Rocky IV. Nothing has been done to improve overall image quality on these vintage extras. So, do not expect an upgrade here. Extras today, are considered a necessary evil in the home video industry rather than an added bonus to sell product.

Bottom line: as the years progress, it’s pretty hard to recall why this franchise was so wildly popular in its heyday. The movies are formulaic to a fault. And fans are already grumbling about the absence of Rocky V (1990) and VI (2006) which, realistically, was much more about passing the baton to a new generation of prize fighter, the latter decidedly serving as a kick-start for the Creed franchise, currently 3-pictures strong. There also has been some disappointment expressed at a lack of Dolby Atmos audio upgrades. Realistically, Atmos probably would not be much benefit here – especially, on the original movie and its first sequel. The original sound mixes to these movies were fairly primitive, with limitations very much in evidence on the 5.1 DTS reauthoring. So, is Rocky: The Knockout Collection worthy of your coin? If you are a fan of these flicks, then – yes – decidedly so. The 4 movies here have never looked better. No new extras, however. And no Blu-ray dumps of these 4K upgrades either. Judge and buy accordingly.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

3

VIDEO/AUDIO

Overall – 4.5

EXTRAS

2