: (Bill Conti) Whether or not you can tolerate
Sylvester Stallone's bumbling mannerisms and bulging physique, only
positive attributes can be applied to his mainstream debut with 1976's
. United Artists allotted only $1 million to the script that
Stallone had written and attached himself to as the necessary star,
but that investment led to over $100 million in earnings and three top
Academy Awards for
, as well as nearly half a billion
dollars in total grosses for the franchise that followed. Until the
sixth film in the series,
, restored a fair amount of
dignity to the famed character in 2006, the four sequels from 1979 to
1990 completely lost track of the reason why the original
was so compelling. It was the ultimate underdog and affirmation story,
using the sport of boxing as the backdrop for a journey of personal
redemption and a surprisingly tender love story. Stallone, whose career
up to that point had included a variety of schlock (including borderline
pornography), wrote the script in only three days but managed to tailor
it perfectly to his limitations as an actor. He has never been an
impressive actor, but he has always remained likable, and it is this
intangible sense of connection that has ultimately drawn viewers to
connect with and root for Rocky Balboa in a variety of situations,
whether in the boxing ring, with his family, or in the process of
self-discovery. Whereas the sequels degenerated into sports spectacles
(despite retaining the entirety of the major cast for the first
successors),
served as a lesson in perseverance, guiding
countless real-life athletes seeking to better themselves through
dedication and hard work. The circumstances of the title character's
unlikely bout with a heavyweight champion are a bit ridiculous, but what
matters is that Rocky's loss to the intimidating Apollo Creed (Carl
Weathers) is insignificant compared to his ability to "go the distance"
in the ring and, of course, win the then-sister of Michael Corleone
(Talia Shire). The film also remains the most famous screen identity of
the city of Philadelphia, gloriously shot during Rocky's training
sequences. Likewise, the main theme for the film, written by Bill Conti,
has remained a symbolic heartbeat of the city, as well as one of the
most famous movie themes of all time. Even if you've never seen any of
the
films, you've inevitably heard this theme performed
countless times by marching bands or over public address systems at
sports arenas. If John Williams' theme from
Like Stallone, Conti was not a household name in 1976. The
composer, considered with great affection by Stallone because of similar
Italian heritage, was in his early 30's at the time and had scored films
from Italy almost exclusively after graduating from Julliard in the late
1960's. Following moderate success in the early 1970's, Conti re-located
back to America and wrote scores for a handful of lesser known projects.
His assignment to
Rocky immediately landed him Oscar, Golden
Globe, and Grammy nominations, and although he failed to win any of
those awards, his album for
Rocky went platinum and the
orchestral/vocal hybrid song "Gonna Fly Now" reached the top position on
American charts. A prolific career resulted, one that spanned both the
pop and orchestral realms (on the big and small screen) for its
entirety, and the composer's mainstream status in the early 1980's
landed him offers for countless blockbuster films (he would win his
previously elusive Academy Award for
The Right Stuff). Conti
would return for all but one of the
Rocky sequels (
Rocky
IV receiving a jarringly different score from Vince DiCola), and
while he would add a few new thematic ideas to the narrative in the
later films, these scores were largely re-hashes of the greatness that
comprised the original
Rocky soundtrack. Truth be told, most of
the truly original material from the scores for this franchise can be
heard when combining the first and second scores, though there is some
dramatic character-driven material in
Rocky III that deserves
some consideration as well. For
Rocky purists and collectors of
orchestral film music, a compilation of recordings from the soundtracks
for the first trilogy of these Conti scores will yield the most
satisfying summary of music from the concept. An abysmal soundtrack for
Rocky V in 1990, despite some interesting new material from Conti
in his return to the franchise, solidifies this stance. Most casual
collections will contain only the first
Rocky score, and it is in
this entry that Conti not only provides the character, his locale, and
his determination with their famous musical identities, but also the
best developed secondary themes. As dated as the score will sound to
anyone born after 1970, it is at least consistent in its thematic
development, so much so that these perpetual references ultimately
become a detriment to the franchise later on. Regardless of the score's
obvious merits in context, it will immediately be dismissed by younger
listeners for one of two reasons: its aforementioned saturation with
1970's pop, funk, and disco styles, and its somewhat obnoxious
omnipresence in pop culture.
Despite accumulating indifference or disdain with that
younger generation,
Rocky remains one of the most effective
scores ever heard on screen. The title theme in "Gonna Fly Now" is about
as catchy as any movie tune, using a combination of emboldened brass
fanfare, contemporary rock elements, and group vocals to cheer on Rocky
with unfettered major-key inspiration. Given the pseudo-song's balanced
emphasis on the various groups within the brass section, it's no wonder
that marching bands love playing it at sporting events. The electronic
sound effects (a rising pitch) and corny "trying hard now" and "getting
strong now" (truly awful) lyrics date the theme far more than the
genuinely cool electric guitar performances in its midsection. Conti
adapts the song into a purely brass fanfare, a rowdy interpretation that
is so regal in its tone that it's quite irritating; such material (along
with the "Conquest" theme from
Rocky II) would seem to be a
better fit for Conti's
Masters of the Universe than the more
down-to-earth
Rocky franchise. The theme is omnipresent in the
first score and continues to be of fragmentary influence in the second.
In
Rocky, either the full primary theme or one of its distinctive
parts can be heard in situations ranging on the emotional scale from
solo piano all the way up to reprises of the full symphonic and pop
blend. Slight piano references are frequent in the franchise,
highlighted in the first score by "Philadelphia Morning," "Alone in the
Ring," and the start of "The Final Bell." Fans of the more hip
variations will enjoy the extension of the training usage in "Butkus."
It also serves as an interlude to the love theme for Rocky and Adrian,
heard both in "First Date" and its song adaptation, "You Take My Heart
Away." The love theme isn't featured on the soundtrack outside of these
two tracks, though some noteworthy elaborations on the idea (with a few
alterations) are heard in both of the subsequent sequel scores. Two
additional themes are integral to
Rocky, though neither is
memorable enough to compete with the main one. The adversity and victory
themes are utilized frequently enough to be very firmly represented
throughout the film, and despite their striking stylistic differences in
performances, they are often intertwined or presented in succession. In
tune with the 1970's instrumentation is the victory theme, its swinging
enthusiasm heard in the second half of "Going the Distance" with the
boisterous orchestra and John Barry-like choir over stereotypical 70's
percussion and guitar accents. The theme's explosion early in "The Final
Bell" rips along at an even faster tempo and definitely shows its age,
but its upbeat tone is undeniably infectious.
The final major theme in
Rocky represents
perseverance through adversity, and it is this idea that, despite
reaching for the correct emotional response, is applied questionably in
the film. Of no doubt is its effectiveness in the first half and closing
seconds of "Going the Distance," its brass layers meandering in
minor-key lines that clearly temper the title theme. The translation of
this theme to only a string section for "Rocky's Reward" is a curious
choice to close the film, taking a starkly humble stance rather than
sticking with the other, far more inspirational themes to send off
audiences. The recording of the string performances is so dry that this
cue is difficult to appreciate after the merged orchestral and pop tone
of the rest of the score. In retrospect, this adversity theme is a bit
awkward because of its many coincidental similarities in progressions
and brass usage to, strangely, Howard Shore's World of Men material for
The Lord of the Rings. Elsewhere in
Rocky, "Philadelphia
Morning" explores some of Conti's usual melancholy horn work.
"Reflections" is the heaviest of the ultra-cool 70's soul/jazz/funk
instrumental performances of "Gonna Fly Now," unfortunately hindered by
a synthetic pitch effect that rises through the octaves at about 2:00
and is painful to the ears. The remainder of the best-selling album is
devoted to several of the songs or source pieces heard in the film.
Outside of those connected directly to Conti's score is the throwback
"Take You Back (Street Corner Song)," the first of Frank Stallone's
contributions to the franchise (his brother sought to increase his role
as the films progressed). The Conti recording of "Marines' Hymn/Yankee
Doodle" to accompany Apollo Creed's flashy entry to the ring is
adequate, but grating outside the context of the film. Vocalists DeEtta
Little and Nelson Pigford (for the two Conti songs) would return for
Rocky II, as would all of Conti's themes (some tracks are
disappointingly reprised almost completely through several sequels).
With the first
Rocky lacking foreshadowing of the conquest and
redemption themes from
Rocky II, the latter would prove to be
more interesting in its dramatic range. Also improved in the sequel was
the recording quality; in cues like "Butkus," the balance of strings and
brass is severely lacking in the mix. Despite remastered treatment for
multiple CD releases of
Rocky, the presentation of the score has
never been complete, and especially for those for whom it is too
outdated or overexposed, its 31 minutes will leave you unsatisfied.
Despite the flaws in album presentation, though,
Rocky remains
one of the most memorable and effective film scores of all time.
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- Music as Written for the Film: *****
- Music as Heard on Album: ****
- Overall: ****
