In college, I decided to take a film class I had and turn it in to a soundtrack appreciation course. Every time we had to turn in a paper, mine would focus on how the music made me feel, why the choice of instrumentation yielded certain emotional outcomes and how the scene was changed when there was a lack of soundtrack. I am not sure why the teacher let me focus on that, it certainly wasn’t what he was teaching or even focusing on, but it was something that fascinated me and maybe he was bored with reading the same plot driven themes because he never seemed to mind.
Last night, on the 4th of July, TCM was playing Rocky, the very first one. Did you know that there are six Rocky films? He fights Apollo Creed in the first two, Mr. T in the third, some Russian dude in the fourth…and then my mind draws a blank. All I know is, if he is still fighting in number 6 we got problems. What is he now, 72? Why would anyone want to see their Grandpa in the ring, getting pummeled by some 26 year old heavyweight? Isn’t that old man abuse?
Bill Conti scored that film. It really is brilliant. Have you ever really listened to that film? Not just the Rocky theme, Gonna Fly Now. He used this really wonderful piano theme throughout the film as well. It is plaintive and makes you feel so isolated. It was played a lot during the first part of the film.
Let’s just talk about my favorite scene in the whole movie. Burgess Meredith, Mickey, climbs up these old shabby stairs to ask Rocky if he can be his manager. He is out of breath as he gets to the door. We know from past scenes that the two of them didn’t get along. But, Rocky is his one and only shot to make something of himself. Rocky is going to fight the champ and he wants to take him to the top. The screenplay in this scene is so great. It is concise and simple. Favorite line: I’m 72. And the way it’s blocked, with Mickey giving that line to Rocky who is behind a door, as he puts his head against the frame. Oh, and I love that Rocky gives this whole tirade to an empty space. He has respect for the old guy and would never yell in his face. But, he wants to be heard.
Here is where Bill creates such tenderness. We see a long shot of the front of Rocky’s building and Mickey, in the foreground walking away. A single piano starts, when Rocky runs down the block to give the old man a break. The theme never swells, it never gains instruments. It stays simple. It is such a lonely sound. It breaks your heart. But, it is perfect. By never gaining strength of any kind, it supports the cameraman’s shot. We never get close to see the faces of Rocky and Mickey or hear what is being said. They stay in the background, the camera never moving. With just a piano, in pianissimo, we are struck with the melancholy of the moment.
You know, Eric and I, neither one of us had watched that movie since the 70’s. I remember seeing it at the drive-in, in the back of my dad’s pickup or was it the van? Anyway, we had such a good time watching it again. It brought tears to my eyes. What was cool was that, as a kid the movie was about an underdog trying to make good. As an adult it was so much more…see it for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.