Rocky IV (1985)

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

27 November 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

He's facing the ultimate challenge. And fighting for his life. [UK]

Plot:

When Apollo Creed is killed in a match against a powerful Soviet boxer, Rocky decides to challenge him himself.

Plot Keywords:

Endurance | Training Montage | Patriotism | Flashback Sequence | Victory

Awards:

7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo Creed
Brigitte Nielsen	...	Ludmilla Vobet Drago
Tony Burton	...	Duke
Michael Pataki	...	Nicoli Koloff
Dolph Lundgren	...	Captain Ivan Drago
Stu Nahan	...	Commentator #1
R.J. Adams	...	Sports Announcer
Al Bandiero	...	American Commentator #2
Dominic Barto	...	Russian Government Official
Danial Brown	...	Rocky Jr.'s Friend
James Brown	...	The Godfather of Soul
Rose Mary Campos	...	Maid
Jack Carpenter	...	KGB Driver
Mark De Alessandro	...	Russian Cornerman
Marty Denkin	...	Russian Referee
Lou Fillipo	...	Las Vegas Referee (as Lou Filippo)
James 'Cannonball' Green	...	Manuel Vega
Dean Hammond	...	Interviewer
Rocky Krakoff	...	Rocky Jr.
Sergei Levin	...	Russian Ring Announcer
Tony Maffatone	...	KGB Agent
Sylvia Meals	...	Mrs. Creed
Dwayne McGee	...	Limo Driver
LeRoy Neiman	...	Ring Announcer
George Pipasik	...	Caretaker
George Rogan	...	Igor Rimsky
Barry Tompkins	...	American Commentator #1
Warner Wolf	...	Commentator #2 in Las Vegas
Robert Doornick	...	Sico the Robot (voice)
Richard Blum	...	Reporter
Gerald Berns	...	Reporter
Ray Glanzmann	...	Reporter
Julie Inouye	...	Reporter
Patrick Pankhurst	...	Reporter
Jean Thoreau	...	Reporter
Jim Bullock	...	Reporter
Frank D'Annibale	...	Reporter
Rose Dursey	...	Reporter
Richard Kelley	...	Reporter (as Rick Kelley)
Craig Schaefer	...	Reporter
Jeff Austin	...	Reporter
Leslie Morris	...	Reporter
Bob Giovane	...	Reporter
Julio Herzer	...	Reporter
George Spaventa	...	Reporter
Rolf Williams	...	Reporter
Jim Hodge	...	Reporter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Lloyd Austin	...	Soviet Leader (uncredited)
Gabriel Campisi	...	Extra (uncredited)
Bobby Mardis	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Garth Shaw	...	Betacam Operator (uncredited)

Directed by
Sylvester Stallone

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sylvester Stallone		written by

Produced by
James D. Brubaker	....	executive producer
Robert Chartoff	....	producer
Arthur Chobanian	....	executive producer
Irwin Winkler	....	producer

Original Music by
Vince DiCola

Cinematography by
Bill Butler

Film Editing by
John W. Wheeler
Don Zimmerman

Production Design by
Bill Kenney

Art Direction by
William Ladd Skinner

Costume Design by
Tom Bronson

Makeup Department
Stephen Abrums	....	makeup artist
Donna Bis	....	hair department head
Leonard Engelman	....	makeup artist

Production Management
JoAnn May-Pavey	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Duncan Henderson	....	assistant director
Janet G. Knutsen	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Gary Clark	....	head paint foreman
Stan Cockerell	....	assistant property master
David Fischer	....	art director: Canada
Rick Gentz	....	set designer
Bill Iiams	....	general foreman
Fred Lucky	....	storyboard illustrator
William S. Maxwell III	....	lead man
Wayne McLaughlin	....	property master: Canada

Sound Department
Steve Bartlett	....	sound
David Behle	....	sound recordist
Marty Church	....	adr mixer
David B. Cohn	....	sound editor
Andrew Patterson	....	supervising adr editor
Donald C. Rogers	....	sound (as Don Rogers)
Charles M. Wilborn	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Michael Clifford	....	special effects assistant
Howard Jensen	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Ron Lambert	....	optical color timer

Stunts
Gene LeBell	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Colin J. Campbell	....	gaffer
John J. Connor	....	camera operator
Roberto W. Contreras D.	....	assistant camera: Canada
Roberto Contreras	....	second assistant camera: Canada
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Joseph Lederer	....	still photographer (as Joe Lederer)
Paul Murphey	....	video assist operator
Peter F. Woeste	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Haleen K. Holt	....	costume illustrator

Editorial Department
Tim Board	....	additional editor
Gregory M. Gerlich	....	assistant editor
James R. Symons	....	montage editor

Music Department
Vince DiCola	....	score produced and arranged by
Ed Fruge	....	score produced and arranged by
Jeremy Lubbock	....	conductor
Jeremy Lubbock	....	orchestrations arranged by
Terry 'Doc' Mahady	....	additional orchestrations
Mark Torien	....	musician
James D. Young	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Howard Blank	....	production assistant
Mady Manson Burza	....	first assistant accountant (as Madalyn Burza)
William Chartoff	....	assistant location manager
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Michael Kehoe	....	production assistant
Michael Roberts	....	location auditor
Ken Weikel	....	production accountant
Gabriel Campisi	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Chartoff-Winkler Productions
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• United Artists

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS Television (1988) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (all media)
• MGM/UA Entertainment Company (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• CBS Records  soundtrack
• Goldman & Associates  extras casting
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Scotti Bros. Records  soundtrack

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Mexico:A | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:14 (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Brazil:12 (TV rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

In reality Soviet Heavyweights were never allowed to box professionals during the Cold War. Today, boxers from the former Soviet Union dominate the heavyweight division.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before the fight with Creed and Drago, just after the James Brown dance sequence, Creed points at Drago without gloves on, telling him he is going down. Then in the next shot, Creed has his boxing gloves on.

Quotes:

Duke: Hey, Champ.
Rocky: Hey.
Duke: Can I come up?
Rocky: Yeah sure.
Duke: Some weather we're having here huh?
Rocky: Yeah it's pretty rough.
Duke: But it's perfect for what you gotta do it's good. Toughen you up.
Rocky: I guess.
Duke: I know you think you're gonna have to do everything by yourself but you know I'll be with you.
Rocky: Yeah
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Opponents (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

No Easy Way Out

No Credibility, But Sure Is Entertaining

Here's another low-brained but very entertaining "Rocky" movie with one more interesting villain. Instead Of "Apollo Creed" or "Mr. T.," we now have "Ivan Drago,"(Dolph Lundgren) a giant Russian who is more like a machine. He's "indestructable" (and on steroids, too, and unlike some baseball slugger, he admits it!). He has the latest in technology, nutrition, etc., but you just know the much-smaller disadvantaged hero "Rocky Balboa" (Sylvester Stallone) will somehow find a way to chop this "Goliath" down.

Minute-for-minute, this might be the most entertaining of all the Rocky films, and looks good on DVD despite some graininess in the first five minutes. Rocky's wife "Adrian" (Talia Shire) never looked better: mature and pretty; the gruff and profane manager played Burgess Meredith is gone and the repellent obnoxious slob "Paulie" (Burt Young) has only a few lines.

This is the ultimate "David vs. Goliath" tale in every aspect and the final bout - held in Russia - breaks the all-time Rocky record for most punches ever thrown at two fighters. Of course, any real-life human would have been knocked cold about 50 times had they suffered the blows "Rocky" did in this fight!

This is a real flag-waving film with Rocky draping the Stars and Stripes around his shoulders. It's a totally unrealistic story but, all of these in the series were similar, credibility-wise, so just go along with it and enjoy the story. It's only an hour-and-a-half and story literally flies by.