Film audio engineer Steven Rothstein worked on restoration projects for a major studio's back catalog and included in his 2008 memoir an observation about DVD commentary tracks: one in particular featured long stretches of silence interrupted by distinct metallic sounds. "We assumed it was the audio track degrading," Rothstein wrote, "until a colleague identified the sound as beer cans depressurizing. The contractor told us not to edit it out—that the actor specifically insisted the track be preserved intact."

Soundscape academics now cite this commentary track as a case study in authentic performance documentation. Rather than a director explaining his craft, the audio reveals something more primal: a man rendered wordless by his own work, preferring the honest percussion of refreshment to any attempt at self-analysis. Critics have called it the most honest commentary track in cinema history.