Director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro teamed for a third time (after 1973's Mean Streets and 1976's Taxi Driver) for this gritty 1980 biopic based on the life of boxer Jake La Motta. Shot almost entirely in b&w, Raging Bull follows La Motta's (Oscar winner De Niro) rise to the boxing middleweight championship during the early 1940s, his abusive relationship with his younger wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), and his reluctant dealings with the Mafia, orchestrated by his manager brother Joey (Joe Pesci). One of the film's most powerful scenes captures La Motta's emotional upheaval following his single “dive” for the mob, after which he quickly returns to legitimate boxing, only to be ultimately thwarted in the ring by Sugar Ray Robinson (Thelma Schoonmaker won an Oscar for her superior editing—particularly in the brutal fight sequences). After hanging up his gloves, La Motta opened a nightclub and tried his hand at standup comedy (De Niro put on 60 pounds to play the older La Motta). Making its debut on Blu-ray, this release features the substantial extras found on the two-disc DVD “special edition,” including three audio commentaries, an insightful four-part “making-of” documentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a shot-by-shot comparison of De Niro and La Motta in the ring, and vintage newsreel footage of La Motta defending his title. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)
[Blu-ray Review—Jan 18, 2011—MGM, 129 min., R, $29.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1980's Raging Bull (30th Anniversary Edition) features an excellent transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include three audio commentaries (the first with director Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker; second with producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chantoff, cinematographer Michael Chapman, sound effects supervisor Frank Warner, casting director Cis Corman, composer Robbie Robertson, and cast members Theresa Saldana and John Turturro; and third with screenwriters Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader, subject Jake La Motta, and La Motta's nephew Jason Lustig), a “Fight Night” making-of documentary (83 min.), “The Bronx Bull” behind-the-scenes featurette (28 min.), “Marty and Bobby” on Scorsese and De Niro (14 min.), a “Reflections on a Classic” retrospective featurette (12 min.), a “Remembering Jake” featurette on real-life boxer La Motta (11 min.), “Marty on Film” (11 min.), costar Cathy Moriarty's 1981 appearance on The Tonight Snow (7 min.), a vintage newsreel (4 min.), a “De Niro vs. La Motta” shot-by-shot comparison of a fight (4 min.), trailers, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: if you don't already own the 2009 Blu-ray release, this is the one to buy.]
[Blu-ray Review—Jan 18, 2011—MGM, 129 min., R, $29.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1980's Raging Bull (30th Anniversary Edition) features an excellent transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include three audio commentaries (the first with director Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker; second with producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chantoff, cinematographer Michael Chapman, sound effects supervisor Frank Warner, casting director Cis Corman, composer Robbie Robertson, and cast members Theresa Saldana and John Turturro; and third with screenwriters Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader, subject Jake La Motta, and La Motta's nephew Jason Lustig), a “Fight Night” making-of documentary (83 min.), “The Bronx Bull” behind-the-scenes featurette (28 min.), “Marty and Bobby” on Scorsese and De Niro (14 min.), a “Reflections on a Classic” retrospective featurette (12 min.), a “Remembering Jake” featurette on real-life boxer La Motta (11 min.), “Marty on Film” (11 min.), costar Cathy Moriarty's 1981 appearance on The Tonight Snow (7 min.), a vintage newsreel (4 min.), a “De Niro vs. La Motta” shot-by-shot comparison of a fight (4 min.), trailers, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: if you don't already own the 2009 Blu-ray release, this is the one to buy.]
Raging Bull[4K/Blu-ray Review—July 26, 2022—Criterion, 129 min., R, 4K/Blu-ray: 2 discs, $49.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its debut on 4K and latest appearance on Blu-ray, “Raging Bull” (1980)
features a superb 4K digital transfer and extras including new video essays by film critic Geoffrey O’Brien and Sheila O’Malley on Scorsese’s mastery of formal techniques and the film’s triumvirate of characters, three audio commentaries (featuring Scorsese and editor ThelmaSchoonmaker; director of photography Michael Chapman, producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler, casting director Cis Corman, music consultant Robbie Robertson, actors TheresaSaldana and John Turturro, and sound-effects supervising editor Frank Warner; and boxer JakeLa Motta and screenwriters Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader), the making-of program “FightNight,” three short programs highlighting the longtime collaboration between Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, a 1991 TV interview with actor Cathy Moriarty and the real Vikki La Motta, a1990 interview with Jake La Motta, a 2004 program featuring veteran boxers reminiscing about Motta, and a booklet with essays by poet Robin Robertson and film critic Glenn Kenny. Bottom line: Scorsese’s pugilist masterpiece shines bright in glorious black-and-white in 4K.]