Raging Bull (2-disc Collector Set Special Edition)

Movie / Show Details

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Martin Scorsese’s 1980 Raging Bull has been identified in recent years as one of America’s greatest films, and understandably so. Robert De Niro won a richly deserved Academy Award for portraying fighter Jake La Motta, an extremely difficult New York boxer who has to contend with his own temper and jealousy, as well as the Mob and the boxing establishment. Joe Pesci is very good as La Motta’s long-suffering brother, and Cathy Moriarty made a strong screen debut as the brawler’s glamorous wife. The highly contrasted black-and- white film has a richness, texture, and even sensuality about it that, together with Scorsese’s amazing editing (with his Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker) and De Niro’s focused, tragic performance, is unforgettable. –Tom Keogh

Stills from Raging Bull (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Robert De Niro teams with director Martin Scorsese in this “extraordinarily compelling” (Leonard Maltin) film that introduced unflinching realism to stunned audiences in 1980. An “exceedingly violentas well as poetic” fight picture that maps “the landscape of the soul” (The New York Times),Raging Bull garnered eight OscarÂ(r) nominations* and won two, including Best Actor for De Niro. De Niro gives the performance of his career as Jake La Motta, a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring. Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty are unforgettable as the brother who falls prey to Jake’s mounting paranoia and jealousy, and the fifteen-year-old girl who becomes his most prized trophy. A “brilliantly photographed film of extraordinary power and rare distinction” (The Wall Street Journal), Raging Bullis filmmaking at its riveting best. *1980: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Pesci), Supporting Actress (Moriarty), Cinematography, Sound, Editing (won)

Set Contains:

This handsome two-disc edition is a must for Scorsese fans. There are three worthwhile commentary tracks, including Scorsese’s track with editor Thelma Schoonmaker originally recorded for the Criterion Laser Disc. There’s a track from the various writers who worked on the film including Jake La Motta himself, but the best is by a collection of talent from walk-on actor John Turturro to expert cinematographer Michael Chapman (who talks as fast as the director talks and is just as interesting). The major stars don’t participate in the tracks, but since Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are quite reserved about their mechanics, it’s not needed. The new four-part documentary (produced by DVD extras savant Laurent Bouzereau) has new interviews with all the major players and completes this comprehensive look at this touchstone film. –Doug Thomas