Raging Bull

Rating:
Summary: I say in a most humble fashion, Yes, it is the best!
Review: Dear Mr. DeNiro,

I was in awe the first time I watched this movie, 25 years ago. I thought at the time you were cinematic perfection as an actor.

Recently, I bought this special anniversary edition and my opinion is the same. You are awesome, sir.

This DVD was issued with total care. The sound track was upgraded to today's standards of excellence. The comments from Mr. Scorsese and others, notably Mr. La Motta, were intelligent and very interesting. The final result of this edition is flawless.

Your acting made me all emotional, Mr. DeNiro. At times I had tears streaming down my face, other times I was laughing, then emotional again, and so on. Your performance covered such a variety of human emotions that it is impossible to describe. We do not attempt to describe perfection, do we?

What else can I add? Well, I believe your performance was an inspiration for all the people involved in this project. The result? A movie that will remain the best in its genre, frozen in time, way up there among the great ones.

Thank you, sir. You will remain unforgettable.

Rating:
Summary: Pound for Pound, the Greatest Filmmaker in the World
Review: I'm talking about Martin Scorsese. If he doesn't win an Oscar for directing The Aviator, and he probably won't, his legions of admirers won't be any more disappointed than they were in 1981 or 1991 when he was overlooked in favor of Robert Redford and Kevin Costner, respectively. (Redford is a class act and gave Martin a plum role in "Quiz Show," but as for Costner...) Anyway, Martin's award is this: tell just about anyone that he hasn't ever won, and they are flabbergasted. Stunned. And this movie, Raging Bull, is one of the reasons why. Having seen muddy, murky VHS copies and an OK DVD in past years, this version is a revelation. Disc 1 gives you the movie with 3 outstanding commentary tracks. Scorsese is always engrossing and entertaining with his remarks, and he always seems like just a big movie fan instead of an ego-driven director. Because Scorsese is, above all, a collaborator and not a dominator. He gives those who help him realize the vision plenty of credit. And that includes DeNiro and Pesci, in some of the most convincing and breathtaking acting you'll ever witness. People take these two actors for granted these days, and perhaps they've been overexposed, but remember--this was Pesci's first movie with DeNiro and Scorsese, and only his second movie overall. With all respect to Goodfellas and Casino, I think this is his best performace (Pesci). DeNiro--what can I or anyone say about this legendary portrayal that hasn't been said? Just marvel at it. One of the bravest performances committed to film, up there with Brando in Last Tango in Paris. This is where DeNiro, in fact, confirmed that he is Brando's heir, especially by recreating Marlon's On the Waterfront speech--"Could've been a contender."
One interesting thing I learned in the commentaries and documentaries was that except for DeNiro, most of the actors in the movie were newcomers or relative unknowns. As an ensemble, they are brilliant, another example of Scorsese's directing brilliance.
Special Features: For me, the commentary tracks are the best extras because they allow you to see the film from multiple perspectives. The documentaries are nice, but much of the information overlaps, a common problem in DVD documentaries.
As for the quality of the movie transfer, I've seen the film probably two dozen times prior to this release, and I saw and heard new things as I watched the discs. For instance, the checkered pattern in Pesci's suit when he's talking to DeNiro by the swimming pool in the rain is sharp and vivid. That's just one small but significant example of how strong this new version is, aesthetically. I've always been, well, knocked out by the use of sound in this movie, and not only can you hear the effects better than ever, the documentaries and commentary explain how the effects were put together. Also, when you're not watching the movie, the packaging is beautiful. It's like having a new edition of a classic book with first rate binding and printing on your shelf. Sorry to gush, but this is almost a holy relic, something that fits with Scorsese's abiding theme of anguish and redemption through violence and blood.
Favorite scenes: the second Robinson fight; the home movie sequence; Jake wins the title; Jake loses the title; and, a quirky one, fat Jake setting up a tower of champagne glasses and filling all of them by pouring champagne into the top glass and letting it overflow like a fountain. The unique touches like that are what set Scorsese/DeNiro apart and take this film into the atmosphere of the sublime.

Rating:
Summary: One of those films
Review: Raging Bull is one of the most gripping, brutal, and magnetic films ever made. I myself am not a fan of boxing--I find it hard to like sports that I wouldn't enjoy playing myself. However, like or dislike of boxing doesn't really matter in this movie. This movie features Robert De Niro at his best (long before slumming for sub-par Hollywood comedies and slashers) as famed boxer Jake La Motta, whose massive insecurity makes Woody Allen look arrogant. Always worried about his wife leaving him, at one point grilling his brother (Joe Pesci, in his memorable screen debut) to see if he had, uh, indulged, La Motta was like an alternate history version of Brando from On The Waterfront, only with many more "F"-words--he wanted more than anything else to be the top, and then when he got there, he promptly lost everything, no longer having any worlds left to conquer. De Niro, of course, put on a ton of weight for the movie's end, and he delivers really bad stand-up in anonymous night clubs, having alienated nearly everyone in his path by his various demons and neuroses.

This rise-and-fall picture was filmed, of course, by Martin Scorsese, and was definitely passed over for Oscars in its time (I won't diss Ordinary People because I loved that movie too). Maybe they should have been co-winners for Best Picture? Then again, Citizen Kane didn't win Best Picture either, and How Green Was My Valley was a much worse film than Ordinary People. This film, along with GoodFellas, represented Scorsese's apex--exciting, gut-wrenching, powerful cinema. He will probably get a few long overdue Oscars come the end of February, but it will be just like Paul Newman's win for The Color of Money (another Scorsese film)--an apology for not being nominated for more worthy work. Awards, though, don't matter--the work does. For an extraordinary film, look no further.

Rating:
Summary: Best boxing movie ever, Raging Bull
Review: Every boxing movie fan should agree that the best boxing movie ever is Raging Bull. Forget Rocky. A third-rate actor named Sylvester Stallone acually got praised for it. Raging Bull is a finely made movie, with great performances including Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty-Gentile, and the incomperable Robert DeNiro. **** Ordinary People. The Academy people who voted that as Best Picture must've been smoking something when that decision was made. Martin Scorsese should get an Oscar for The Aviator. He should've gotten it for this one, but a broken down director named Robert Redford had to get it. But i'm glad that De Niro got it. Overall, a superb film!

Rating:
Summary: 2005 'RagingBull ' single DVD ..is it TRUE Widescreen?
Review: A 1999 reviewer lamented/contended that the "widescreen" version was "phony" (i.e. that MGM just cropped the top&bottom off the standard TV format to appear as faux-widescreen). The 2005 DVDs use the same box artwork for both the excellent 2-disc Special Edition and the single disc (film-only) box. But is the 2005 1-disc Raging Bull a TRUE (theatrical)widescreen, or just a re-boxing of the old "widescreen"?