Raging Bull (Single Disc Edition)

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Boxing Flick of All Time...
Review: ...it's a Scorsese film with DeNiro playing Jake LaMotta, Pesci playing his brother/manager, and Cathy Moriarty as his blonde wife who Jake suspects is sleeping 'round with every man who looks at her. Jake brutalises everyone around him with his relentless questioning and slapping around as he goes into torrents of Tourette's Syndrome verbal barrages. It shows the passing years of his boxing rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson in some of the most lyrically filmed boxing footage ever done. The classical music background during the fight scenes gives them a ballet-like feel. Ultimately what does LaMotta in is not only the years of pounding his body and his head takes in the ring, but his total unwillingness to listen to anybody and his use (and abuse) of women. It's a 14 year old gal that gets him a stinct in jail. We see Jake gain a reluctant forgiveness from his brother Joey and his slow acceptance in the night club circuit as a rather bittersweet ending to this passionate tale. Like I said, it's the greatest boxing flick of all time done with a classiness and a lyricism.

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Summary: FINALLY RAGING BULL IN A 2 DISC
Review: Finally raging bull is going to come out on a 2 disc special edition. After so many years this DVD was out of print. The waiting is finally going to be over. The special feature that I can't possible wait to see is the commentary by Martin.

Rating:
Summary: Deniro's Best Performance Ever
Review: From its operatic opening credit sequence, in which Jake La Motta played by Robert De Niro moves around the ring in slow motion lit so beautifully by Michael Chapman's photographic black and white, Raging Bull is a masterstroke by one of cinema's true geniuses, Martin Scorsese. In the years since its release, this is a film that has aged like a very fine wine. With each viewing, another subtlety comes to light, another layer of its endless brilliance reveals itself. It's inconceivable that this film lost out best picture to Ordinary People, especially when you consider that many now consider it the best film of the entire 80's decade.

So what makes Raging Bull such a classic? It's simple. This is a film where everything went right. Scorsese was not a fan of the boxing genre when De Niro first came to him with La Motta's novel and thoughts of adapting it into film. Scorsese didn't get the sport, and wasn't terribly interested until a few years later when he discovered the proper angle from which he could approach the story.

From the perspective of a non-pugilist, Scorsese was able to turn La Motta's life story into more than a boxing film, but into a dissection of a complicated and disturbed man, intricately detailing his rise to the top and subsequently meteoric downfall. De Niro's performance is one of legend.

Any time an actor or actress makes a major physical transformation, such as Charlize Theron in 2003's Monster, there is always a comparison to De Niro's weight gain for Raging Bull. But his performance is more than just the weight gain; it's a total immersion into a dark and conflicted character. La Motta has everything and doesn't see it, so he destroys himself and everyone around him. De Niro's performance is a textbook lesson on acting, arguably the greatest performance of his career.
Down the line, the rest of the cast is fantastic, unfortunately overshadowed over the years by De Niro's brilliance. Joe Pesci plays Joey La Motta in the breakout performance of his career. Pesci is great as the slightly more respectable brother, trying to keep Jake's rage in check and ultimately seeing the futility of his efforts.

Cathy Moriarty, as Jake's patient, emotionally and physically abused wife, Vickie, is picture perfect. I've probably seen Raging Bull five times, and although I always noticed that Moriarty was good in the film, I don't think I ever realized how great she was until this viewing. Not yet 20 years old during the production of the film, Moriarty's performance is just terrific. She's beautiful to watch, but her pain and frustration as La Motta's delusions and self destruction build is so subtle and controlled, it feels like the work of a seasoned acting veteran. Such work by a first time actress seems unimaginable.
It's impossible to mention everyone who made Raging Bull what it is today, but special mention to Scorsese's longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, is well deserved. She took home the Oscar for her work here, and anything less would have been a travesty. The editing in this film should be shown in every film class ever taught on editing. Almost every single edit in this film has a meaning and reveals something about the story. It creates the atmosphere, from those horrifying beatings La Motta takes in the ring to those memorable jungle sounds (courtesy of Frank Warner) which create an eerie solitude during the fights.

There is not enough space or time to talk about all the things Scorsese does to make this film what it is. His outsider's perspective to the sport gives the film the unbiased and unflinching look into La Motta's life. This easily could have been a story of what a great fighter La Motta was, how he never gave up in the ring and refused to fall regardless of punishment, but that's only one facet of Scorsese's tale. He breaks down the story and the man and goes through a jarring psychological examination that reveals a man's life the way no film has ever done in a mere two hours. Raging Bull is the blueprint for a biopic on film.



Rating:
Summary: The Best Biopic Ever!!
Review: I still see this movie as I viewed it in the theatre. I can't see it any other way. Television, unless it's a wide screen and with surround sound, doesn't do this film justice. The boxing scenes are incredible. The film editing was well deserved of an Oscar. What it should have also won for was Best Sound. It is a wild ride! Couple that with the great perfomances of DeNiro, Pesci & Moriarty and you have one of the greatest biopics ever made.

Rating:
Summary: An excruciatingly brilliant movie
Review: I watched "Raging Bull" for my sophomore year in college, not for a film class but for a Humanities class titled "Roots of Hell."

Hellishness permeates this movie, even before middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta (sublimely played by the incomparable Robert DeNiro) descends into his own private hell, as a fat, washed-up, unfunny standup comedian.

I didn't like the movie at the time, and I still can't say that I really like it. I get the feeling that Scorsese did not intend for it to be liked. Indeed, Jake LaMotta is not your typical protagonist in that you are clearly not supposed to like him (he doesn't have a likable bone in his body), nor are you supposed to feel sorry for him (yes, his final circumstances are pitiful, but they are also entirely his own fault). Bluntly put: Jake is a louse -- a brutal, bad-tempered louse who, because of his insane jealousy and possessiveness, divests himself of the only two good people in his life: his loyal brother Joey and his long-suffering wife Vickie.

Instead of liking or sympathizing with the protagonist, you are drawn, via the exquisite talent of everyone involved in the production (none of whom has subsequently achieved those heights of filmmaking), into his life. You witness this loathsome man destroy anything and everything he ever loved, without feeling a shred of sympathy, but at the same time, recognizing the tragedy of it all.

DeNiro gives one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) acting performances of all time. I'm not just referring to his famous weight gain so that he could potray the fat, middle-aged Jake. I'm talking about the way he inhabits the role of Jake LaMotta, making you forget that he is Robert DeNiro because all you can see is LaMotta. His performance is truly magnificent: searing, affecting, devastating, and totally absorbing, even in Jake's most repugnant moments. DeNiro's performance alone would've carried the movie (shot in gorgeous black and white), so it's almost a bonus that the supporting performances are great too: Joe Pesci is predictably excellent as Jake's brother Joey, and Cathy Moriarty, who was a 19-year-old newcomer when the movie was filmed, and who was cast primarily on the basis of her striking physical resemblance to the real-life Vickie LaMotta, is amazing. Vickie was only 15 when she and Jake met, and although it is a bit hard at first to buy Moriarty as a 15-year-old, she glosses over the fact and delivers a performance of extraordinary poise and delicacy. Her glowing halo of blonde hair indicates that Vickie is an angel of sorts, Jake's last chance at redemption (which he ruins, of course), but she is also partly his downfall, through no fault of her own: he is so smitten with her that he cannot tolerate the thought of any other man touching her, and allows his irrational jealousy to consume him.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Film of Fighting, Loss, and Life. Superb!
Review: Raging Bull is an incredible film featuring some of the greatest directing, cinematography, and acting ever to grace the silver screen. Such an incredible movie also has to have a strong foundation in the form of a powerful script and incredible set work. In all, this is a movie that comes together on all fronts, and it's a credit to Scorcese for making that happen.

Jake LaMotta is a fighter who relies on his physical gifts over his mind. Over the years, the mindless beatings he allows himself to take take a toll on his mind and body. His decline is a metaphor for his personal life as well. He neglects his wife and family just as much as he neglects his health. He eventually loses everything, but retains a certain pride in his thickheadedness.

Yes it's true, LaMotta was not an angel. But this film is great because of its honesty. Deniro's portrayal of LaMotta is legendary. His talents were never better used in a motion picture.

Joe Pesci gives a strong performance in his supporting role as Jake's brother Joey. Cathy Moriarty gives an incredible performance as Jake's Wife. I was surprised to learn she was only 19 years old and cast mainly because of looks. She is very believable throughout the entire movie, as the wild young sexpot and the resolute divorcee.

The fight scenes bring out the best in the film's cinematography. Every scene is expertly framed in the ring with realism and sharp contrast. This is the closest a non-boxer will ever get to stepping inside the ring.

The rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson is expertly done. "You never hurt me," sums up Jake's pride after Robinson inevitably outclasses him.

From world champion to lounge bum, Jake LaMotta's rise and fall come to life in this film. Buy it, study it, watch it over and over. This is an incredible edition as well, with great clarity and nice features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



Rating:
Summary: Finally a Great DVD for One of the Greatest Movies Ever!
Review: Robert De Niro at his all time best, and that's saying something. Not only is his acting some of the best ever, but the sixty pound weight gain is truly an amazing feat for an actor. The only performances close to this in terms of full physical commitment would be the rail thin Tom Hanks in "Cast Away," Charlize Theron in "Monster," and a blinded by prosthetics Jamie Foxx in "Ray." This is my choice for the best sports film ever made, followed by Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby." All the acting here is top notch, especially Joe Pesci in his breakout role and Cathy Moriarty as Jake La Motta's wife. This is not an inspiring story, rather it is one of sad decline and defeat. Martin Scorsese was at his best with "Raging Bull" and it is my favorite film of his followed closely by "Goodfellas." It is about time this film got a Special Edition DVD and this one is loaded with Making of Documentaries, three Commentaries, and a great picture & sound transfer. Without a doubt this is must buy for any movie fan's collection.

Rating:
Summary: Contender for one of the Greatest
Review: Some movies seem real and some seem phony. All Kubrick's films seem phony and detached. Spielberg seems infantile. This film is so totally engaging it seems more real even than reality. After I'd watched it I had to ask myself if it was in black and white, and check. One reviewer points out that some of the shots (the home movies?) are in colour. I didn't even notice that when watching the film. How did Scorsese achieve this? The performances are so vivid and intense you feel as if you are right in the room, the kitchen, the night-club, even the ring, with those characters. There are plenty of people like this; I've met and known them. I even boxed for a while when I was a boy. I've observed these kinds of man-and-wife relationships. I don't think this study of the LaMotta character is unsympathetic. He is redeemed by his durability and courage. The end-piece suggests that he had been blind, but now he sees. An exceedingly fine film. It must be one of the half-dozen best ever made.

Rating:
Summary: boxing at its best
Review: This may owe a bit to On The Waterfront but not really, it just happens to use the best dialogue ever, now that's clever. The film is by a mile the best sports film EVER! Some say Rocky, but that is actually very superficial and unbelievable in every way, it's also predictable, some say Ali, but Will Smith cannot act and I think they just stole ideas from Raging Bull for that anyway, I am not kidding this film is one that will always be remembered for a superb story, magnificent fight scenes, including Joe Pesci's use of the car door to smash some poor sods skull in. DeNiro made an extreme effort by putting on 60lbs for his role and won the Best Actor Oscar and deservedly so, he was unbeatable, and I thought Scorsese should've won director but that's a different matter. I think the DVD could be better, but I suppose the general content of the film is not ruined, the vivid portrayal is fantastic and DeNiro relates to the character very well, he proved in this that he is one of the best actors in the world and whether you know it or not, Jake La Motta himself said that DeNiro had done a better job at his character than he could have done himself. It gets five stars and no one can deny it this prestige.