Raging Bull: Special Edition
The life of Jake La Motta is truly
a fascinating one, one that is masterfully documented in the biopic Raging
Bull, considered to be the best film of the 1980Õs and one of the best films of
director Martin ScorseseÕs career.
Twenty-five films after its release, the film is still considered a
masterpiece in cinema, and has been examined countless times by enthusiasts,
teachers, critics, and others.
There are many reasons why this film is so great, and anyone who has
seen the film can talk for hours about the direction, the editing, or the
performances. But you canÕt deny
how great Raging Bull is; it is truly a masterpiece in American cinema, and
should have received more awards than it got.
Surely a film like Raging Bull has
always deserved a special edition on DVD.
So why did we have to wait so long for one? Maybe it was intended to be released on the 25th
anniversary. Maybe they were just
waiting for the right time to release it.
Whatever the reason may be, itÕs better late than never, and it is
definitely worth the wait. This
new two-disc special edition of Raging Bull is what fans have wanted. The DVD offers more than a series of
featurettes and commentaries, it offers a real education into the making of the
film, which is excellent for film enthusiasts and scholars all around. It is a DVD that gives more meaning to
the phrase Ôfilm school-in-a-boxÕ.
This quality all lies in the
excellent special features, with each feature being a highlight in its own
right. On disc one you get three
commentaries, and each one is well worth listening to. The first is with Scorsese and the
editor and is obviously the most detailed. The second is a cast and crew commentary featuring several
members of the filmmaking team (but unfortunately no De Niro or any major actor
from the film), and the third is listed as a Storytellers commentary, which
features the screenwriters and Jake La Motta himself. It is really a unique experience to hear La Motta
speak. All commentaries are
detailed and full of interesting information and anecdotes about the film. These sets of commentaries are some of
the better ones ever recorded for a DVD.
The remaining features are on disc
two and are just as fantastic.
They include four brand new making-of featurettes that are very
remarkable and actually do not repeat what is said in the commentaries for the
most part. You learn a lot about
the making of the film in these featurettes and they will keep you compelled
throughout. The ÔBronx BullÕ
making-of documentary is also included, and doesnÕt focus too much on the
making of the film but is more like a critical appreciation of the film; a very
unique approach to a featurette.
Also included is newsreel footage of Jake La Motta in a fight from 1950,
a shot-by-shot comparison of La Motta and De Niro, which reveals the uncanny
resemblance between the two and ScorseseÕs amazing attention to detail,
production notes, and of course the original trailer. These features not only tell you about the making of the film,
they educate you, and they make you appreciate it much more, especially if
youÕve never appreciate it enough.
Of course the features are not
what only make the DVD great. The
image is rather sharp and the contrast of black and white is very predominant
in the image, though some grain and fuzziness show up here and there. Luckily itÕs not too distracting. The 5.1 mix is decent and has an
adequate mix, but leaves little to the imagination. Though mostly dialogue driven, there are some scenes that
could really take advantage of the surround, but instead barely makes use of
it. Though it is barely used, the
LFE channel has quite a kick when it does get used.
Raging Bull, quite simply, is a
masterpiece. Critics love it,
enthusiasts love it, , film students love it, even the average movie-goer loves
it. And now DVD enthusiasts will
love it as well, thanks to this exceptional special edition release. If you found that you never appreciated
the as much, this DVD will fix that.
An excellent DVD for an amazing film, the Raging Bull Special Edition is
what you have been waiting for and now cannot live without. It delivers a knockout punch and, like
the film when it came out, will very likely be listed as one of the best DVDÕs
of the year.
Movie: ****
DVD:
****1/2