The true story
of the rise and fall of 40’s Middleweight Boxing champion, Jake
LaMotta.
CRITIQUE
Sports movies are
always a mixed blessing. While the majority of sports films are
nothing more than sentimental fluff, there are quite a few that hold
true to reality. Raging Bull is such a film.
Shot in black and
white and in an almost documentary fashion, Raging Bull follows
the life of Jake LaMotta, an angry and conflicted man, from 1941, when
he was a lean and brawling fighter who commanded the ring with his
shear power, through 1964, where he ended up as an overweight club
owner and stand-up comedian. The film is never compromising, both
inside and out of the ring. Inside the ring, we see a man who uses his
anger as a tool to brutally take his opponents down. Outside the ring,
we see his personal struggle with his rage and how it affects not only
him, but his family and friends.
The film is
beautifully shot and masterfully directed by Martin Scorsese. The
boxing matches are brutal, and had they been in color, the true
brutality of the matches would have been overshadowed by the blood and
gore that the fighters accumulated during their bouts. Robert DeNiro
is magnificent as LaMotta, a man who is completely unlikable, and yet
very intriguing. The film is a masterpiece of cinema and still holds
it’s own over 20 years after it had been made.
THE VIDEO
The high contrast
B&W looks beautiful. There is no hint of grain (except where
necessary) and all the black levels are consistent. Overall, it is a
perfect presentation.
THE AUDIO
The film is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and in Dolby Digital 2.0
Surround, both of which sound great. The 5.1 mix especially shines
during the boxing matches.
THE EXTRAS
Disc One:
Commentary by
Director Martin Scorsese and Editor Thelma Schoonmaker: A great track by Scorsese. He goes deep into the business
of filmmaking as well as the difficult choices he had to make on a
film such as this.
Commentary by
Director of Photography Michael Chapman, Producer Irwin Winkler, Music
Producer Robbie Robertson, Producer Robert Chartoff, Sound Effects
Editor Frank Warner, and actors John Turturro and Theresa Saldana:
An okay track. Not as interesting as Scorsese’s or LaMotta’s track.
Commentary by Jake
LaMotta, LaMotta’s nephew Jason Lustig, writer Mardik Martin, and
writer Paul Schrader:
This is the track to listen to. Jason Lustig interviews his uncle
about the events portrayed in the film and how close they are to
reality while Martin and Schrader talk about how difficult it was to
adapt the life story of a man who isn’t all that likeable into a
coherent film.
Disc Two:
Raging Bull: Before
the Fight:
An in-depth look at the casting, the writing, and other pre production
elements of the film. Like the following Featurettes, this is perfect.
Raging Bull: Inside
the Ring:
A look at the shooting of the incredible boxing scenes.
Raging Bull:
Outside the Ring:
Various production stories.
Raging Bull: After
the Fight:
Final featurette looking at the sound design, music, and final impact
of the film.
The Bronx Bull –
an Introduction to Raging Bull:
It’s a mesh of biography, film criticism, and “making of” elements.
It’s interesting, but not as much after viewing the four Raging
Bull documentaries.
LaMotta vs. DeNiro:
A shot for shot look at how close Scorsese matched DeNiro and LaMotta
both in and out of the ring.
LaMotta Defends
Title:
The actual newsreel footage of LaMotta fighting Dauthuille, most of
which we have seen in the LaMotta vs. DeNiro section.
FINAL THOUGHT
Raging Bull
is a must for boxing fans and fans of both biographical and sports
cinema.
