8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The story of Jake LaMotta, a former middleweight boxing champion, whose reputation for tenacity and success in the ring was offset by his troubled domestic life: full of rage, jealousy, and suspicion—particularly towards his wife and manager/brother—which, in the end, left him destitute, alone, and seeking redemption.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas ColasantoDrama | 100% |
Biography | 17% |
Sport | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Russian: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish, Russian
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
In the past decade or so, director Martin Scorsese’s work as a film preservationist has been more impressive than his efforts as a filmmaker— for as well-executed as they are, Shutter Island, The Departed, and The Aviator are all rather conventional—but it’s undeniable that his early films are among the most influential and highly regarded of post-WWII American cinema, specifically the gritty troika of Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull. The latter is arguably Scorsese’ s best; much more than a simple boxing story—a la Rocky—Raging Bull is a dark character study of a man caught between his violent, sexually insecure id and self-destructive, guilt- laden superego. It’s a suckerpunch of a film, at once lyrical and brutal, and it packs as big of a dramatic wallop today as it did in 1980. And, it should be said, upon its initial Blu-ray release in February 2009. Yes, MGM is hoping we’ll double-dip for this new 30th Anniversary Edition of the film, which features the same high definition transfer and lossless audio track, but adds four new featurettes to the array of bonus materials. If you’ve already got a copy of the 2009 disc sitting on your shelf, I wouldn’t bother upgrading—honestly, you can probably watch the new features online somewhere—but if you’re new to the film, this is definitely the version to get.
"That's entertainment."
As far as I can tell, the 1080p/AVC encode used for this 30th Anniversary Edition is the same transfer that accompanied Raging Bull's
February
2009 Blu-ray release. And while I still think this is an excellent, often stunning transfer, many of you probably recall hearing complaints about a thin
translucent stripe—slightly brighter than the rest of the image—that would occasionally appear on the right side of the screen. Some people could see
it,
others couldn't. I'm here to report that the stripe is present on this edition, but—and this is important—it's barely and rarely, if ever,
noticeable.
In fact, during my initial viewing of the film, I didn't spot it once; I had to pause the movie during certain darker sequences and bump up the gamma
and brightness settings on my screen to ridiculous levels to even make it visible. I suspect that if your TV is reasonably calibrated—that is, not on
"store display" mode or otherwise boosted—you probably won't ever even notice the issue. I did manage to capture a screenshot of the stripe—see
above—but
as
you can tell, it's quite hard to make out. (Note that the screenshots in our reviews are pure captures of the digital info from the disc. They aren't
routed
through a TV first or tampered with on a computer. What you see is what you get, essentially, although the shots might obviously look different on
your
television depending on your calibration settings.) I say all of that to say this: I don't know where the stripe comes from—whether it was somehow on
the negative itself (unlikely) or was introduced somewhere in the transfer/encode process—but it shouldn't be a problem if you keep your brightness
settings at a normal level.
It would be a shame to let this minor issue hold you back from buying this disc, as Raging Bull looks simply beautiful on Blu-ray. The film's
stark,
evocative cinematography has never looked better—the grain structure is rich and untouched by DNR, clarity is strong, and the black and white
gradation is perfectly balanced, with deep, dense shadows, crisp but rarely overblown whites, and a smooth gradient of grays. Basically, you get a
sense
that the image is true-to-source, and while the picture isn't the sharpest you've ever seen—it's really not meant to be—there's plenty of fine detail
visible in the actors' faces, hair, and period clothing. Likewise, there are no compression issues or digital mishaps to spoil the mood. Well, except for
that
barely-there stripe. And really, if your screen is set up properly, you'll probably never even see it.
I have no reservations at all about the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which does a fine job reproducing Scorsese's very deliberate, jarring, and sometimes impressionistic sound design. Fight scenes are the most surreal; as the director's signature flashbulbs pop and crackle with exaggerated intensity and blow after blow lands with the thick, leather-on-skin pummeling sound of punching gloves, other noises are intentionally reduced to a low murmur, effectively putting us inside Jake La Motta's tunnel-visioned consciousness. The rear channels are only sparsely and selectively used, but you will hear airy New York City ambience, the light drizzle of rain, and the cheers and jeers of the crowd when called for. All of this is accompanied by a memorable soundtrack of classical pieces and period tunes, and the music sounds excellent, with clarity and substantial presence. Dialogue does occasionally seem a bit low out of the center channel, but never to the point of distraction or unintelligibility. A variety of subtitle options are available, and they appear in white, easy to read lettering.
The 30th Anniversary Edition of the film includes all the special features of the 2009 version, plus four new featurettes exclusive to this Blu-ray
release.
New Material
As one of the best films of the 1980s and, for my money, the best of Scorsese and DeNiro's careers, Raging Bull definitely deserves—nay, commands!—a spot on your movie shelf. If you bought the film when it first came out on Blu-ray in 2009, I wouldn't bother with this release—the only new additions are four short featurettes—but if don't have this veritable masterpiece yet, the 30th Anniversary Edition is the way to go. Highly recommended!
1980
MGM 90th Anniversary
1980
35th Anniversary Edition
1980
1980
1980
2010
2019
2008
2017
2009
10th Anniversary Edition
2004
2004
2011
2017
2017
2005
1973
2020
Collector's Edition
2010
2016
2018
Election Year Edition
1995
1987
1990
75th Anniversary Edition
1941