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The Academy has been wrong on many occasions. This would be one of them. As interesting a drama as “Ordinary People” was, Robert Redford’s film can’t hold a candle to the complex drama that was passed over for both best director and best picture. “Raging Bull” features Scorsese’s cinematic gifts at their peak. The kinetic camera of Michael Chapman and Scorsese’s unusual but powerful compositions capture the boxing ring in a way never quite seen before. He also captures the human element in the same way. Jake LaMotta’s gift is his ability to punish himself for hs sins. He can be pummeled by others and withstand every single massive punch of his opponents. Yes he can knock them out but it’s also his ability to outlast them that makes LaMotta so difficult to beat in the ring. The boxing ring changes from a place of sport to a place of war for one man’s soul. Robert DeNiro’s brilliant portrayal of LaMotta earned him a well deserved Oscar but without Scorsese’s sharp as nails direction and the rich imagery of Michael Chapman’s cinematography, “Raging Bull” would just have been another biopic about a famous boxer. ---

In Before the Fight the principle cast and crew discuss all the struggles that producers Chartoff and Winkler faced in making the movie. A project that DeNiro had first proposed to Scorsese when he was making Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. It’s ironic that Scorsese who was never a big sports fan would make the ultimate boxing movie. Scorsese discusses how he was ultimately persuaded to make the movie by DeNiro (who had the idea of doing the physical transformation for LaMota as he ages from the very beginning). Luckily Chartoff and Winkler had produced Rocky. The duo used the success of their film as leverage to get Raging Bull. ***

In the Ring focuses on the actual production issues they faced. Watching pre-production footage Scorsese came to the conclusion that Irwin Winkler’s suggestion to shoot the film in black and white was perfect for capturing the “vintage” look of the era. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker points out that amazingly Raging Bull was shot with only one camera. Schoonmaker also points out the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) differences between fights and how changing the design of the ring, the lighting and how the sequences reflected Jake’s emotional state at the time. While the film was storyboarded, Scorsese primarily used them to help keep track of the way the film would ultimately look when put together. ***

In Outside the Ring Pesci points out that the film was far from improvised. Schrader provided the dramatic structure and the actors would improvise during the rehearsal sessions and would then be, for the most part, written in stone. We learn much more about the dramatic scenes in this section with Cathy Morarity discussing everything from how the hairdresser would use corn syrup to keep her hair perfect. Chapman shot many of the color home movies then realized he couldn’t shoot them with bad framing like typical home movies. The teamsters working on the production shot these sequences. ***

After the Fight Pesci and Schoonmaker justify the extreme violence of the film by pointing out that Scorsese wasn’t trying to glorify it but make it as ugly as possible particularly when it came to the fight sequences but also during the domestic fights between LaMotta and his family. Sound Effects editor points out some of the simple ideas that he used to highlight the differences between the fights sometimes during various punches such as the sound of a horse shuttering or an elephant braying during two intense fights. Warner would routinely burn the tapes he used for the sound effects at the end of each production forcing himself to create anew all over again with a new concept for each movie. ***

The Bronx Bull features Jake LaMotta discussing seeing the movie for the first time. We then hear from film critics as to the reaction to the film. Schoonmaker talks about how the trade papers warned distributors NOT to book the film. Ironically, the critics asked about the film are British critics who seem to have the best appreciation for the film. The Bronx Bull duplicates many comments in the 20 minute featurettes included but, nonetheless, it provides additional background on the film not available elsewhere. DeNiro vs. LaMotta compares the reel world vs. the real world from still photos and archival footage. It shows the detail that Scorsese and DeNiro went into to recreate the look and feel of the real fights. We also get the original theatrical trailer and a promo trailer for the Rocky boxed set. ---