Also of note are supporting cast members and Oscar nominees Joe Pesci (a future Oscar-winner for Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS) as his long-suffering brother Joey La Motta and Cathy Moriarty (in her feature debut) as his put-upon wife Vickie. According to the featurettes on the supplemental disc, Pesci was hired because De Niro and Scorsese like his performance in some low-budget dreck that Pesci had recently appeared in.

Behind the camera, kudos are in order for DP Michael Chapman’s organic, crisp B&W cinematography (he also lensed THE FUGITIVE, GHOSTBUSTERS II and TAXI DRIVER among other films) and editor Thelma Schoonmaker’s brilliant cutting (she also won a much-deserved Oscar for her work). Their contributions (among others) make this movie the classic that it—in retrospect—has become.

In closing, I needed to watch RAGING BULL several times over the years to really appreciate it as a film and as a morality tale. Who knew that boxing could be a metaphor for the soul’s inner turbulence. I did; but then again, I’m brilliant…

Outside of GOODFELLAS, TAXI DRIVER and THE KING OF COMEDY, I do feel that this is Marty’s best film (without leaving out MEAN STREETS, AFTER HOURS and CASINO—oh wait, let’s not forget CAPE FEAR (1991), just for the hell of it).

DVD

Once again, when those folks over at MGM/UA Home Entertainment put their minds to it, anything is possible.

Picture: RAGING BULL is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is anamorphically– enhanced for 16x9 TVs. The transfer on this DVD is fantastic! As the film was shot and processed in b&w, the contrasts and latitude are incredible, to say the least. Detail is sharp as well. All in all, DP Michael Chapman’s elegant b&w cinematography really shines through. A knockout indeed.

(For you non-film school geeks, latitude is a cinematographical term that means the range between the exposures of brightest light to deepest shadows.)

Sound: This second edition DVD provides us with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo Surround sound, plus French & Spanish Mono. Subtitles are in English, French & Spanish. The audio is decent, considering the age of the source material. Every curse word, growl and punch is heard, acknowledged and felt. Hey, I just laugh every time Joe Pesci curses. But that’s just me (yet considering that we’re both from New Jersey…don’t be surprised).

Extras

Since the first release of RAGING BULL had practically zippo on it (unless you count a theatrical trailer—if memory serves correct), it’s safe-to-say that this DVD is naturally leaps-and-bounds above the aforementioned one.

Created by DVD guru Laurent Bouzereau (a talented and classy French dude might I add—my observation after meeting him a few years ago), this disc has a multitude of extras that’ll keep you busy for hours on end.

Documentaries: The 2nd disc contains 4 short featurettes: Before The Fight, Inside The Ring, Outside The Ring and After The Fight. They feature all of the talent in front of, and behind the camera. Also included are: “The ...