Martin Scorsese Film Collection (2004)

Synopsis: The legendary American director has four of his early works collected here, including: BOXCAR BERTHA: Barbara Hershey is "Boxcar" Bertha Thompson, a depression-era woman who loses her father in an airplane accident. Joining up with controversial union leader Big Bill Shelley (David... The legendary American director has four of his early works collected here, including: BOXCAR BERTHA: Barbara Hershey is "Boxcar" Bertha Thompson, a depression-era woman who loses her father in an airplane accident. Joining up with controversial union leader Big Bill Shelley (David Carradine), Bertha is forced into a life on the run when a group of conservative witch hunters target Shelley as a communist. Along the way, Shelley and Bertha fall into a life of underground crime, steal from railroad bosses, and break out of jail. Their run comes to a crashing halt when the extremely powerful railroad company catches up with Shelley and exacts a nasty revenge. THE LAST WALTZ: In what just might be the finest rock & roll concert film ever, THE LAST WALTZ celebrates the final performance by the Band (Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, and Garth Hudson). The show took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, at San Francisco's Winterland Arena--where the group had played their very first show more than 16 years before. In order to make their farewell even more unforgettable, they recruited numerous guests to join them onstage. They include Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, and the Staples. Martin Scorsese, a former roommate of Robbie Robertson's, employs some of the world's greatest cinematographers--including Michael Chapman, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Laszlo Kovacs--to film the set in a way that captures the show's sweat and energy with a powerful intimacy. Interspersed into the songs are a series of interviews with the Band's members, who recall their early days playing for empty bars and their emergence as major players in the rock & roll game. NEW YORK, NEW YORK: NEW YORK, NEW YORK concerns Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro), an aspiring saxophonist who meets and is at first rejected by singer Francine Evans (Liza Minelli). When they continue to bump into each other, a friendship blossoms, followed by romance, and then marriage. All the while, both musicians struggle to succeed at their craft, which begins to put an unbearable strain on their relationship. Eventually, this weight becomes too heavy to handle, leading the couple into a traumatic separation. Scorsese's obvious love for this era of music--as well as cinema--is overflowing throughout the picture, from the set pieces to the costumes to the musical numbers. RAGING BULL: Shooting in a crisp black and white, Scorsese tells the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, played with incredible intensity by Oscar winner Robert De Niro. As La Motta rises through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown, he falls in love with Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a gorgeous girl from his Bronx neighborhood. Jake's inability to express his feelings pours out in the ring and eventually takes over his life in his dealings with his brother, Joey (a brilliant Joe Pesci). Irrational jealousy over Vickie, as well as an insatiable appetite, sends him into a downward spiral that costs him his title, his wife, and his relationship with Joey. As the out-of-control fighter, De Niro delivers one of the screen's most unforgettable performances. Pesci is just as intense as Joey, who finally realizes that he is unable to tame his animalistic brother. Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Chapman shoot the film with a stylish flair that fills the boxing scenes with boundless energy and adds immediacy to the endless arguments that erupt whenever Jake is outside the ring. Simply put, RAGING BULL is one of American cinema's masterworks. [More]