Scorsese - Raging Bull/New York, New York/Boxcar Bertha/The Last Waltz/The King Of Comedy DVD

A collection of films from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese. New York New York (1977): Martin Scorsese's classic musical available for the first time on DVD in this special 2 disc presentation. The day WWII ends Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) an aspiring saxophonist 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 love of the MGM musical is clear in this sparkling hommage to a golden era of the studio's output; featuring a sensational performance from Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli. The Last Waltz (1978): Director Martin Scorsese's visual and aural masterpiece captures the heart soul and spirit of an entire generation. Arguably the best concert documentary ever this is the 1976 film account of the celebratory final concert of legendary group The Band at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom. Boxcar Bertha (1972): When Bertha is orphaned she links up with a controversial leader of a union Big Bill Shelley. On the run from McCarthy type witch hunters who think Shelley is a 'red' they unwillingly become involved in underground crime escape from jail and ride boxcars on freight trains until the all powerful railroad bosses catch up with Shelley and take their revenge... The King of Comedy (1983): A joke writer who has never performed anywhere except his mother's basement Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) dreams of appearing on the `The Jerry Langford Show' hosted by the king of late night talk shows Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). After relentlessly hounding both Jerry and the show's talent bookers to no avail he kidnaps the talk show host with the help of his accomplice Masha (Sandra Bernhard) who herself is infatuated with Jerry. Together they hold him hostage in exchange for Pupkin being given a guest spot on the show... Raging Bull (1980): Raging Bull is arguably the finest work from the Scorsese and De Niro partnership. De Niro gives an amazing portrayal of a man whose animal side lurks just beneath the surface ever ready to erupt. Vivid and unremitting in its uncompromising brutality and honesty the fight sequences are famed for their realism. Violent throughout this film is a testament to Scorsese's and De Niro skills creating a thoroughly absorbing film about such an unlikable character. Renowned for throwing himself into the roles of the character De Niro went on a diet to gain fifty pounds during the production for the role of the faded star. [show more]

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