Raging Bull
Release date 1980
Studio: UA/ Currently distributed by Fox home video
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Produced by Irwin Winkler
At the pinnacle of two brilliant careers exists a monument
of modern cinema. Raging Bull represents the transition of 70’s cinema, when
studios took chances on risky, gritty, character driven dramas and the
emergence of the global event film blockbusters. Coming off a near crushing
failure at the box office with his musical epic New york, New York, Scorsese was at a personal and mental low
point. Recovering from a low platelet count and hospitalized for months, the
director was contemplating ending his career.
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| Scorcese sets up a shot with DeNiro and Cinematographer Michael Chapman |
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| The Real Life Jake LaMotta and family |
It was ultimately his friend, colleague and collaborator
Robert DeNiro who approached him about adapting the biography of champion
middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta to the screen. Although Scorsese knew nothing
of boxing, except what he saw from the movies as a child, he gradually came
around to the idea. LaMotta’s personal life seemed tailor made for Scorsese oeuvre;
Italian/ American background, reluctant dealings with mafia, violent personalities.
It seemed a perfect fit. Scorsese soon brought on his long time collaborators
Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) and Mardik Martin (Mean Streets) to work out a
screenplay.
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| DeNiro and Scorcese during the editing of Raging Bull |
The film ‘s central issue of an athlete warrior’s unchecked
rage seems more timely than ever considering many of the scandals involving domestic
violence in the NFL. It has a topical resonance that allows the film a longevity
other films from this era do not have.
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| Raging Bull was actor Joe Pesce's first feature film role. Pesci was formally a musician and restaurant owner |
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| original Raging Bull one sheet |
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| filming the boxing sequences took months and careful planning |
There are many technical and artistic high points of the
film. Michael Chapman’s amazing photography gives the film a gritty, neo-noir
look. It represented the first collaboration of Scorsese with his long time editor
(and wife of British director Michael Powell) Thelma Schoonmaker. The grand
achievement of Scorsese’s artisans is Deniro. Gaining over 60 points for scenes
of LaMotta in his later years, Deniro literally melds with his real life
counterpart. It remains one of the greatest acting achievements in modern
cinema.
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