Raging Bull
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Produced by	Robert Chartoff Irwin Winkler
Written by	Paul Schrader Mardik Martin
Starring	Robert De Niro Cathy Moriarty Joe Pesci Frank Vincent Nicholas Colasanto Theresa Saldana John Turturro
Editing by	Thelma Schoonmaker
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	November 14, 1980
Running time	129 min. Robert Chartoff (b August 26, 1933) is a Academy Award -winning Film producer. Irwin Winkler (born May 25, 1931) is an Academy Award -winning American Film producer and director. Paul Joseph Schrader (born July 22, 1946 in Grand Rapids Michigan) is an American Screenwriter and Film director Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Cathy Moriarty (born November 29, 1960) is an American actress Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Frank Vincent (born April 4, 1939) is an Italian American Actor and Musician. Nicholas Colasanto ( January 19, 1924 - February 12, 1985) was an American Actor, known primarily for his role as Theresa Saldana (born August 20, 1954) is an American actress, known for her work in motion pictures and television John Michael Turturro (born February 28, 1957) is an American Actor noted for his performances in To Live and Die in L Thelma Schoonmaker (born 3 January) is an American 3-time Academy Award -winning Film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)
Language	English
Budget	$18,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Raging Bull is a 1980 film directed by Martin Scorsese, adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from the memoir Raging Bull: My Story. The year 1980 in film involved some significant events Events April 30 - The Roger Daltrey film McVicar, opens Paul Joseph Schrader (born July 22, 1946 in Grand Rapids Michigan) is an American Screenwriter and Film director Raging Bull My Story is a 1970 memoir by Middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, a temperamental and paranoid but tenacious boxer who alienates himself from his friends and family. Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Giacobe LaMotta (born July 10, 1921) better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed " The Bronx Bull " and " The Raging Bull Also featured in the film are Joe Pesci as Joey, La Motta's brother and manager, and Cathy Moriarty as his abused wife. Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Cathy Moriarty (born November 29, 1960) is an American actress The film features supporting roles from Nicholas Colasanto (who would eventually play the character "Coach" on the TV sitcom Cheers), Theresa Saldana, and Frank Vincent, who has starred in many films directed by Martin Scorsese. Nicholas Colasanto ( January 19, 1924 - February 12, 1985) was an American Actor, known primarily for his role as Cheers is an American Situation comedy television series that ran eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993 Theresa Saldana (born August 20, 1954) is an American actress, known for her work in motion pictures and television Frank Vincent (born April 4, 1939) is an Italian American Actor and Musician. After receiving mixed initial reviews, it went on to garner a high critical reputation and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made, along with the pair's other famed collaboration from that era, Taxi Driver (1976). While there is no agreement upon the greatest Film of all time many publications and organizations have tried to determine the films considered the greatest ever. New Hollywood or post- classical Hollywood, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave" refers to the brief time between roughly the mid- 1960s ( Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. The year 1976 in film involved some significant events Events March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas ' It is one of three films that has been named to the National Film Registry in its first year of eligibility. The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of

Production

Raging Bull was a project brought to Martin Scorsese by his friend and collaborator Robert De Niro. De Niro discovered the book upon which the film is based and wanted to play the title character. Raging Bull My Story is a 1970 memoir by Middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta. Giacobe LaMotta (born July 10, 1921) better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed " The Bronx Bull " and " The Raging Bull The initial screenplay adaptation was written by Scorsese's friend Mardik Martin, who had co-written Mean Streets. Mean Streets ( 1973) is an early Martin Scorsese film starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. It was reportedly a Rashomon-style drama with many different points of view being presented. is a 1950 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, working in close collaboration with Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. In the end, this approach was abandoned in favor of a more straightforward narrative written by Paul Schrader, who had written Taxi Driver. Paul Joseph Schrader (born July 22, 1946 in Grand Rapids Michigan) is an American Screenwriter and Film director Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. Studio executives at United Artists were initially reluctant to finance the project as they feared that the extreme profanity and violence in the screenplay would draw an "X" from the MPAA ratings board, thus the final draft of the screenplay was written, uncredited, by De Niro and Scorsese themselves.

Scorsese has acknowledged that he was deeply involved in cocaine abuse before the making of the film. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant Substance abuse is the overindulgence in and dependence of a Drug or other chemical leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual's physical and mental health ^[1] He has stated that Robert De Niro saved his life by insisting on Scorsese's continued involvement in the production. ^[1][2] Scorsese has also claimed that the raw emotional quality of the film and its theme of redemption were a result of his struggle to recover his life through the production of the film.

The movie was shot in two parts. The majority of the film, including all the boxing scenes, were shot first. Following this, the production was shut down for several months, during which De Niro gained the weight necessary to play Jake LaMotta in the latter part of the film. De Niro put on 60 pounds in mid-shooting to turn himself from the young, muscular boxer La Motta into the fat, washed up older La Motta. This is particularly visible in one of the last scenes in the film, where La Motta is sleeping with his shirt open, exposing a sizeable belly. According to Scorsese, these scenes were shot quickly and with a minimum of takes because the physical strain they caused De Niro was so evident. De Niro's extreme method acting was a notable example of a physical metamorphosis in modern cinema. Method acting is an Acting technique in which Actors try to replicate real life emotional conditions under which the character operates in an effort to create a life-like

Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Chapman decided to shoot the film in black and white, despite initially having fears it would make it seem pretentious. Michael Chapman (born November 21, 1935) is an acclaimed American cinematographer whose prominence owes most to his innovative work of the 1970s and 1980s This was done for reasons of period authenticity (Chapman and Scorsese remembered 1940s boxing bouts as black and white photographs in magazines) and to differentiate the film from several other boxing pictures which had recently been released, especially the Rocky series. Rocky is a 1976 Film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by John G

Scorsese disliked the way previous boxing films shot the fight scenes from a spectator's view, hence insulating the audience from the brutality of the ring. Throughout the filming, Scorsese's mantra remained "stay in the ring", he was determined to capture the raw violence of every punch and make the viewer feel everything the boxers did. Each intricately choreographed boxing sequence would have a different style reflecting LaMotta's varying states of mind during the different fights. Scorsese drew every shot of these on paper before the shooting, and both he and Chapman have commented on the difficulties caused by the elaborate setups.

The film was edited in Scorsese's apartment in New York City, mostly at night. Reportedly, Scorsese was obsessively fastidious during post-production. He and his friend, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, labored an unusually long time over the editing and the film's complex soundtrack. The unusual care dedicated to post-production caused considerable friction with the film's producers, who felt Scorsese was being unnecessarily slow. Scorsese took unusual care during post-production because he was convinced that Raging Bull would be his last film and he did not want to compromise what would be his final project. However, Scorsese also viewed the film as a kind of cinematic rebirth. He chose to end the film with a personal dedication to his college film professor, Haig Manoogian, "with love and resolution. " Manoogian had helped produce Scorsese's first feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door. Who's That Knocking at My Door, originally titled I Call First, is Martin Scorsese 's first Feature film. ^[3]

Plot

The film begins with Jake LaMotta late in his life practicing his stand-up comic routine, then flashes back to his early boxing career. Jake (De Niro) is a talented and determined fighter from the Bronx, and his brother Joey (Pesci) is his manager. Jake slowly climbs the ladder to the top of the boxing world (due to numerous setbacks mostly involving his personal life and weight problems), and courts Vicki (Moriarty) a 15-year-old girl he meets in his neighborhood. After his first wife leaves, he starts a relationship with her which eventually leads to marriage and children.

As a boxer, Jake is promising but headstrong. He takes punches well, and fights with passion, but he refuses to curry favor with the mobsters who control boxing. To compete for the middleweight title he is forced to throw a match to Billy Fox, which grants him the right to fight for the title. He wins, and defends the title against challengers, which puts him at the top of his career.

However, Jake becomes increasingly jealous of Vicki, and ultimately convinces himself of her infidelity with Joey. Enraged, he lashes out violently on his brother, who then abandons him. LaMotta loses his title to his rival Sugar Ray Robinson and retires from boxing a few years later due to his weight problems, and becomes a modestly successful stand-up comedian and nightclub owner. Sugar Ray Robinson' (born Walker Smith Jr, May 3 1921 – April 12 1989 was a professional boxer A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark His wife finally divorces him, taking custody of his children, while LaMotta ends up in jail for abetting statutory rape. The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe consensual Sexual relations that take place when an individual (regardless of gender has sexual In jail he punches his cell walls and pounds his head against them with despair. After being released from jail, Jake tries to mend his relationship with Joey. The film ends as it began with Jake practicing his routine in front of the mirror.

Reception

Raging Bull was initially given a mixed reception. Scorsese had held an advanced screening for the film's producers and a few others at an MGM screening room. After the film had finished and the lights in the screening room came on, it is said there was a stunned silence in the room as if 'the audience had lost all powers of speech'. Many critics, however, were repelled by the film's violence and its unsympathetic central character. Although its cinematography and editing were universally praised, some saw the film as an empty exercise in style. Produced on a budget of $18 million, the film grossed $23 million. ^[4]

De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor, his second Academy Award following his win for 1974's The Godfather: Part II (for Best Supporting Actor) and his first for a leading role. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Godfather Part II is a 1974 Crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. Thelma Schoonmaker won the Academy Award for Film Editing, whose style was far different from fight scenes in other boxing films, such as the Rocky series. Thelma Schoonmaker (born 3 January) is an American 3-time Academy Award -winning Film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934 Rocky is a 1976 Film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by John G Raging Bull was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Joe Pesci), Best Supporting Actress (Cathy Moriarty), Best Cinematography (Michael Chapman), Best Sound (Donald O. Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress is an accolade given by a group of Film or Theatre professionals in recognition of the work Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress is an accolade given by a group of Film or Theatre professionals in recognition of the work The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a Cinematographer for work in one particular Motion picture. The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic Sound mixing or recording Mitchell, Bill Nicholson, David J. Kimball, Les Lazarowitz), Best Director and Best Picture. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working ^[5] When De Niro accepted his Oscar, he thanked Jake La Motta, "even though he is suing us. " Scorsese lost to Robert Redford for best director (Ordinary People). Charles Robert Redford Jr (born August 18 1936) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, Actor, Ordinary People is a 1980 American Motion picture drama and the directorial debut of Robert Redford. United Artists was distracted by its worsening financial troubles in the wake of Heaven's Gate and could not adequately promote the film for awards. Heaven's Gate is a 1980 Western movie depicting the Johnson County War, a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming

Legacy and critical Rankings

By the end of the 1980s, Raging Bull had cemented its reputation as a modern classic. It was voted the best film of the 1980s in numerous critics' polls and is regularly pointed to as both Scorsese's best film and one of the finest American movies ever made. Several prominent critics, among them Roger Ebert, declared the film to be an instant classic and the consummation of Scorsese's earlier promise. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. Ebert proclaimed it the best film of the 1980s, and the fourth greatest film of all time. ^[6]

The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Originally, the American Film Institute ranked Raging Bull 24th of the greatest American movies of all time. The first of the AFI 100 Years series of cinematic milestones AFI's 100 Years However, when the list was updated 10 years later, Raging Bull rose twenty places on the list, reaching #4. AFI’s 100 Years100 Movies — 10th Anniversary Edition was the 2007 updated version of 100 Years… 100 Movies. and fifth on the Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc The 2002 Sight and Sound Poll found listed tied for 6th with The Bicycle Thief^[7]. Sight & Sound ( is a British monthly Film Magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI The Bicycle Thief redirects here For the band of the same name see The Bicycle Thief (band. A two-CD soundtrack was released in 2005, long after the movie was released, because of earlier difficulties receiving permissions for many of the songs, which Scorsese selected from his childhood memories growing up in New York. The movie poster was painted by Kunio Hagio. ^[8] In 2002, Channel 4 held a poll of the 100 Greatest Movies,on which Raging Bull was voted in at number 20. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Halliwell Film Guide, a highly respected British film guide, had a poll naming their Top 1000 movies. Raging Bull was placed #7.

Raging Bull II: Continuing the Story of Jake LaMotta

A sequel which has no actors or director attached, named Raging Bull II: Continuing the Story of Jake LaMotta, is in production by the new production company, Sunset Pictures. It still in the early stages of production and chronicles Jakes early life, as told in the sequel novel of the same name. ^[9]

References

External links

• Raging Bull at the Internet Movie Database
• Fresh Air interview with Thelma Schoonmaker