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87-495: Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro , Joe Pesci , Cathy Moriarty , Theresa Saldana , Frank Vincent , and Nicholas Colasanto in his final film role. The film is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta 's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story . It follows the career of LaMotta, played by De Niro, his rise and fall in

174-676: A Bronx accent and preparing for his role, De Niro met both LaMotta and his ex-wife, Vikki , on separate occasions. Vikki, who lived in Florida , told stories about her life with her former husband and also showed old home movies (that later inspired a similar sequence to be done for the film). Jake LaMotta, on the other hand, served as his trainer, accompanied by Al Silvani as coach at the Gramercy club in New York City, getting him into shape. The actor found that boxing came naturally to him; he entered as

261-550: A Fairytale (2006), and Howard Stern in Private Parts (1997). In 2018, the musical biopic Bohemian Rhapsody , based on the life of Queen singer Freddie Mercury , became the highest-grossing biopic in history at the time. In 2023, it was surpassed by Oppenheimer , based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II. Copacabana (nightclub) The Copacabana

348-558: A May 16, 1957, incident involving members of the New York Yankees . On that evening, teammates Mickey Mantle , Whitey Ford , Hank Bauer , Yogi Berra , Johnny Kucks , and Billy Martin , along with the wives of all but Martin, arrived at the nightclub to celebrate Martin's birthday. Sammy Davis Jr. happened to be the headliner. During the performance, a group of apparently intoxicated bowlers started to interfere with Davis' act, even hurling racial slurs at him. This behavior incensed

435-524: A call from De Niro and Scorsese for the proposal to star in the film, Pesci had not worked in film for four years and was working at an Italian restaurant in New Jersey . The role of Vikki (respelled as Vickie in the final film), Jake's second wife, had interest across the board, but it was Pesci who suggested the then unknown Cathy Moriarty from a picture he once saw at a New Jersey disco. Both De Niro and Scorsese believed that Moriarty, then 18, could portray

522-504: A chance at the championship title, which Como controls, he will have to take a dive first. Jake purposely loses his next match against Billy Fox , and is booed out of the building after putting up a lackluster performance. He is suspended shortly thereafter from the board on suspicion of throwing the fight, much to his anguish. He is eventually reinstated, and in 1949, wins the middleweight championship title against Marcel Cerdan . A year later, Jake becomes increasingly paranoid that Vickie

609-503: A grueling fifteen-round bout against Laurent Dauthuille in 1950, he calls his brother after the fight to make amends, but when Joey assumes Salvy is on the other end and starts insulting and cursing at him, Jake silently hangs up. Estranged from his brother, Jake sees his career decline and he eventually loses his title to Sugar Ray Robinson in their final encounter in 1951 . By 1956, an aged and overweight Jake has retired and moved with his family to Miami . After he stays out all night at

696-450: A living, he said, "A boxer? I don't like boxing...Even as a kid, I always thought that boxing was boring... It was something I couldn't, wouldn't grasp." His overall opinion of sport in general is, "Anything with a ball, no good." The book was then passed onto Mardik Martin, the film's eventual co-screenwriter, who said "the trouble is the damn thing has been done a hundred times before—a fighter who has trouble with his brother and his wife and

783-416: A lukewarm box office of $ 23.4 million against its $ 18 million budget. The film received mixed reviews upon its release; while De Niro's performance and the editing were widely acclaimed, it garnered criticism due to its violent content. Despite the mixed reviews, the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards at the 53rd Academy Awards (tying with The Elephant Man as the most nominated film of

870-485: A middleweight boxer, winning two of his three fights in a Brooklyn ring dubbed "young LaMotta" by the commentator. According to Jake LaMotta, De Niro was one of the top 20 best middleweight boxers of all time. According to the production mixer, Michael Evje, the film began shooting at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium on April 16, 1979. Grips hung huge curtains of black duvetyne on all four sides of

957-436: A poll of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time , taking votes from 10,000 readers, 150 film makers, and 50 film critics in which Raging Bull was placed at number 11. It was also placed on a similar list of 1000 movies by The New York Times . In 2010, Total Film selected the film as one of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time . FilmSite.org , a subsidiary of American Movie Classics , placed Raging Bull on their list of

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1044-671: A scene. The work was completed only four days shy of the premiere. In 2012, Raging Bull was voted by the Motion Picture Editors Guild as the best-edited film in history. Paula Petrella, heir to Frank Petrello whose works were allegedly sources for the film, filed for copyright infringement in 2009 based on MGM's 1991 copyright renewal of the film. In 2014, the Supreme Court held, in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. , that Petrella's suit survived MGM's defense of " laches ",

1131-455: A show LaMotta prepares himself for his performance by shadowboxing , quoting scenes from On the Waterfront and chanting "I'm the boss" before taking the stage. Raging Bull came about when Robert De Niro read the autobiography upon which the film is based while he was on the set of The Godfather Part II . Although disappointed by the book's writing style, De Niro became fascinated by

1218-552: A test screening in front of a small audience including the chief executives of United Artists, Steven Bach and Andy Albeck . The screening was shown at the MGM screening room in New York around July 1980. Later, Albeck praised Scorsese by calling him a "true artist". According to the producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler, matters were made worse when United Artists decided not to distribute

1305-593: Is a New York City nightclub that has existed in several locations. In earlier locations, many entertainers, such as Danny Thomas , Pat Cooper , and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis , made their New York debuts at the Copacabana. The Barry Manilow song " Copacabana " (1978) is named after, and set in, the club. The nightclub was used as a setting in the films Goodfellas , Raging Bull , Tootsie , The Purple Rose of Cairo , Carlito's Way , The French Connection , Martin and Lewis , Green Book , Beyond

1392-541: Is having an affair. He asks Joey if he has had an affair with her, enraging Joey and causing him to leave. Jake later presses Vickie about whether she has had an affair, leading to her sarcastically confessing that she had sex with Joey, Salvy and Tommy. In a fit of rage, Jake, followed by Vickie, walks to Joey's house and assaults him in front of his wife Lenora and their children before knocking Vickie unconscious. Vickie later returns to their home and threatens to leave, but they reconcile. After defending his championship belt in

1479-619: Is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person. Anthony Hopkins felt that he should not have played Richard Nixon in Nixon because of a lack of resemblance between the two. The casting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror was objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord. Egyptian critics criticized

1566-493: Is often painful to watch, but it's a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero." Metacritic which assigns a weighted average, gave it a score of 90 out of 100, based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Jack Kroll of Newsweek called Raging Bull the "best movie of the year". Vincent Canby of The New York Times said that Scorsese "has made his most ambitious film as well as his finest" and went on to praise Moriarty's debut performance saying: "either she

1653-495: Is one of the film finds of the decade or Mr. Scorsese is Svengali . Perhaps both." Time praised De Niro's performance since "much of Raging Bull exists because of the possibilities it offers De Niro to display his own explosive art". Steven Jenkins from the British Film Institute 's (BFI) magazine, Monthly Film Journal , said " Raging Bull may prove to be Scorsese's finest achievement to date". The Oscars were held

1740-410: Is one of the reasons Scorsese chose to film Raging Bull in black and white. Other reasons were to distinguish the film from other color films around the time and to acknowledge the problem of fading color film stock—an issue Scorsese recognized. Scorsese went to two matches at Madison Square Garden to aid his research, picking up on minor but essential details such as the blood sponge and subsequently,

1827-518: The All-TIME 100 Movies . Variety magazine ranked the film number 39 on their list of the 50 greatest movies. Raging Bull was fifth on Entertainment Weekly 's list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. The film tied with The Bicycle Thieves and Vertigo at number 6 on Sight & Sound 's 2002 poll of the greatest movies ever. When Sight & Sound 's directors' and critics' lists from that year are combined, Raging Bull gets

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1914-495: The 100 Maverick Movies in the Last 100 Years . A 1997 readers poll conducted by the L.A. Daily News ranked the film #64 on a list of the greatest American movies. The Writers Guild of America named the film as the 76th best screenplay of all time. Raging Bull is #7 on Time Out Film Guide's "Centenary Top 100" list, and it also tied at #16 (with Lawrence of Arabia ) on their 1998 readers poll. In 2008, Empire magazine held

2001-605: The Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and the American Film Institute ranked it as the fourth-greatest American movie of all time . In 1941, Jake LaMotta is a young, up-and-coming middleweight boxer who suffers his first loss to Jimmy Reeves after a controversial decision. Jake's brother Joey discusses a potential shot for the middleweight title with one of his Mafia connections, Salvy Batts, but he repeatedly refuses

2088-534: The WOR Radio Network . Podell originally had a strict " no blacks " policy. In 1944, Harry Belafonte , then a member of the U.S. Navy , was denied entry with a date. Eventually, Podell was persuaded to change his policy and Belafonte returned in the 1950s as a headliner at the club. Sammy Davis Jr. shattered attendance records with his run in May 1964 and Sam Cooke performed there on July 8, 1964, resulting in

2175-465: The "I could have been a contender" scene from On the Waterfront . An extract of Richard III had been considered but Michael Powell thought it would be a bad decision within the context of an American film. According to Steven Bach, the first two screenwriters (Martin and Schrader) would receive credit, but since there was no payment to the writer's guild on the script, De Niro and Scorsese's work would remain uncredited. One of Scorsese's trademarks

2262-669: The 100 greatest movies. Additionally, Films101.com ranked the film as the 17th best movie of all time in a list of the 10,790 most notable. In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild listed the film as the best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership. In the 2012 Sight & Sound polls , it was ranked the 53rd-greatest film ever made in the critics' poll and 12th in the directors' poll. Contemporaries of Scorsese, like Francis Ford Coppola , have included it routinely in their lists for favorite films of all time. In 2015, Raging Bull ranked 29th on BBC 's "100 Greatest American Films" list, voted on by film critics from around

2349-872: The LP Sam Cooke at the Copa . In July 1965, the Supremes made their debut there, resulting in Motown Records booking the Temptations , Martha and the Vandellas , and Marvin Gaye to perform at the Copa over the next few years. The Supremes also recorded The Supremes at the Copa , a live album, there in 1965 that just missed the Top 10, peaking at #11. Marvin Gaye also recorded a live album, as did The Temptations. The Supremes, who proved to be

2436-451: The Mafia's help, wanting to win the championship on his own terms. Some time after, Jake spots a fifteen-year-old girl named Vickie at a swimming pool in his Bronx neighborhood. He eventually pursues a relationship with her, although he is already married and Vickie is underage. In 1943, Jake defeats Sugar Ray Robinson , and has a rematch three weeks later. Despite Jake dominating Robinson during

2523-759: The Moon (1999), Downey as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin (1992) and as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer (2023), Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray (2004), Thompson and Hanks as P. L. Travers and Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014), and Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023). Some biopics purposely stretch

2610-705: The Sea , The Irishman , and One Night in Miami . It was also used in several plays, including Barry Manilow 's Copacabana . Also, the musical film Copacabana (1947), starring Groucho Marx and Carmen Miranda , takes place in the Copacabana, as does the made-for-television film based on the Manilow song, in which Manilow himself starred. The Copacabana (named after Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro) opened on November 10, 1940, at 10 East 60th Street in New York City. Although

2697-476: The Yankees, especially Martin, since his roommate was Elston Howard , the first black player to join the Yankees. Tensions erupted between the two groups, and the resulting fracas made newspaper headlines. Several of the Yankees were fined. One of the bowlers, a Bronx deli owner, ended up with a concussion and a broken jaw, and sued Bauer for aggravated assault ; the case was thrown out for insufficient evidence. Martin

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2784-471: The blood on the ropes (which would later be used in the film). According to the brief comments on the inlay card of the Raging Bull DVD, Scorsese was not—and still is not—a fan of sports or boxing, which he describes as boring. When he saw the blood-soaked sponges being dipped in a bucket, he recalls thinking to himself, 'And they call this sport.' Under the guidance of Chartoff and Winkler, Mardik Martin

2871-489: The bout, the judges surprisingly rule in favor of Robinson, who Joey feels won only because he was enlisting into the Army the following week. By 1945, Jake marries Vickie. Jake is controlling and domineering over Vickie, and constantly worries that she has feelings for other men. His jealousy is evident when he brutally beats his next opponent, Tony Janiro , in front of Tommy Como, the local mob boss , and Vickie. As Joey discusses

2958-467: The boxing scene, and his turbulent personal life beset by rage and jealousy. Scorsese was initially reluctant to develop the project, though he eventually came to relate to LaMotta's story. Paul Schrader re-wrote Mardik Martin 's first screenplay, and Scorsese and De Niro together made uncredited contributions thereafter. Pesci was an unknown actor prior to the film, as was Moriarty, whom Pesci suggested for her role. During principal photography , each of

3045-413: The boxing scenes was choreographed for a specific visual style and De Niro gained approximately 60 pounds (27 kg) to portray LaMotta in his later post-boxing years. Scorsese was exacting in the process of editing and mixing the film, expecting it to be his last major feature. Raging Bull premiered in New York City on November 14, 1980, and was released in theaters on December 19, 1980. The film had

3132-527: The business, and indeed, the club faced tax problems and a racketeering investigation in 1944. However, by 1948, such pressure had lessened; Proser was out, and Podell was the official owner. The Copacabana had Brazilian decor and Latin-themed orchestras, while the menu featured Chinese food. The club was also known for its chorus line, "The Copacabana Girls". As early as 1945 it also featured performances of "sweet" big-band music by Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra which were broadcast live on

3219-454: The casting of Louis Gossett Jr. , an African American actor, as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the 1983 TV miniseries Sadat . Also, some objected to the casting of Jennifer Lopez in Selena because she is a New York City native of Puerto Rican descent while Selena was Mexican American . Because the figures portrayed are actual people, whose actions and characteristics are known to

3306-500: The ceremony), including Best Picture and Best Director , and won two: Best Actor for De Niro (his second Oscar) and Best Editing . After its release, Raging Bull went on to garner high critical praise, and is now considered one of the greatest films ever made . In 1990, it became the first film to be selected in its first year of eligibility for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by

3393-400: The character of Jake LaMotta . He showed the book to Martin Scorsese on the set of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore in the hope that he would consider the project. Scorsese repeatedly turned down the opportunity to direct the film, claiming he had no idea what Raging Bull was about, even though he had read some of the text. Never a sports fan, when he found out what LaMotta used to do for

3480-499: The club owners were approved for a liquor license to operate the club in a new location at 760-766 8th Avenue, on the second and third floors. In November 2010, the club owners were granted permission to allow dancing by restaurant patrons as well as the general public, not limited to private parties and catered events. On July 12, 2011, the club re-opened to the public in Times Square at 268 West 47th Street . The first performer at

3567-399: The club was forced to move for a third time to 560 West 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue on the west side of Manhattan , when its landlord terminated its lease early to build office towers on the site. Since then it has presented mostly hip-hop and salsa acts. On January 20, 2007, the club announced that it would have to move by July 1 because its current location was condemned due to

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3654-525: The construction of the extension of the 7 line of the New York City Subway , as well as the construction of the now-cancelled World Product Center . June 30 of the same year was the last night the club was open, with El Gran Combo performing there. From late 2007 until the club reopened in 2011, the club was sharing space with the Columbus 72 nightclub, which shares the same owners. In April 2010,

3741-438: The content of the film. The most significant change would be the entire scene when LaMotta fixes his television and then accuses his wife of having an affair. Other changes included the removal of Jake and Joey's father; the reduction of organized crime 's role in the story and a major re-write of LaMotta's fight with Tony Janiro. They were also responsible for the end sequence where LaMotta is all alone in his dressing room quoting

3828-472: The crew were filming her take. Joe Pesci also persuaded his former show-biz pal and co-star in The Death Collector , Frank Vincent , to try for the role of Salvy Batts. Following a successful audition and screen test, Vincent received the call to say he had received the part. Charles Scorsese , the director's father, made his film debut as Tommy Como's cousin, Charlie. While in the midst of practicing

3915-477: The day after President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley , who did it as an attempt to impress Jodie Foster , who played a child prostitute in another of Scorsese's famous films, Taxi Driver (which also starred De Niro). Out of fear of being attacked, Scorsese went to the ceremony with FBI bodyguards disguised as guests who escorted him out before the announcement of the Academy Award for Best Picture

4002-405: The film but no other studios were interested when they attempted to sell the rights. Scorsese made no secret that Raging Bull would be his " Hollywood swan song" and he took unusual care of its rights during post-production. Scorsese threatened to remove his credit from the film if he was not allowed to sort a reel which obscured the name of a whisky brand known as " Cutty Sark " which was heard in

4089-585: The film on its list of the 100 best movies. Leonard Maltin included Raging Bull on his 100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century list. Video Detective also included the film on its list of the top 100 movies of all time. Roger Ebert named "Robert De Niro's transformation from sleek boxer to paunchy nightclub owner in Raging Bull " as one of the 100 Greatest Movie Moments . The National Society of Film Critics ranked it #75 on their 100 Essential Films list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #6 on their list of

4176-567: The film to be an instant classic and the consummation of Scorsese's earlier promise. Ebert proclaimed it the best film of the 1980s, and one of the ten greatest films of all time. The film has been deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1990. Raging Bull was listed by Time magazine as one of

4263-460: The film. A sound mix arranged by Frank Warner was a delicate process taking six months. According to Scorsese, the sound on Raging Bull was difficult because each punch, camera shot, and flash bulb would be different. Also, there was the issue of trying to balance the quality between scenes featuring dialogue and those involving boxing (which were done in Dolby Stereo ). Raging Bull went through

4350-463: The gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article, "Taking Hollywood Back" in the 2009 issue of Cinema Journal . Roger Ebert defended The Hurricane and distortions in biographical films in general, stating "those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother. ... The Hurricane is not a documentary but a parable ." Casting can be controversial for biographical films. Casting

4437-478: The genre as having died with the Hollywood studio era , and in particular, Darryl F. Zanuck . On the other hand, Bingham's 2010 study Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre shows how it perpetuates as a codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown by Rick Altman in his study, Film/Genre . Bingham also addresses

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4524-453: The heftier Jake LaMotta—which include announcing his retirement from boxing and LaMotta ending up in a Florida cell—were completed while approaching Christmas 1979 between seven and eight weeks later so as not to aggravate the health issues which were already affecting De Niro's posture, breathing, and talking. According to Evje, Jake's nightclub sequence was filmed in a closed-down San Pedro club on December 3. The jail cell head-banging scene

4611-442: The initial release of Raging Bull was met with polarized reviews, but the film would later receive widespread critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of Scorsese's best works. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 149 reviews, with an average rating of 9.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Arguably Martin Scorsese's and Robert De Niro's finest film, Raging Bull

4698-453: The legal doctrine that protects defendants from unreasonable delays by potential plaintiffs. The case was remanded to lower courts, meaning that Petrella could receive a decision on the merits of her claim. MGM settled with Petrella in 2015. The brew of violence and anger, combined with the lack of a proper advertising campaign, led to the film's lukewarm box office intake of only $ 23 million, when compared to its $ 18 million budget. By

4785-535: The main theme to Raging Bull after a successful try-out by Scorsese and the editor, Thelma Schoonmaker , over the film's opening titles. Two other Mascagni pieces were used in the film: the Barcarolle from Silvano , and the Intermezzo ( Ratcliff's Dream ) from Guglielmo Ratcliff . A two-CD soundtrack was released in 2005, long after the film was released, because of earlier difficulties obtaining rights for many of

4872-419: The male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other, the former generally dealing with great accomplishments, the latter generally dealing with female victimization. Ellen Cheshire's Bio-Pics: a life in pictures (2014) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s. Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list. Christopher Robé has also written on

4959-408: The mastery of his pen on iconic American films" Mean Streets and Raging Bull . 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 films ever made. Several prominent critics, among them Roger Ebert , declared

5046-518: The mob is after him". De Niro had even shown the book to producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler , who were willing to assist only if Scorsese agreed. After nearly dying from a drug overdose , Scorsese agreed to make the film, not only to save his own life but also to save his career. Scorsese began to relate very personally to the story of Jake LaMotta, and in it he saw how the boxing ring can be "an allegory for whatever you do in life", which for him paralleled moviemaking, "you make movies, you're in

5133-565: The most successful of all the Motown acts, released The Supremes: Live at the Copa Expanded Edition in 2012, featuring the much-sought-after original repertoire. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were frequent performers at the club and performed their last show there on July 25, 1956, which can be seen in the TV movie Martin and Lewis (2002). This nightclub achieved a degree of notoriety due to

5220-414: The most votes of any movie that has been produced since 1975. In 2002, Film4 held a poll of the 100 Greatest Movies, on which Raging Bull was voted in at number 20. Halliwell's Film Guide , a British film guide, placed Raging Bull seventh in a poll naming their selection for the "Top 1,000 Movies". TV Guide also included the film on their list of the 50 best movies. Movieline magazine included

5307-505: The name of Monte Proser was on the lease, he had a powerful partner: mob boss Frank Costello . Proser (1904–1973), a native Englishman, was a well-connected nightclub owner and press agent whose various clients included Walt Disney , Maria Montez , Mary Pickford , and the Ziegfeld Follies . Costello put Jules Podell on the scene to look after his interests; Podell had a police record and would not have been an acceptable front man for

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5394-401: The new film to block it from being released. MGM argued that they had the rights to make any authorized sequel to the original book, tracing their claim back to an agreement LaMotta and co-author Peter Savage made with Chartoff-Winkler, producers of the original film. MGM argued that the defendants were publicly claiming the film to be a sequel to the original film, which they said could "tarnish"

5481-616: The new location was world-renowned salsa musician Willie Colón . On May 26, 2020, the club announced that it had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and that it planned to reopen in 2021 at another location. It eventually reopened in February 2022 at 625 West 51st Street under the direction of Ruben Cabrera. A second Copacabana—the first outside New York—was readied for a grand opening in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on September 13, 2012, in

5568-537: The next scene. The initial five-week schedule for the shooting of the boxing scenes took longer than expected, putting Scorsese under pressure. According to Scorsese, production of the film was then closed down for around four months with the entire crew being paid, so De Niro could go on a binge eating trip around northern Italy and France. When he did come back to the United States, his weight had increased from 145 to 215 pounds (66 to 97 kg). The scenes with

5655-629: The nightclub which he owns, Vickie tells him she wants a divorce as well as full custody of their children. She also threatens to call the police if he comes anywhere near them. He is later arrested for introducing under-age girls to men in his club. He unsuccessfully attempts to bribe his way out of his criminal case using the jewels from his championship belt. In 1957, he goes to jail, sorrowfully questioning his misfortune and crying in despair. Upon returning to New York City in 1958, he encounters Joey, who reluctantly accepts his embrace. In 1964, Jake performs stand-up comedy at various clubs. Backstage before

5742-454: The older LaMotta and Mojean Aria as the younger version (before the events of the first film). The film, directed by Martin Guigui, also stars Joe Mantegna , Tom Sizemore , Penelope Ann Miller , Natasha Henstridge , Alicia Witt , Ray Wise , Harry Hamlin , and James Russo as Rocky Graziano . In July 2012, MGM , owners of United Artists, filed a lawsuit against LaMotta and the producers of

5829-627: The original film's reputation. In August 2012, the suit was settled, with producers of the new film retitling it The Bronx Bull and agreeing not to market it as a sequel to Raging Bull . The film was released in 2016. Biographical film Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of the College of Staten Island and Dennis P. Bingham of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis . Custen, in Bio/Pics: How Hollywood Constructed Public History (1992), regards

5916-803: The public (or at least historically documented), biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses. Warren Beatty , Faye Dunaway , Ben Kingsley , Johnny Depp , Jim Carrey , Jamie Foxx , Robert Downey Jr. , Brad Pitt , Emma Thompson , Tom Hanks , Eddie Redmayne , and Cillian Murphy all gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics: Beatty and Dunaway as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi (1982), Depp as Ed Wood in Ed Wood (1994), Carrey as Andy Kaufman in Man on

6003-555: The ring area to contain the artificial smoke used extensively for visual effect. On May 7, the production moved to the Culver City Studio, Stage 3, and filmed there until the middle of June. Scorsese made it clear during filming that he did not appreciate the traditional way in films of showing fights from the spectators' view. He insisted that one camera operated by the Director of Photography, Michael Chapman , would be placed inside

6090-445: The ring as he would play the role of an opponent keeping out of the way of other fighters so that viewers could see the emotions of the fighters, including those of Jake. The precise moves of the boxers were to be done as dance routines from the information of a book about dance instructors in the mode of Arthur Murray . A punching bag in the middle of the ring was used by De Niro between takes before he aggressively came straight on to do

6177-449: The ring each time." Preparation for the film began with Scorsese shooting some 8 mm color footage featuring De Niro boxing in a ring. One night when the footage was being shown to De Niro, Michael Chapman , and his friend and mentor, the British director Michael Powell , Powell pointed out that the color of the gloves at the time would have only been maroon, oxblood, or even black. This

6264-523: The role after meeting with her on several occasions and noticing her husky voice and physical maturity. The duo had to prove to the Screen Actors Guild that she was right for the role when Cis Corman showed 10 comparing pictures of both Moriarty and the real Vikki LaMotta for proof she had a resemblance. Moriarty was then asked to take a screen test which she managed—partly aided with some improvised lines from De Niro—after some confusion wondering why

6351-468: The script. However, its chief executives, Steven Bach and David Field, met with Scorsese, De Niro, and producer Irwin Winkler in November 1978 to say they were worried that the content would be X-rated material and have no chance of finding an audience. According to Scorsese, the script was left to him and De Niro, and they spent two and a half weeks on the island of Saint Martin extensively re-building

6438-411: The song later became the basis for the made-for-television film in which Manilow himself starred; as of February 2021, it was not known how much of the film's shooting used it as an actual location. In 1992, then-owner Peter Dorn moved the club from its original location to 617 West 57th Street . Dorn charged landlord Nicola Biase with "not liking Hispanics", the stated reason for the move. In 2001,

6525-483: The songs, which Scorsese selected from his childhood memories growing up in New York. In 2006, Variety reported that Sunset Pictures was developing a combination sequel and prequel film entitled Raging Bull II: Continuing the Story of Jake LaMotta , chronicling LaMotta's life before and after the events of the original film, as told in the memoir of the same name. Filming began on June 15, 2012, with William Forsythe as

6612-441: The time it left theaters, it only earned $ 10.1 million in theatrical rentals (equivalent to $ 31.4 million in 2023). Scorsese became concerned for his future career and worried that producers and studios might refuse to finance his films. According to Box Office Mojo , the film grossed $ 23,383,987 in domestic theaters (equivalent to $ 72.6 million in 2023). When it first premiered in New York City on November 14, 1980,

6699-474: The truth. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was based on game show host Chuck Barris ' widely debunked yet popular memoir of the same name, in which he claimed to be a CIA agent. Kafka incorporated both the life of author Franz Kafka and the surreal aspects of his fiction. The Errol Flynn film They Died with Their Boots On tells the story of Custer but is highly romanticized. The Oliver Stone film The Doors , mainly about Jim Morrison ,

6786-480: The victory with journalists at the Copacabana , he is distracted by seeing Vickie approach a table with Salvy and his crew. Joey speaks with Vickie, who implies she is dissatisfied in her marriage with Jake. Under the wrong impression that Vickie is having an affair with Salvy, Joey viciously attacks him in a fight that spills outside of the club. Como later orders them to apologize, and has Joey tell Jake that if he wants

6873-525: The world. Martin Scorsese decided to assemble a soundtrack made of music that was popular at the time using his personal collection of 78s . With the help of Robbie Robertson , the songs were carefully chosen so they would be the ones that a person would hear on the radio, at the pool or in bars and clubs which reflected the mood of that particular era. Some lyrics from songs would also be slipped into some dialogue. The Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni would serve as

6960-403: Was asked to start writing the screenplay. According to De Niro, under no circumstances would United Artists accept Martin's script. The story was based on the vision of journalist Pete Hamill of a 1930s and 1940s style, when boxing was known as "the great dark prince of sports". De Niro was unimpressed when he finished reading the first draft, however. Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader

7047-505: Was casting many actors and actresses new to the profession. De Niro, who was already committed to play Jake LaMotta, began to help Scorsese track down unfamiliar names to play his on-screen brother, Joey, and wife, Vikki. The role of Joey LaMotta was the first to be cast. De Niro was watching a low budget television film called The Death Collector when he saw the part of a young career criminal played by Joe Pesci (then an unknown and struggling actor) as an ideal candidate. Prior to receiving

7134-1056: Was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actor Val Kilmer , look-wise and singing-wise, but fans and band members did not like the way Val Kilmer portrayed Jim Morrison, and a few of the scenes were even completely made up. In rare cases, sometimes called auto biopics , the subject of the film plays themself. Examples include Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Muhammad Ali in The Greatest (1977), Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back (1955), Patty Duke in Call Me Anna (1990), Bob Mathias in The Bob Mathias Story (1954), Arlo Guthrie in Alice's Restaurant (1969), Fantasia in Life Is Not

7221-469: Was later traded from the Yankees to the Kansas City Athletics , with this incident cited as a main cause. Until 1972, mafioso Joe Gallo operated the venue. It was closed for three years in 1973 after Jules Podell died; after it reopened in 1976, at the height of the disco era, it operated as a discothèque . Barry Manilow 's hit 1978 song " Copacabana (At The Copa) " referred to the club;

7308-521: Was made (the winner being Robert Redford's Ordinary People ). The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted Raging Bull the best film of 1980 and De Niro best actor. The National Board of Review also voted De Niro best actor and Pesci best supporting actor. The Berlin International Film Festival chose Raging Bull to open the festival in 1981. The 2012 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored screenwriter Mardik Martin "for

7395-504: Was shot on a constructed set with De Niro asking for minimal crew to be present—there was not even a boom operator. The final sequence where Jake LaMotta is in front of his mirror was filmed on the last day of shooting, requiring 19 takes, with only the 13th being used for the film. Scorsese wanted to have an atmosphere that would be so cold that the words would have an impact as he tries to come to terms with his relationship with his brother. The editing of Raging Bull began when production

7482-400: Was swiftly brought in to rewrite the script around August 1978. Some of the changes that Schrader made to the script included a rewrite of the scene with the undercooked steak and inclusion of LaMotta seen masturbating in a Florida cell. The character of LaMotta's brother, Joey, was finally added, previously absent from Martin's script. United Artists saw a massive improvement on the quality of

7569-416: Was temporarily put on hold and was completed in 1980. Scorsese worked with the editor, Thelma Schoonmaker , to achieve a final cut of the film. Their main decision was to abandon Schrader's idea of LaMotta's nightclub act interweaving with the flashback of his youth and instead they just followed along the lines of a single flashback where only scenes of LaMotta practicing his stand-up would be left bookending

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