Raging Bull (1980)

Raging Bull (1980)

A United Artists Release. A Robert Chartoff-lrwin Winkler Production

Director: Martin Scorsese. Screenplay: Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. Based on the book Raging Bull by Jake La Motta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage. Producers: Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff. Produced in association with Peter Savage. Associate Producer: Hal W. Polaire. Cinematography: Michael Chapman. Film Editor: Thelma Schoonmaker. Sound Effects Supervising Editor: Frank Warner. Music: Pietro Mascagni (excerpts from "Cavalleria Rusticana," "Guglielmo Ratcliff," and "Silvano").

Cast: Robert De Niro (Jake La Motta), Cathy Moriarty (Vickie La Motta), Joe Pesci (Joey), Frank Vincent (Salvy), Nicholas Colasanto (Tommy Como), Theresa Saldana (Lenore), Frank Adonis (Patsy), Mario Gallo (Mario), Frank Topham (Toppy), Lori Anne Flax (Irma), Joseph Bono (Guido), James V. Christy (Dr. Pinto), Bernie Allen (Comedian), Bill Mazer (Reporter), Bill Hanrahan (Eddie Eagan), Rita Bennett (Emma, Miss 48s), Mike Miles (Sparring Partner).

Dedication: Remembering Haig P. Manoogian, Teacher May 23, 1916 - May 26, 1980 With love and resolution, Marty.
M.P.A.A. Rating: R.
Running Time: 128 minutes.
Awards: Academy Award, Robert De Niro, Best Actor; Academy Award, Thelma Schoonmaker, Best Film Editing; Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture, Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, producers; Best Director, Martin Scorsese; Best Supporting Actor, Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actress, Cathy Moriarty; Best Cinematography, Michael Chapman; Best Sound, Donald O'Mitchell, Bill Nicholson, David J. Kimball, Les Lazarowitz.
Home Video: CBS/Fox cassette, Criterion Collection laserdisc (CAV format.)

Synopsis: This film is an examination of aspects of twenty-three years in the life of former middleweight boxing champion Jake La Motta. It begins with a brief scene set in 1964 with the former boxer rehearsing his nightclub act, and flashes back to his 1941 bout with Jimmy Reeves. Highlights of many of La Motta's most important fights are shown, but the film centers on La Motta's relationship with his brother and manager, Joey, and his tumultuous marriage to his second wife, Vickie. While he continues to win fights, Jake confesses to Joey his ambivalence about his career. He is obsessed with the notion that Vickie might be unfaithful to him, specifically with a lieutenant of Tommy Como, a mobster eager to profit from Jake's career. Hoping to win the championship, Jake capitulates to Como's demand that he throw a fight. Jake is briefly banned from the ring, but his career continues, he gets a shot at the championship, and wins. Jake's paranoia over Vickie continues to grow, culminating with the accusation that she has slept with his brother Joey. Joey severs all ties with Jake. Some years later in Miami, Jake has grown fat and out of boxing shape. He has retired from the ring and opened a night club. When he unwittingly serves a minor at the club, the police arrest him on a morals charge. Vickie files for divorce. After serving time in prison, La Motta is reduced to being a standup comic at sleazy night spots. One evening he spots Joey on the street and attempts a reconciliation. The film ends as it began, with La Motta in his dressing room reciting Brando's speech from On the Waterfront: "I coulda been a contender instead of a bum, which is what I am.