Movie: Raging Bull (1980)
“When Jake LaMotta steps into a boxing ring and obliterates his opponent, he’s a prizefighter. But when he treats his family and friends the same way, he’s a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment. Though LaMotta wants his family’s love, something always seems to come between them. Perhaps it’s his violent bouts of paranoia and jealousy. This kind of rage helped make him a champ, but in real life, he winds up in the ring alone. Written by alfiehitchie”
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Release Date: 19 December 1980 (USA)
- Run Time: 129 min
- Country: USA
- Genre: Biography , Drama , Sport
Trivia: Jake LaMotta’s autobiography, co-written with friend ‘Peter Savage’, omitted mention of his brother, as did Mardik Martin’s original screenplay. Unhappy with the result, the producers hired Paul Schrader to restructure it, and in the course of doing research on La Motta, the writer came across an article on the relationship between Jake and his brother Joey LaMotta. Schrader incorporated the relationship into the revised screenplay, co-opting the Savage character and creating a composite of the two men in the person of Joey La Motta. That relationship became the central plot theme in the revised screenplay and one of the primary reasons for the film’s success.
Goofs: Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the Entrance to the Last Fight as Jake makes his way to the ring you can hear the ring announcer but as Jake passes the bottom of the ring the announcer has his hand by his side holding the microphone, therefore not able to be broadcasting.