Raging Bull

Raging Bull is an American biographical film directed by Martin Scorsese, released in 1980. It is based on Jake LaMotta's autobiography Raging Bull: My Story (1970), which the boxer wrote with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage, and it follows his boxing career and personal life. LaMotta is played by Robert De Niro. Jake LaMotta (1922–2017) was a New York boxer who turned professional in 1941 and fought as a middleweight and partly as a light heavyweight. He was nicknamed The Bronx Bull and Raging Bull. He won the world middleweight title on June 16, 1949, in Detroit against Marcel Cerdan, who gave up the fight because of a dislocated arm. He fought Sugar Ray Robinson six times and won only once, on February 5, 1943, in Detroit by unanimous decision. According to English Wikipedia, his professional career tally stands at 106 fights, 83 wins (30 by knockout), 19 losses and 4 draws. He lost the fight with Billy Fox on November 14, 1947, and in 1960 testified before a US Senate subcommittee that he had knowingly lost it because of a promised title shot. In 1990 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. LaMotta took part in the film as a technical adviser, and De Niro prepared for the role himself. De Niro trained at the Gramercy club in New York under trainer Al Silvani and fought three amateur bouts in Brooklyn, winning two of them. For the role of LaMotta he won the Oscar for Best Actor.

Martial arts in this work

Fight choreography

The boxing scenes were choreographed like dance routines, modelled on Arthur Murray instructional materials. Cinematographer Michael Chapman filmed the fights with a camera placed right inside the ring. Shooting of the boxing sequences was originally planned for five weeks but ended up running longer. To portray the older LaMotta, Robert De Niro gained roughly 27 kilograms, from 66 to 97 kg. Filming was interrupted for about four months because of this, during which De Niro put on the weight while travelling through Italy and France. According to LaMotta himself, after his preparation De Niro was among the twenty best middleweight boxers.

People and martial arts

• Jake LaMottathe real person the work is about· Boxing (real practitioner)
• Martin ScorseseDirector
• Robert De NiroActor — as Jake LaMotta· Boxing (portrays the art on screen)
• Jake LaMottaTechnical advisor· Boxing (real practitioner)

Awards

• Won · National Board of Review, Best Actor (1980) — Robert De Niro
• Won · Academy Awards, Best Actor (1981) — Robert De Niro
• Nominated · Academy Awards, Best Director (1981)