Summary
- Raging Bull
almost never made it to the big screen despite Robert De Niro’s best efforts. - Scorsese was completely disinterested despite having made three previous movies with De Niro, but a life-changing drug overdose would change the director’s life (and film schedule).
- Despite lots of struggles and a lackluster box office reception,
Raging Bull
is now hailed as a cinematic masterpiece.
As a cinephile who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of cinema, I must say that the story of Martin Scorsese and his masterpiece “Raging Bull” is nothing short of remarkable. It’s a testament to the resilience and artistic vision of a director who refused to let studio politics dampen his creative spirit.
Among Robert De Niro’s most cherished movies (and the one that earned him his last Oscar) is “Raging Bull,” a 1980 masterpiece directed by Martin Scorsese. This was their fourth collaboration, and it was based on the 1970 memoir of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta, titled “Raging Bull: My Story.” When it first came out, it underperformed at the box office and received mixed criticisms despite earning eight Oscar nominations, but now it is widely recognized as a timeless classic and one of the best productions for everyone involved.
Yet the road to making Raging Bull was difficult, and like the boxer Jake LaMotta, it took plenty of hits in development. During the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival (via SlashFilm), De Niro and Scorsese detailed their difficult time getting the movie made. Here is the story of how it almost didn’t happen, its initial reaction, and how it serves as a reminder that a movie’s story isn’t over after the box office.
Martin Scorsese Didn’t Originally Want to Make Raging Bull
Initially, it was Robert De Niro himself who felt passionate about bringing Raging Bull to life, having read the novel. He then turned to his longtime collaborator and friend, Martin Scorsese, with whom he had previously worked on Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and New York, New York. However, Scorsese initially declined the offer to direct the film, which later garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. As Scorsese shared with the Tribeca audience:
“I found his ideas intriguing, yet…
In 1979, Scorsese had a change of heart following his hospitalization due to a drug overdose. During this hospital visit, De Niro paid him a visit. This time, when De Niro presented the story to him, Scorsese found a resonance with the material, seeing similarities between LaMotta’s self-destructive path and his own battles with addiction. “I was at a loss,” said Scorsese, “so I had to start anew.” Both De Niro and Scorsese recognized that this project could provide Scorsese with a chance for artistic redemption, helping him stay on the right track. Moreover, after the box office flop of New York, New York, Raging Bull represented a comeback opportunity for Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Believed Boxing Was Boring
Scorsese knew he had to ultimately film the boxing matches, and was intimidated by the notion. While Scorsese was already put off by sports, one of the initial reasons he turned it down was he found boxing, in particular, to be a boring sport. In Peter Biskind’s 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Scorsese once said, “Even as a kid, I always thought that boxing was boring… It was something I couldn’t, wouldn’t grasp.” That didn’t change either after Scorsese agreed to make the movie and did some research by watching a few boxing matches, as he still found them boring.
In my perspective, when I embarked on this project, the challenge I encountered was finding a way to capture the scenes. Traditional boxing films, even the acclaimed Oscar winner “Rocky”, placed the camera outside the ring, offering a viewpoint similar to a spectator. Martin Scorsese’s groundbreaking idea was to place the camera within the ring and create an immersive experience for the viewers, making them feel like they were the boxers themselves. This novel approach, while exciting, proved to be costly as it necessitated prolonging the filming process. The fights had to be choreographed meticulously, akin to dance sequences, and required a higher level of technical expertise.
Trouble Behind the Scenes
With “Raging Bull” officially greenlit, the original script required some adjustments. Mardik Martin, known for his work on “Mean Streets,” was initially tasked with writing the screenplay, but both De Niro and the studio found issues with his initial draft. To address this, Paul Schrader, who had previously penned “Taxi Driver,” was called upon to rewrite the film. The new version became more intense, graphic, and explicit in its portrayal of sexual content.
1978 saw United Artists executives Steven Bach and David Field express concerns to Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and producer Irwin Winkler (notable for his Academy Award-winning work on “Rocky”). They warned that the film’s script had a high potential for an X rating, which could restrict its viewership. In response, Scorsese, De Niro, and their team spent two weeks revising the script, but their contributions to the film went unacknowledged in the credits.
The initial private viewing of “Raging Bull” went exceptionally well, with United Artists’ Andy Albeck labeling Scorsese as a true artist. However, despite the accolades, United Artists chose not to distribute the movie, and other studios also showed no interest when they tried to sell the rights. Eventually, United Artists did release the film, but with a minimal marketing effort, leading to disappointing box office numbers for “Raging Bull.” During the film’s production, Scorsese felt it might be his last Hollywood project, so he was particularly cautious about preserving its integrity and ensuring it wasn’t watered down.
Time Heals All Wounds
Raging Bull is considered one of the greatest films of all time, but at the time of its release, critics were less kind. It made money, but wasn’t a big hit by any means. Unfortunately, Scorsese would follow it with The King of Comedy, a legitimate box office failure (but an excellent film). The director would enter the wilderness of filmmaking, only to return with probably his most underrated movie, After Hours, which reflected the anxious and difficult previous five years of Scorsese’s career.
Back in the day, Roger Ebert, a passionate admirer of “Raging Bull,” deemed it not only the best film of the 1980s but also one of the top ten movies ever made. In the year 1990, a mere decade after its premiere, this movie was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress, who deemed it as having significant cultural, historical, and aesthetic value. Later on, in 2005, Time magazine included “Raging Bull” in their list of all-time greatest films. Over the years, this movie has consistently appeared on lists ranking the greatest films of all time, such as those compiled by Entertainment Weekly, Variety, and Rolling Stone.
2002 saw “Raging Bull” share the sixth spot with “The Bicycle Thieves” and “Vertigo” on Sight & Sound’s list of all-time greatest films. When the poll results from that year were merged with those of film directors and critics, “Raging Bull” garnered the highest number of votes among movies produced since 1975. Remarkably, Scorsese, who isn’t a sports enthusiast, made “Raging Bull” one of the most impactful sports films ever created and arguably one of the most admired in its genre. The American Film Institute even declared it the Best Sports Movie of All Time, and its influence continues to be felt today.
Pretty impressive for a film that almost didn’t happen.
Read More
- BODEN PREDICTION. BODEN cryptocurrency
- GHST PREDICTION. GHST cryptocurrency
- BETA PREDICTION. BETA cryptocurrency
- STRD PREDICTION. STRD cryptocurrency
- Mango Markets Exploiter Found Guilty Of Fraud And Manipulation
- GBP EUR PREDICTION
- MATIC PREDICTION. MATIC cryptocurrency
- LOOKS PREDICTION. LOOKS cryptocurrency
- BRN/USD
- TNSR PREDICTION. TNSR cryptocurrency
2024-08-15 05:01