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Raging Bull

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Raging Bull is a famous American movie about a real person.

filming the boxing scenes
filming the boxing scenes

It is a biographical sports drama about Jake LaMotta. He was a middleweight boxing champion. The film shows his life and his many struggles. It explores his anger and his jealousy. People love this movie because it feels very real. It is now seen as one of the greatest films ever made.

Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980
Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980

Making the film was a very big job. The director, Martin Scorsese, wanted it to look just right. He chose to film in black and white. He did this to make the colors look correct. He wanted the boxing gloves to look like the real ones. Back then, the gloves were only maroon, oxblood, or black.

Scorsese also watched real matches at Madison Square Garden. He looked at small details like the blood on the ropes. He even used a blood sponge in the scenes.

Robert De Niro played the main part of Jake LaMotta. He worked very hard to prepare for the role. He even gained weight to look like Jake in his later years.

Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980
Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980

De Niro first read the book about Jake while working on another movie. He showed the book to Martin Scorsese to start the project. The script went through many changes by different writers. Paul Schrader helped rewrite the story to make it better. Scorsese and De Niro also helped change the story while on an island. This helped make the movie much stronger.

The movie came out in the United States in 1980. It premiered in New York City on November 14. Then, it was released in theaters on December 19. The film cost about $18 million to make. It earned about $23.4 million at the box office.

filming the boxing scenes
filming the boxing scenes

The movie received mixed reviews from critics at first. Some people did not like the violent parts of the story. However, many others thought the acting was wonderful. It was a big moment for the actors Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty. They were both relatively unknown before this film.

Raging Bull has won many important awards. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards. It won two of them in 1981. Robert De Niro won Best Actor for his performance. Thelma Schoonmaker won Best Editing for her work.

In 1990, the Library of Congress chose it for preservation. This means it is culturally and historically significant. The American Film Institute even ranked it as the fourth-greatest American movie. It remains a very important part of film history today.

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File:JakeLaMotta with DeNiro.jpg
JakeLaMotta with DeNiro.jpg
File:Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980.jpg
Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980.jpg
File:filming the boxing scenes.jpg
filming the boxing scenes.jpg
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