Development Raging Bull was initiated when
Robert De Niro read the
autobiography while he was on the set of
The Godfather Part II. Although disappointed by the book's writing style, De Niro became fascinated by the character of
Jake LaMotta. He showed the book to
Martin Scorsese on the set of ''
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', with the hope that he would consider the project. Scorsese repeatedly turned down the opportunity to direct the film, claiming that he had no idea what
Raging Bull was about, although he had read some of the text. Never a sports fan, when he found out what LaMotta used to do for a living, he said, "A boxer? I don't like boxing...Even as a kid, I always thought that boxing was boring... It was something I couldn't, wouldn't grasp." His overall opinion of sport in general is, "Anything with a ball, no good." The book was passed on to Mardik Martin, the film's eventual co-screenwriter, who said, "The trouble is the damn thing has been done a hundred times before—a fighter who has trouble with his brother and his wife and the mob is after him." De Niro had even shown the book to producers
Robert Chartoff and
Irwin Winkler, who were willing to assist only if Scorsese agreed. After nearly dying from a
drug overdose, Scorsese agreed to make the film, not only to save his own life but also to save his career. Scorsese began to relate very personally to the story of Jake LaMotta, and in it, he saw how the boxing ring can be "an allegory for whatever you do in life", which for him paralleled moviemaking: "You make movies, you're in the ring each time." in training with the real
Jake LaMotta Preparation for the film began when Scorsese shot some 8 mm color footage featuring De Niro boxing in a ring. One night, when the footage was being shown to De Niro,
Michael Chapman and his friend and mentor, the British director
Michael Powell, Powell pointed out that the color of the gloves at the time would have been only maroon, oxblood or black. It is one of the reasons that Scorsese chose to film
Raging Bull in
black and white. Other reasons were to distinguish the film from color films at the time, and to acknowledge the problem of fading color film stock—an issue that Scorsese recognized. Scorsese attended two matches at
Madison Square Garden to aid his research, picking up on minor but essential details, such as the blood sponge and subsequently, the blood on the ropes (which would be used in the film). According to De Niro, under no circumstances would
United Artists accept Martin's script. The story was based on the vision of journalist
Pete Hamill of a 1930s and 1940s style, when boxing was known as "the great dark prince of sports". De Niro, however, was unimpressed when he finished reading the first draft.
Taxi Driver screenwriter
Paul Schrader was swiftly brought in to rewrite the script around August 1978. They were also responsible for the end sequence in which LaMotta is alone in his dressing room, quoting "I could have been a contender" from
On the Waterfront. De Niro, who was already committed to play Jake LaMotta, began to help Scorsese track down unfamiliar names to play his on-screen brother Joey and wife Vikki. The role of Joey LaMotta was the first to be cast. De Niro was watching a low-budget television film called
The Death Collector when he saw the part of a young career criminal played by a relatively-unknown
Joe Pesci as an ideal candidate. Prior to receiving a call from De Niro and Scorsese for the proposal to star in the film, Pesci had not worked in film for four years and was working at an Italian restaurant in
New Jersey. The role of Vikki (spelled "Vickie" in the final film), Jake's second wife, had interest across the board, but it was Pesci who suggested the unknown
Cathy Moriarty from a picture that he saw at a New Jersey disco.
Charles Scorsese, the director's father, made his film debut as Tommy Como's cousin Charlie. Jake LaMotta, on the other hand, served as his trainer, accompanied by
Al Silvani as coach at the Gramercy club in New York City, getting him into shape. The actor found that boxing came naturally to him; he entered as a middleweight boxer, winning two of his three fights in a
Brooklyn ring dubbed "young LaMotta" by the commentator. According to Jake LaMotta, De Niro was one of the top 20 best middleweight boxers of all time. The initial five-week schedule for the shooting of the boxing scenes took longer than expected, putting Scorsese under pressure. According to Evje, Jake's nightclub sequence was filmed in a closed
San Pedro club on December 3. The jail cell head-banging scene was shot on a constructed set, with De Niro asking for minimal crew to be present. There was not even a boom operator present. The final sequence, in which Jake LaMotta is in front of his mirror, was filmed on the last day of shooting, requiring 19 takes, with only the 13th being used for the film. Scorsese wanted to have an atmosphere that would be so cold that the words would have an impact as he tries to come to terms with his relationship with his brother. A sound mix arranged by
Frank Warner was a delicate process that took six months. In 2012,
Raging Bull was voted by the
Motion Picture Editors Guild as the best-edited film in history.
Copyright litigation Paula Petrella, heir to Frank Petrello, whose works were allegedly sources for the film, filed for copyright infringement in 2009 based on MGM's 1991 copyright renewal of the film. In 2014, the Supreme Court held, in
Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., that Petrella's suit survived MGM's defense of "
laches", the legal doctrine that protects defendants from unreasonable delays by potential plaintiffs. The case was remanded to lower courts, meaning that Petrella could receive a decision on the merits of her claim. MGM settled with Petrella in 2015. == Reception ==