Raging Bull

On this date in 1980, "Raging Bull" was released.

Director Martin Scorsese was initially reluctant to develop the project, though he eventually came to relate to LaMotta's story. Paul Schrader rewrote Martin's first screenplay, and Scorsese and Robert De Niro together made uncredited contributions thereafter. Joe Pesci was an unknown actor prior to the film, as was Cathy Moriarty, who was suggested for her role by Pesci. During principal photography, each of the boxing scenes was choreographed for a specific visual style and De Niro gained approximately 60 pounds to portray LaMotta in his later post-boxing years.

The editing of "Raging Bull" began when production was temporarily put on hold and was completed in 1980. Scorsese worked with the editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, to achieve a final cut of the film. Their main decision was to abandon Schrader's idea of LaMotta's nightclub act interweaving with the flashback of his youth and instead they just followed along the lines of a single flashback where only scenes of LaMotta practicing his stand-up would be left bookending the film. A sound mix arranged by Frank Warner was a delicate process taking six months. According to Scorsese, the sound on "Raging Bull" was difficult because each punch, camera shot, and flash bulb would be different. Also, there was the issue of trying to balance the quality between scenes featuring dialogue and those involving boxing (which were done in Dolby Stereo). "Raging Bull" went through a test screening in front of a small audience including the chief executives of United Artists, Steven Bach and Andy Albeck. The screening was shown at the MGM screening room in New York around July 1980. Later, Albeck praised Scorsese by calling him a "true artist."

According to the producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler, matters were made worse when United Artists decided not to distribute the film but no other studios were interested when they attempted to sell the rights. Scorsese made no secret that "Raging Bull" was supposed to be his "Hollywood swan song" and he took unusual care of its rights during post-production. Scorsese threatened to remove his credit from the film if he was not allowed to sort a reel which obscured the name of the Cutty Sark whiskey brand which was heard in a scene. The work was completed only four days shy of the premiere.

Despite receiving mixed initial reviews (and criticism due to its violent content), it went on to garner a high critical reputation, and is now often considered Scorsese's magnum opus and one of the greatest films ever made. At the 53rd Academy Awards, the film was nominated in eight categories including Best Picture and Best Director. The film won two: Best Actor for De Niro (his second Oscar) and Best Editing. In 1990, it became the first film to be selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in its first year of eligibility.