Editing Raging Bull (section)

==Production==
===Development===
''Raging Bull'' was initiated when [[Robert De Niro]] read the [[Raging Bull: My Story|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.<ref name="Biskind p254">Biskind, Peter, ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', 1999, p. 254.</ref>

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."<ref name="Biskind p378">Biskind, Peter ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' 1998, p. 378.</ref>

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.<ref name="Biskind p315">Biskind, Peter, ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', 1998, p. 315.</ref>

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."<ref name="Thompson pp.76/77">Thompson, David and Christie, Ian, ''Scorsese on Scorsese'', pp.&nbsp;76/77.</ref><ref name="Friedman p115">Friedman Lawrence S. ''The Cinema of Martin Scorsese'', 1997, p. 115.</ref><ref name="villarreal">Phil Villarreal. "Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' is still a knockout", ''The Arizona Daily Star'' (Tucson, Arizona), February 11, 2005, p. E1.</ref><ref name="torrance">Kelly Jane Torrance. "Martin Scorsese: Telling stories through film", ''The Washington Times'' (Washington, D.C.), November 30, 2007, p. E1.</ref>

[[File:JakeLaMotta with DeNiro.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Robert De Niro in training with the real Jake LaMotta]]

Preparation for the film began when Scorsese shot some 8&nbsp;mm color footage featuring De Niro boxing in a ring. One night, when the footage was being shown to De Niro, [[Michael Chapman (cinematographer)|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|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.<ref name="Biskind p389">Biskind, Peter, ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', 1998, p. 389.</ref><ref name="Total Film pp180-181">Total Film, ''The 100 greatest films of all time'', pp. 180–181.</ref><ref name="Thompson p80">Thompson, David and Christie, Ian, ''Scorsese on Scorsese'', p. 80.</ref> 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).<ref name="Thompson p80" />

According to the brief comments on the inlay card of the DVD, Scorsese was not a fan of sports nor boxing, which he describes as boring. When he saw the blood-soaked sponges being dipped in a bucket, he recalls thinking, "And they call this sport".

Multiple titles were considered for ''Raging Bull'', including ''Prizefighter'' and ''The Jake La Motta Story''. Scorsese stated that ''Prizefighter'' was his favorite title, but did not select it, for he was afraid that people would think that the film was solely about boxing.{{sfn|Wilson|2011|p=83}}

=== Screenplay ===
Under the guidance of Chartoff and Winkler, [[Mardik Martin]] was asked to start writing the screenplay.<ref name="Biskind p379">Biskind, Peter ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' 1998, p. 379.</ref> According to De Niro, under no circumstances would [[United Artists]] accept Martin's script.<ref name="Biskind pp384-385">Biskind, Peter ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' pp. 384–385</ref> 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.<ref name="Baxter pp186-189">Baxter John ''De Niro A Biography'', pp. 186–189.</ref>

''[[Taxi Driver]]'' screenwriter [[Paul Schrader]] was swiftly brought in to rewrite the script around August 1978.<ref name="Baxter pp186-189" /> Some of the changes that Schrader made to the script include a rewrite of the scene with the undercooked steak, and the inclusion of LaMotta seen masturbating in a [[Florida]] cell.

The character of LaMotta's brother Joey was finally added, previously absent from Martin's script.<ref name="Biskind pp384-385" /><ref name="Baxter pp186-189" /> United Artists saw a massive improvement on the quality of the script. However, its chief executives [[Steven Bach]] and David Field met with Scorsese, De Niro and producer [[Irwin Winkler]] in November 1978 to say that they were worried that the content would be [[X-rated]] material and have no chance of finding an audience.<ref name="Biskind p389" />

According to Scorsese, the script was left to him and De Niro, and they spent two-and-a-half weeks on the island of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]] extensively re-building the content of the film.<ref name="Thompson pp.76/77" /> The most significant change would be the scene in which LaMotta fixes his television and accuses his wife of having an affair.

Other changes included the removal of Jake and Joey's father, the reduction of [[organized crime]]'s role in the story, and a major rewrite of LaMotta's fight with Tony Janiro.<ref name="Biskind p390">Biskind, Peter ''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'', p. 390.</ref><ref name="Baxter p193">Baxter, John ''De Niro A Biography'', p. 193.</ref> 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]]''.<ref name="Baxter p193" /> An extract of ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' had been considered, but [[Michael Powell]] thought that it would be a bad decision within the context of an American film.<ref name="Thompson pp.76/77" /> According to [[Steven Bach]], the first two screenwriters (Martin and Schrader) would receive credit, but since there was no payment to the writer's guild on the script, De Niro and Scorsese's work remained uncredited.<ref name="Baxter p193" />

=== Casting ===
[[File:Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Cathy Moriarty (left) and Joe Pesci (right) on the set]]
One of Scorsese's trademarks was casting many actors and actresses new to the profession.<ref name="Evans p65">Evans, Mike ''The Making of Raging Bull'', p. 65.</ref> 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.<ref name="Evans p61">Evans, Mike ''The Making of Raging Bull'', p. 61.</ref><ref name="Baxter pp196-201">Baxter, John ''De Niro A Biography'' pp. 196–201</ref> 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.<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" /> Both De Niro and Scorsese believed that Moriarty, at 18 years old, could portray the role after meeting with her on several occasions and noticing her husky voice and physical maturity. The duo had to prove to the [[Screen Actors Guild]] that she was right for the role when [[Cis Corman]] showed 10 comparing pictures of Moriarty and the real Vikki LaMotta for proof that she had a resemblance.<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" />

Moriarty was asked to take a screen test, which she managed—partly aided by some improvised lines from De Niro—after some confusion wondering why the crew was filming her take. Joe Pesci also persuaded his former show-biz pal and co-star in ''[[The Death Collector]]'', [[Frank Vincent]], to audition for the role of Salvy Batts. Following a successful audition and screen test, Vincent received the call to say that he had received the part.<ref name="Evans pp.65/66">Evans, Mike, ''The Making of Raging Bull'', pp.&nbsp;65/66.</ref> [[Charles Scorsese]], the director's father, made his film debut as Tommy Como's cousin Charlie.<ref name="Evans pp.65/66" />

While in the midst of practicing a [[Bronx accent]] and preparing for his role, De Niro met with both LaMotta and his ex-wife Vikki on separate occasions. Vikki, who lived in Florida, told stories about her life with her former husband, and showed old home movies (that later inspired a similar sequence to be done for the film).<ref name="Total Film pp180-181" /><ref name="Baxter p192">Baxter, John, ''De Niro: A Biography'', p. 192.</ref>

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.<ref name="Total Film pp180-181" /><ref name="Baxter pp196-201" />

=== Principal photography ===
[[File:filming the boxing scenes.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Filming of the boxing scenes with director, Scorsese (center left, with beard) and the director of photography, Michael Chapman (center right, with white shirt)]]
According to the production mixer, Michael Evje, the film began shooting at the [[Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium]] on April 16, 1979. [[Grip (job)|Grips]] hung huge curtains of black [[duvetyne]] on all four sides of the ring area to contain the artificial smoke used extensively for visual effect.

On May 7, the production moved to the [[Culver City, California|Culver City]] studio, Stage 3, and filmed there until the middle of June. Scorsese made it clear during filming that he did not appreciate the traditional way of showing fights from the spectators' view.<ref name="Thompson p80" /> He insisted that one camera operated by the Director of Photography, [[Michael Chapman (cinematographer)|Michael Chapman]], would be placed inside of the ring, as he would play the role of an opponent keeping out of the way of other fighters, so that viewers could see the emotions of the fighters, including those of Jake.<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" />

The precise moves of the boxers were to be done as dance routines from the information of a book about dance instructors in the mode of [[Arthur Murray]]. A punching bag in the middle of the ring was used by De Niro between takes before he aggressively came straight on to do the next scene.<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" /><ref name="Thompson and Christie pp83-84">Thompson and Christie, ''Scorsese on Scorsese'', pp. 83–84.</ref> The initial five-week schedule for the shooting of the boxing scenes took longer than expected, putting Scorsese under pressure.<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" />

According to Scorsese, production of the film was closed for nearly four months with the entire crew being paid, so that De Niro could go on a binge-eating trip around northern Italy and France.<ref name="Total Film pp180-181" /><ref name="Thompson and Christie pp83-84" /> When he arrived in the United States, his weight had increased from 145 to 215&nbsp;pounds (66 to 97&nbsp;kg).<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" /> The scenes with the heftier Jake LaMotta—which include announcing his retirement from boxing and LaMotta in a Florida cell—were completed seven-to-eight weeks later when approaching Christmas 1979, so as not to aggravate the health issues that were affecting De Niro's posture, breathing and talking.<ref name="Baxter pp196-201" /><ref name="Thompson and Christie pp83-84" /><ref name="Baxter p83">Baxter, John, ''The Making of Raging Bull'', p. 83.</ref>

According to Evje, Jake's nightclub sequence was filmed in a closed [[San Pedro, California|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.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

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.<ref name="Thompson pp.76/77" />

=== Post-production ===
The editing of ''Raging Bull'' began when production was temporarily put on hold and was completed in 1980.<ref name="Thompson and Christie pp83-84" /><ref name="Biskind p399" /> 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 followed the lines of a single flashback, in which only scenes of LaMotta practicing his stand-up would remain [[bookend scene|bookending]] the film.<ref name="Baxter p90">Evans, Mike ''The Making of Raging Bull'', p. 90.</ref>

A sound mix arranged by [[Frank Warner (sound editor)|Frank Warner]] was a delicate process that took six months.<ref name="Biskind p399" /> 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]]).<ref name="Thompson and Christie pp83-84" /> ''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 [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|M-G-M]] screening room in New York in July 1980. Albeck praised Scorsese by calling him a "true artist".<ref name="Biskind p399" />

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.<ref name="Biskind p399" /> Scorsese made no secret that ''Raging Bull'' would be his "[[Cinema in the United States|Hollywood]] swan song" and he took unusual care of its rights during post-production.<ref name="Friedman p115" /> Scorsese threatened to remove his credit from the film if he was not allowed to sort a reel that obscured the name of a whisky brand ([[Cutty Sark (whisky)|Cutty Sark]]) that was heard in a scene. The work was completed four days shy of the premiere.<ref name="Baxter p204">Baxter, John ''De Niro A biography'', p. 204.</ref>

In 2012, ''Raging Bull'' was voted by the [[Motion Picture Editors Guild]] as the best-edited film in history.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 75 Best Edited Films Of All Time |publisher=Motion Picture Editors Guild |work=IndieWire |date=February 2015 |url=https://indiewire.com/2015/02/the-75-best-edited-films-of-all-time-267420/ |access-date=March 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314155912/http://www.indiewire.com/2015/02/the-75-best-edited-films-of-all-time-267420/ |archive-date=March 14, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== 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 (equity)|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.<ref>Eriq Gardner, [https://hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/supreme-court-allows-raging-bull-705572 "Supreme Court Allows 'Raging Bull' Heiress to Sue MGM for Copyright Damages"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522052032/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/supreme-court-allows-raging-bull-705572 |date=May 22, 2014 }}, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', May 19, 2014.</ref> MGM settled with Petrella in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=After Supreme Court, MGM Settles 'Raging Bull' Rights Dispute |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=April 5, 2015 |first=Eriq |last=Gardner |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/supreme-court-mgm-settles-raging-786449 |access-date=June 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905135348/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/supreme-court-mgm-settles-raging-786449 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>