The 1980s kicked off with a movie that made violence beautiful and boxing ugly. In "Raging Bull," a boxer's ego tears his life apart while the camera catches every brutal moment in gorgeous black and white. Some maniac had to be behind these contradictions. Which director was able to bring this story to life?
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The answer is: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese actually tried to avoid making "Raging Bull." He hated boxing, thought Jake LaMotta (the movie's creator and subject) was a jerk, and was too busy with a cocaine addiction. Then Robert De Niro basically dragged him into it, figuring if Scorsese could relate to one thing, it was self-destruction.
Turns out De Niro was onto something. Scorsese took all that darkness and turned it into art. He filmed in black and white because color felt too pretty for LaMotta's ugly world (plus those bright red boxing gloves from the 40s looked ridiculous on camera).
The whole thing was beautifully insane. De Niro pulled his usual method-acting madness, getting actually punched in the face for realism, then shutting down production to gain 60 pounds of pure pasta weight in Italy. Meanwhile, Scorsese treated boxing matches like music videos. Each fight got its own style, from slow-motion opera to street-fight chaos.
Critics in 1980 kind of missed the point (they gave Best Picture to "Ordinary People" instead). But now? "Raging Bull" is considered a masterpiece.
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