Who directed "Raging Bull"?
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?
▼
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.
Share This Trivia
Want More Nostalgia?
Check out our other quizzes and random trivia questions!
More Trivia
- Who has been in the Eagles the longest?
- When did Veterans Affairs become a cabinet-level department?
- What city was the first to air "Soul Train"?
- Who originally planned to star in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”?
- Finish the first line of Elton John's "Crocodile Rock"
- What powers Doc Brown’s DeLorean by 2015 in "Back to the Future Part II"?
- What is the name of the hotel featured on “Newhart”?
- Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" was originally meant for which musician?