Martin Scorsese Claims He Didn't Care If He Made Another Movie After Raging Bull
Martin Scorsese claimed that he didn't care if he ever made another movie after 1980s Raging Bull, which starred Robert DeNiro in the real-life story of professional boxer Jake LaMotta. Scorsese's film career has spanned over 54 years, beginning with the 1967 feature film Who's That Knocking At My Door and most recently Killers of the Flower Moon. He has won one Academy Award for 2007's The Departed.
Raging Bull told the true story of LaMotta, who rose through the boxing ranks and earned a shot at the middleweight crown. But, unfortunately, his heartless demeanor allowed his negative feelings to spill out into the ring. These would eventually take over his life and cause him to fall into a downward spiral. DeNiro portrayed LaMotta in the fourth of almost one dozen films the actor and director have collaborated on over 40 years.
In an interview with frequent Scorsese collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio, DeNiro, and Scorsese spoke about working on the film as reported by Entertainment Weekly. Scorsese said that Raging Bull was his first to be released after receiving negative reviews for 1977’s New York, New York. Scorsese said that, after completing work on Raging Bull, he “didn’t care what happened to it, or if I made another movie." Scorsese said after his big-screen bomb, it became impossible for him to function, and he did not work. DeNiro's urging delivered Raging Bull to the director, which would end up being a career game-changer for both men. “We didn’t know how well it would do. But we knew it was a special movie,” said De Niro, who would go on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of LaMotta.
It was DeNiro's cajoling that pushed the director to find a way some common interest in LaMotta's tale, difficult for someone who never played sports as a child. Scorsese used black and white film, which further set the stage for the film, reminding viewers that it took place before the colorization of film. It also gave the finished movie a vintage feel and helped set the timeline for the movie's events to take place. "Marty is very easy about stuff, listens, lets you do what you want, and if it's wrong - not even wrong - he suggests another way of doing it. Our experience has been special in that we've been able to go all these years and come up with stuff. Sometimes I come up with stuff, sometimes it's ideas Marty has. We've been very fortunate," DeNiro said of Scorsese's work ethic.
The work of Martin Scorsese is revered by film buffs worldwide for the way he allows the integrity of both his actors and their characters to shine through in each frame. His movies have shaped an entire industry of filmmakers who emulate his style and actors who would like to collaborate with the renowned filmmaker. Raging Bull saved Scorsese from the end of his professional directorial career and inspired many moviegoers and filmmakers with the beauty of how one single frame of film can say everything without saying a word.
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Source: Entertainment Weekly