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Raging Bull would tell the punishing story of Jake La Motta, the middle weight champion of the world, from his early days in the Bronx, through his years as a champion, and ending at rock bottom, overweight, in prison for serving minors (though a lot more than “serving” them went on) in his bar.

Perhaps the executives trusted De Niro and Scorsese, perhaps the ongoing nightmare of Heaven’s Gate preoccupied their every thought. UA had other things to concern themselves with than being concerned with a gifted director and actor working on a dream project. Left alone by United Artists (UA) to make the film he wanted to make, Scorsese might have benefited by working on his film at the same time Michael Cimino was bankrupting the studio with his $44 million western, Heaven’s Gate (1980). Light years from the Rocky franchise, the grim story of Jake La Motta would be among the darkest, most ferocious films ever made, alarming in its honesty, savage in its authenticity, a staggering work of art. There they worked on the film, the script and Scorsese, never interested in sports, found his way into the film.

A dangerous addiction to cocaine would land Scorsese near death in the hospital, and upon check out De Niro loaded him in a plane and took him to the tropics for sun, sand and Raging Bull. With Rocky (1976) and Rocky II (1979) both huge hits at the box office, the former winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, was another boxing picture really needed? Robert De Niro believed so, and began trying to convince his friend Scorsese to direct the film while the diminutive filmmaker was mired in the post-production war of New York, New York (1977). The challenge was to glean that which was necessary in letting we, the reader know how Raging Bull came to the screen. With access to the personal papers of actor Robert De Niro and Scorsese, Glennie had a treasure box of information at his fingertips. Towering over them, and likely all film related books this year, will be Jay Glennie’s magnificent book about the making of Martin Scorsese’s masterful Raging Bull, hailed the greatest film of the decade by Premiere Magazine, and gifted with accolades upon release and in the years since. This year, two books have greatly impressed: the exquisite biography of “Mike Nichols” eloquently written by Mark Harris, and the superb “Shoot Midnight Cowboy” by Glenn Frankel.

As a film critic, historian and former professor at the Toronto Film School, I hope the book offers a learning experience, though I must confess that is rare. I mean that with every fibre of my being.Įach year I see more than 300 films and read about 50 books written about film. Jay Glennie, if you were standing before me, I would look you in the eyes, offer my hand and say to you, “Mr.