![]() They said it wouldn't go anywhere with the public. I remember the first reviews in the trade papers advising exhibitors not to rent the film. 'It got a little critical approval, but it didn't make any money. 'It just wasn't appreciated at the time,' reflects Thelma Schoonmaker, who won an Oscar for editing the film and has remained Scorsese's editor ever since. Despite the esteem in which Raging Bull is now held, its initial release was hardly a cause for widespread celebration. And yet the initial reaction of Chapman and Schrader anticipated the mood among cinemagoers. ![]() ![]() Robert De Niro's ferocious portrayal of LaMotta is widely considered to be a benchmark in the history of screen performances, not to mention a textbook lesson in how method actors will go that extra mile - or, in the case of De Niro, who prepared for scenes as the overweight LaMotta by embarking on a culinary tour of Italy, several thousand extra miles. The American Film Institute recently voted it the fourth greatest US film of all time, just behind Citizen Kane, The Godfather and Casablanca. The following year, Raging Bull won two Oscars, having been nominated for eight. 'Marty really fucked that one up, didn't he?' Schrader drew a breath. Afterwards cinematographer Michael Chapman and Paul Schrader, one of two credited writers on the film, strolled out to the car park and mulled over what they had just seen. I n the autumn of 1980, Martin Scorsese arranged a preview on the Paramount lot of his latest film, a drama about prize fighter Jake LaMotta. ![]()
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