The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 24 wins & 28 nominations total
What Scorsese Film Ranks Highest on IMDb?
What Scorsese Film Ranks Highest on IMDb?
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen the real Jake LaMotta saw the movie, he said it made him break down in tears and realize for the first time what a terrible person he had been. He asked the real Vicki LaMotta "Was I really like that?". Vicki replied "You were worse."
- GoofsWhen Jake follows Joey into the parking garage, hip-hop-style graffiti is visible outside it.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Jake La Motta: I remember those cheers / They still ring in my ears / After years, they remain in my thoughts. / Go to one night / I took off my robe, and what'd I do? I forgot to wear shorts. / I recall every fall / Every hook, every jab / The worst way a guy can get rid of his flab. / As you know, my life wasn't drab. / Though I'd much... Though I'd rather hear you cheer / When you delve... Though I'd rather hear you cheer / When I delve into Shakespeare / "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse", I haven't had a winner in six months.
[he lights a cigar]
Jake La Motta: Though I'm no Olivier / I would much rather... And though I'm no Olivier / If he fought Sugar Ray / He would say / That the thing ain't the ring, it's the play. / So give me a... stage / Where this bull here can rage / And though I could fight / I'd much rather recite /... that's entertainment.
- Crazy creditsThe film is in black and white, but during the opening credits, the title is in red letters.
- Alternate versionsCBS edited 8 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
- ConnectionsEdited into Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity (1999)
- SoundtracksCavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo
Music by Pietro Mascagni
Performed by Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna (as Orchestra of Bologna Municop Thetra)
Conducted by Arturo Basile
Courtesy of RCA, S.P.A.
It's really interesting how this film is set up. You first see LaMotta (Robert De Niro) at age 42 in 1964 - bloated, working in a dive of a nightclub, practicing the third-rate act that keeps him fed and off the streets. His name and the year are shown in print. Then immediately you switch to LaMotta in 1941, in the ring, at age 19. Granted, Robert De Niro at age 36 when he made this does NOT look anything close to a teenager, but then there has to be some dramatic license.
This first fight shown in 1941 tells you what you need to know about the kind of world Jake inhabits. There are the violent punches of the fight followed by a decision against Jake with which the audience strongly disagrees. Fans throw things - everything from popcorn to chairs. Fights break out. A woman is trampled in the chaos. And then the organist tries to calm things down by playing the Star Spangled Banner. The audience does not come to attention.
So you've seen the end and the beginning of the story. It's fascinating and grabs one's attention, and even though you can look up and see how the actual Jake LaMotta's life went in those 23 years, the movie gives you all of the intimate scenes telling you the how. Jake craves love, food, recognition - he has a tremendous appetite for all of these things but he's also tremendously lacking in confidence and self control and strikes out violently as a result. It really is a fascinating portrait.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El toro salvaje
- Filming locations
- Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(exteriors: Jake's neighborhood in the Bronx)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $23,383,987
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $128,590
- Nov 16, 1980
- Gross worldwide
- $23,405,883
- Runtime2 hours 9 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1