If “Raging Bull” is a masterpiece in the filmographies of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, a particular sequence caused a clash between the actor and screenwriter Paul Schrader.
Almost everything has already been said about Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. An absolute masterpiece from the filmmaker rightly crowned with two Oscars: that of best editing, saluting the fabulous work of the master’s favorite editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. Who would later say that she had spent the worst night of her life, so disappointed was she that Marty did not even receive the statuette for Best Director for this work.
And that of best actor for Robert De Niro, transfigured by the 30 kg he had to gain to better embody the physical decline of the legendary boxer with such self-destructive behavior. A role that the person concerned still considers to be the most difficult of his career. It is not for nothing that Raging Bull still appears in the top ranking of the 100 greatest films in the history of American cinema, regularly drawn up by the AFI (the American Film Institute).
Scripted by Paul Schrader, the same one who wrote Taxi Driver, Raging Bull is a powerful analysis of toxic masculinity, and the devastating effects of unhealthy jealousy that ultimately destroys Jake LaMotta’s family, in addition to his career.
“He realizes what a piece of shit he was.”
If Scorsese largely trusted Schrader in writing the script, the filmmaker did not at all approve of a particular scene in the script, which was too shocking.
In it, Jake LaMotta was in a holding cell, isolated and reflecting on his past. Realizing that he has hit rock bottom and has little chance of regaining the success of his youth, LaMotta becomes very depressed and engages in a long monologue reflecting on his failures. The scene ends on a shocking note, when LaMotta attempts to masturbate, but is thwarted by memories of his past.
“He tries to masturbate, and to get aroused, he brings up memories of his girlfriends and wives, and of course, the moment he gets aroused, the memory turns to shit, and he realizes how much “He was a piece of shit. He needs to give up on this particular fantasy, move on to the next one, and start all over again.” Schrader will tell.
MGM
This scene was essential according to him. Robert De Niro did not have the same opinion at all. For the actor, this sequence “had nothing to do with anything Marty or I remembered about Jake or what we were trying to do.”
Marty, no more convinced than De Niro, then asked Schrader to convince the actor to shoot the scene. But the latter firmly stuck to his positions, which provoked the anger of the screenwriter towards De Niro to the point of throwing the script in his face, as he will tell in this interview.
A bad for a good
From this masturbation scene which will go by the wayside, one of the most memorable scenes in the film will ultimately be born. The one where, in prison, he keeps repeating himself “I’m the boss !”, beating the wall with his fists in rage. To the point of hurting himself and breaking down in tears. “I’m not that bad!” blurted LaMotta.
If Paul Schrader was upset by the objections of Marty and De Niro, it is clear that we did not really lose out with this extraordinary scene; perhaps the strongest in the film, where a pathetic LaMotta, alone facing himself and his demons, indulges in painful introspection.