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Since its initial release, Raging Bull has been called the greatest film of the 1980s, the greatest boxing film ever made, the greatest sports film ever made, and, indeed, one of the greatest films of all time. The introduction to this study tells the story of how the film came about, examining its inspirations and positioning the film within the history of cinema. Subsequent chapters, each written by contributors from different disciplines, critique the film from a variety of perspectives.
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This page intentionally left blank P1: JZP/... P2: ... 0521829151fm CB780/Hayes 0 521 82915 1 February 26, 2005 Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull Raging Bull has been called the greatest film of the 1980s, the greatest boxing film ever made, and one of the greatest films of all time. This volume provides a timely critical appreciation of this work. In his introduction, Kevin J. Hayes recounts how the story of Jake La Motta, the protagonist in Raging Bull, came to be made into a film. He examines the film through the oeuvre of Martin Scorsese, traces its sources, and positions it within the history of cinema. Subsequent chapters examine Raging Bull from a variety of methodological and critical perspectives and lend new insights into the work. Aimed for use in undergraduate and graduate film courses, Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull ” will also enhance appreciation of this seminal film for general audiences. Kevin J. Hayes is professor of English at the University of Central Oklahoma. A scholar of American literature and cinema, he is the author of several books, including Poe and the Printed Word and An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887. i 14:44 P1: JZP/... P2: ... 0521829151fm CB780/Hayes 0 521 82915 1 February 26, 2005 CAMBRIDGE FILM HANDBOOKS General Editor: Andrew Horton, University of Oklahoma Each CAMBRIDGE FILM HANDBOOK is intended to focus on a single film from various theoretical, critical, and contextual perspectives. This “prism” approach is designed to give students and general readers valuable background and insight into the cinematic, artistic, cultural, and sociopolitical importance of individual films by including essays by leading film scholars and critics. Furthermore, these handbooks are meant to help the reader better grasp the nature of the critical and theoretical discourse on cinema as an art form, as a visual medium, and as a cultural product. Filmographies and selected bibliographies are added to help the reader to continue his or her own exploration of the film under consideration. ii 14:44 P1: JZP/... P2: ... 0521829151fm CB780/Hayes 0 521 82915 1 February 26, 2005 Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull Edited by KEVIN J. HAYES University of Central Oklahoma iii 14:44 P1: JZP/... P2: ... 0521829151fm CB780/Hayes 0 521 82915 1 February 26, 2005 cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521829151 © Cambridge University Press 2005 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2005 isbn-13 isbn-10 978-0-511-10940-9 eBook (EBL) 0-511-10940-7 eBook (EBL) isbn-13 isbn-10 978-0-521-82915-1 hardback 0-