Raging Bull traces Jake La Mottas physical decline from trim, muscled fighting machine to the bloated man of later years.For De Niro, the idea of wearing padding - a "fat suit" - while portraying those later years was not an option. In mind and body, he was determined to be as much like the ex-champ as possible. "I just cant fake acting." he said. "I know movies are an illusion, and maybe the first rule is to fake it, but not for me. Im too curious. I want to deal with all the facts of the character, thin or fat."
So De Niro had to create three different bodies for himself in just six months; the taut fighter; the transitional, slightly out of the shape champ and, finally, the heavy, middle-aged night club entertainer. The shooting schedule was arrange to let De Niro add the weight. The fight sequence would be shot first, for five weeks. The dramatic/transitional scenes require anothe ten weeks of shooting. Then the production was slated to close for two months so that De Niro could pile on the pounds. Finally, twp and a half weeks were allotted for the scenes involving the grossly overweight La Motta.
To prepare for the in-the-ring sequences, De Niro underwent a gruelling to make his body look and perform like a champion prizefighter. For a year before the camera started rolling, he trained with La Motta at Gramercy Gym on East 14th street in Manhattan, sparring over 1,000 rounds with the real life Bronx Bull. Said La Motta: "Bobby is a Main Event fighter. Im not kidding. He is 35 but he fight and moves like a 19-year old. Anytime he like to quit acting, I could easily make him into a champion. Hes that good."
The start of the ten week dramatic/transitional scenes shoot also marked the start of more chameleon-like changes for De Niro. Throughout the ten-week span, the actor wolfed down cheesecake and chocolate shakes, also he would be ready for the last of the transitional sequences to be filmed - the sequnce showing La Motta slightly out of the shape after he retired.
Next came two-month hiatus. De Niro headed for Europe...and food, food, food. "Its very hard." said De Niro about the period. "You have to eat three times a day. You have to get up in the moring just to eat. Eat that breakfast, eat that pancake, eat dinner, even if youre not hungry. Its murder."
When De Niro returned to the set in December of 1979, he had gained a staggering 60 pounds. Cathy Moriarty was astonished when she saw him; "He knocked at my door and this whole different man came in...I think it is just incredible that, simply healthwise, anyone would put himself through that...I was really concerned about him."
Martin Scorsese was equally stunned by De Niros appearance and by the strain the extra pounds put on the actor. To help conserve his stars flagging strenght, he reduced the planned two and a half weeks of final shooting to ten days. "Bobbys weight was so extreme," Scorsese explained, "that his breathing was like mine when I have an asthma attack. With the bulk he put on there was no more doing 40 takes. There were three or four takes. The body dictated things. He just became that person..."
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My Source is the 8page booklet in the DVD. Just want to share it with you guys. . . . .
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"Ive done a lot of bad things Joey,. Maybe its coming back to me."- Jake La Motta
