Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull

by Edited by Kevin J. Hayes

• ISBN13: 9780521829151
• ISBN10: 0521829151
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-02-07
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Raging Bull (1980) represents American film making at its best. Since its initial release, the film 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 Raging Bull: A Cambridge Film Handbook presents the fullest critical appreciation of Scorsese's film available. The introduction tells the story of how the film came about, examining its inspirations and positioning Raging Bull within the history of cinema. Subsequent chapters, each written by contributors from different disciplines - film studies, literary history, theater history - discuss the film from a variety of perspectives. Though primarily directed toward undergraduate and graduate film courses, this collection should enhance appreciation of Raging Bull for all readers. Contributors to this volume have been issued a challenge: to write chapters that contain fundamental information for students, to include new information and ideas for seasoned film scholars, and to write in a jargon-free style that all readers can appreciate.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
List of Contributors	ix
Abbreviations	xi
Introduction: The Heritage and Legacy of Raging Bull	1	(18)
Kevin J. Hayes
1 Art and Genre in Raging Bull	19	(22)
Leger Grindon
2 Visual Absurdity in Raging Bull	41	(28)
Todd Berliner
3 Raging Bull and the Idea of Performance	69	(23)
Michael Peterson
4 Women in Raging Bull: Scorsese's Use of Determinist, Objective, and Subjective Techniques	92	(24)
Peggy McCormack
5 My Victims, My Melancholia: Raging Bull and Vincente Minnelli's The Bad and the Beautiful	116	(19)
Mark Nicholls
REVIEWS OF RAGING BULL	135	(14)
"Raging Bull: No Punches Pulled"
Jay Scott (The Globe and Mail [Toronto], 15 November 1980, p. 3)	135	(2)
"Raging Bull"
Eric Gerber (Houston Post, 19 December 1980, p. 1E)	137	(2)
From "Musclemen"
Michael H. Seitz (The Progressive 45 [February 1981]: 50-51)	139	(3)
"De Niro Packs a Mean Punch: Stunning but Unsentimental, Raging Bull Scores a KO"
Philip Wuntch (The Dallas Morning News, 19 December 1980, p. 1C)	142	(1)
"Raging Bull"
Joe Pollack (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 20 February 1981, p. 5D)	143	(2)
"Raging Bull Is a Gritty, Brutal Masterpiece"
Vern Stefanic (Tulsa World, 20 February 1981, p. C7)	145	(4)
Filmography	149	(8)
Select Bibliography	157	(2)
Index	159