Following the critical success of Taxi Driver, a manic bout of cocaine abuse, and his salvation by Robert DeNiro (his friend and the greatest actor he could ever cast), Martin Scorsese developed and shot Raging Bull, commonly cited as one of the greatest American films-as well as one of the greatest examples of method acting from DeNiro, who gained 60 lbs. to depict boxer Jake LaMotta in his later years. Scorsese's decision to film entirely in black and white as a shout-out to period boxing photography, and to shoot the fight sequences from within the ring resulted in one of the most complex and stunning works of cinema ever to be made.
Wed., Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., 2008
