Raging Bull

"Nothing less than an abiding miracle of cinema!"—Wall Street Journal

Robert De Niro's portrayal of boxer Jake La Motta is the stuff of cinematic legend. A boxer at war as much with himself as the other fighters in the ring, La Motta also battles on the homefront with his wife (Cathy Moriarty in her stunning Oscar-nominated film debut) and brother (a ferociously memorable Joe Pesci, also Oscar-nominated). De Niro trained with the real La Motta for a year, fought actual boxing matches, and gained 50 pounds for the role. His obsessive methods are matched by those of Scorsese, who took six weeks to shoot the film's fight scenes, which last for mere minutes on screen. De Niro won his only best actor Oscar to date for the film, which has earned near universal regard as the best film of the 1980s. This new 35mm print was created for the film's 30th anniversary last year. (128 mins., 35mm)