Jake La Motta passes away, aged 95

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Extraordinary age for a boxer. RIP.

One of those people you hear have died and think 'wow , assumed he died decades ago'

I read his book .

The movie portrayal makes him seem like a nice reasonable guy in comparison.

Scorcese explained you just couldn't really include a lot of stuff that happened . I think raping his best friend's girlfriend was one example.

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Yes, I chose my words wisely. Here's the subsequent one. "Mr Saturday Night" himself.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ie9ADIcT0o

Reminds me of my own mortality. If he goes we all go. Sobering..

Test.

Looks like my first post never made it.

One of my fav films

I have a huge framed poster of it signed by jake la motta then raging bull underneath, as well as a signed photograph of him and his wife vicki, both signed it.

RIP

If your first post was Test it did!

I have to say it was a great film. Quite possibly one of the best sporting films ever. I never read anything about LaMotta. Those times were different. I wouldn't wish to judge him but he does not appear to have been a decent fellow. He was certainly a tough guy and there were many of them around that time. He had it hard.

I must admit I had no idea he was still alive. "Raging Bull" is generally regarded as the best boxing movie of all time, but personally, I have never enjoyed any fictional boxing-based movie including "Raging Bull", although I'm sure that in cinematic terms it was a classic. I'm sure that the behaviour of many boxers of that era wouldn't look good by the standards of modern times, and a lot of what thousands of boxers over the years have done in their lives would make for horrific reading for the most hardened of sports fans. In any case, it is incredible that he reached such an advanced age in view of the brutal nature of most of his fights.

I heard a good story about LaMotta years ago. By all accounts he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box.

He was out for a run while training for a fight at one time and a guy stepped out and said "Would you consider being a Jehovah's Witness?" LaMotta replied "You tell your friend Jehovah, I didn't see nothing."

I have never enjoyed any fictional boxing-based movie


Neither have I but Raging Bull was based on fact.

"Somebody Up There Likes Me" was fact based, and better.  A fine film, with a great performance from Newman of course. That Pier Angeli was better than her awards suggest.

That was a good film.

I would also just like to say Jehovah, Jehovah, Jehovah!

I only got round to reading the book at the start of the year. Not only amazing at the time to think he was still alive but it was amazing to think that after all that it was pretty much only half his life . Great book just reading about being brought up in the Bronx in the 20's and 30's.

I wouldn't wish to judge him but he does not appear to have been a decent fellow


Old/Apocryphal(?) story from when the film was released..

Apparently LaMotta and his wife went to the premiere of 'Raging Bull'. Afterwards he turned to her and said "was I that bad?"
She replied " No, You were worse.. "

It was a crime to which LaMotta confessed in his memoirs, published after the bookie – who never knew the identity of his assailant – had died. The fighter also admitted to having raped a woman as well as beating the women he married. He spoke of one particular attack on his second wife, Vicki, attempting to explain his behaviour: “If you had a girl and she was beautiful and other people were trying to invite her out and seduce her, wouldn’t you get angry? I saw these jerks and schmucks coming out with lines and it bothered me. But I never really and truly hit my wives. If I had hit them properly, they would be dead.”

"You wont put me on the deck Ray".


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/tao-jake-lamotta/

good piece in the times today by matthew syed when he interviewed him a few years ago,seems like la motta was still pretty menacing even when he was in his eighties.

....If you were a fly ?

That was a great bit of video stewart!

I think La Motta was saved by the ref there. He took some huge ones and looked in a lot of trouble but the fact he was still standing when the ref saved him is amazing. I haven't read the article yet but am saving it!

The amazing thing was that he blootered Robinson in the previous round and then run out of steam in the next. A man who feared nobody including the mafia.

Of course this was when boxing was boxing......15 rounds, not like the 12 round handbags being bandied about today. La Motta even squared up to Robinson twice in three weeks. Now you have to wait three years.