#4 - Raging Bull

I consider it a rare treat whenever I am about to experience a Scorsese movie, and this was certainly no exception. The hallmarks of the Scorsese code are all here in this 1980 black-and-white sports drama: tension, classic storytelling, and music to die for. From the opening sequence, you get a sense for what the movie is all about -- one man fighting in a ring, landing no punches and making no difference. Brilliant.

De Niro's performance as Jake La Motta has become a standard for actors who undergo severe physical changes to perfect their roles and their art. Three-quarters through filming, the entire cast and crew had to take a four-month (paid) vacation to give time for De Niro to go to Northern Italy and gain a mere 70 pounds. Not a big deal, right?

However, the effect and the weight (literal and figurative) of the aging Jake La Motta is pitiful, damaged, and a perfect representation of what Scorsese intended. De Niro's commitment paid off, winning his first Best Actor Oscar for his performance.

Another thing we can credit this movie is the discovery of Joe Pesci. De Niro and Pesci would reunite 10 years later in the ultimate Scorsese film "GoodFellas," but here they do not seem like they just met: their dynamic is brotherly, just as their roles intend.

When you're watching this movie, you have to constantly remind yourself that it was made in the 1980s, the same year as "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Airplane!" The film seems so much more classic than those, much less modern. Of course part of this is the black-and-white format, which works perfectly. But other movies, like "Schindler's List," that employ the same coloring technique to achieve a timeless look somehow miss the mark. I can still tell that "Schindler's List" is a '90s movie, but there's something about "Raging Bull" that places it in the 1960s, or even earlier.

One of my favorite elements of the movie is the character of Vickie La Motta, played with surprising maturity by the 19-year-old Cathy Moriarty. She is the blonde, pure female archetype so often employed by Scorsese, and we see her go from a 15-year-old sunbathing by the pool to a screaming, petty diva because of Jake's never-ceasing sexual insecurity and jealousy.

There are many psychological layers to this film that, once peeled, reveal the intentions and desires of the main characters. But I prefer to leave the onion whole, with all of its inner layers concealed, and simply enjoy this movie as a stirring depiction of one man's brand of the human condition.

Having said all of this, this movie is amazing and is a classic. But #4? Two spots in front of "Gone with the Wind"? I love you, Scorsese, but sorry, no.