Raging Bull Page #11

JAKE doesn't have the chance. The REFEREE, standing

in CERDAN's corner, waves his hands signaling the

end of the fight.

The REFEREE holds up JAKE's hands as THE ANNOUNCER

takes the mike:

ANNOUNCER:

The new middleweight champion of

the world by a knockout after nine

rounds, the Bronx Bull, Jake

LaMotta!

JOEY is all over him. TONY helps VICKIE through the

MOB.

In his corner, CERDAN holds his head in his hands

and says, "My title, my title!"

The OFFICIALS clear a circle as they bring over the

jewel-studded championship belt. JOE LOUIS fastens

the belt around JAKE's waist.

JAKE touches the oversized belt with his bloody

gloves. Tears fall across JAKE's huge grin as he

holds his hands high in the air. It is the most

glorious night in his life.

EXT. "JAKE LAMOTTA'S" - NIGHT (1956)

The name "Jake LaMotta's Lounge" is emblazoned in

neon across a lounge/liquor store on Collins

Avenue, Miami's main drag. JAKE's bar is across

from The Rooney Plaza, one of Miami's more

prestigious hotels.

Fifties cars are parked outside the club.

INT. "JAKE LAMOTTA'S" - NIGHT

JAKE LAMOTTA, 34 years old, wearing a tux, steps in

front of a large painted wall mural of the Cerdan

fight as he enters his club.

The Lounge is dominated by a large circular bar.

Featured entertainers perform on a raised platform

in the center of the bar.

The club is half filled with SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT

and MOB TYPES.

The small BAND plays a routine fanfare as JAKE

steps onto the platform. He takes the mike with one

hand and silences the BAND with the other. The

applause dies out as he speaks:

JAKE:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

It's a thrill to be standin' here

talking to you wonderful people. In

fact, it's a thrill to be standin'.

I haven't seen so many people since

my last fight at Madison Square

Garden. After that fight a reporter

asked me, "Jake, where do you go

from here?" I said, "To a

hospital."

About HALF THE PATRONS are listening; of them, HALF

are laughing, SOME a little too loud.

JAKE (CONT'D)

I fought one hundred and six

professional fights and none of

them bums figured out how to fight

me -- they kept hitting me in the

head!

(calls to the bar)

Will somebody at the bar -- Linda?

- get me a drink.

I figure if I'm gonna work to

drunks I might as well be one of

'em! I like this place. It's a

family type club... every night I

see a lot of fathers sitting out

there with their young daughters!

That's nice.

LINDA hands him a drink.

JAKE (CONT'D)

Thanks, honey. -- She's terrific.

The kinda girl you wanta take home

to meet your father. Especially if

your old man's a degenerate! --

Here's a toast! "To your health!

You only live once. But if you play

it right, once is enough." I

shouldn't be drinkin' like this

'cause I'm tryin' to lose weight.

I'm on this terrific diet -- I'm

allowed to eat anything I want. As

long as I don't swallow it! Well, I

never had much luck with my weight.

In fact, -- I never had much luck

with anything -- until about a few

years ago, when this happened --

He indicates the blow-up behind him and waits for

applause, of which there is some.

JAKE (CONT'D)

... thanks, I'm glad to see you

remember. For those of you that

don't... that's me takin' the title

from Cerdan. You know, the tough

thing about winnin' the title...

the next thing you gotta do is have

a rematch... just to show it wasn't

no fluke. So what happens? Marcel

Cerdan, a really great champ, after

I beat him... he gets himself

killed in that airplane crash... a

pretty rotten break for him. That's

why I don't like to fly. People say

to me, "Look, Jake, when your time

is up, your time is up." And I say,

"Yeah, but suppose I'm on the plane

and the pilot's time is up?" As

good as Cerdan was, I could've

taken him again. But I never got

the chance to prove it wasn't no

fluke. He got killed but he got to

be what they call a legend.

I don't know what's worse -- bein'

a fluke or bein' a legend. --

That's the kinda luck I got. That's

why I quit the ring and moved down

here from New York. My wife said,

"You gotta get outa this town,

Jake." Come to think of it... the

boxing commission said the same

thing! But I don't miss New York.

Give me Miami any day.

The AUDIENCE applauds.

JAKE (CONT'D)

Miami's a great place. I get along

with everybody in this town... even

the police force... They got the

best cops here money can buy! --

Only kiddin'. By the way... me and

my wife Vickie's gettin' ready to

celibrate our eleventh wedding

anniversary.

More applause.

JAKE (CONT'D)

We get along real great. We fight a

little but I never really belted

her on purpose. Once in a while

I'm standin' there doin' little

shadow-boxin' and she happens to

walk right into the shadow... I

can't help that. She says, "Whataya

hittin' me for?" I says, "It's

nothin'. It's only a love tap." She

says, "It's a good thing you're not

crazy about me!" -- I am crazy

about her. I heard her talkin' to a

friend on the phone and she was

sayin', "After eleven years, I'm

still in love with the same guy." --

If I ever find out who the bum is,

I'll kill him! Women. You can't

live with 'em, you can't live

without 'em.

Then, suddenly, falling into character... he quotes

Jago's speech in Othello.

JAKE (CONT'D)

"'Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy.

It is the green-eyed monster, which

doth mock the meat it feeds on.

That cuckold lives in bliss who,

certain of his fate, loves not his

woronger; But O, what damned

minutes tells he o'er who dotes,

yet doubts -- suspects, yet fondly

loves!" -- That's from somethin'

called "Othello" --

OR, ALTERNATE SPEECH:

JAKE (CONT'D)

Is whispering nothing? Is leaning

cheek to cheek? Is meeting noses?

Kissing with inside lip? Stopping

the career of laughter with a sign?

-- A note infallible of breaking

honesty -- horsing foot on foot?

Skulking in corners? Wishing clocks

more swift? Hours, minutes? Noon,

midnight? And all eyes blind with

the pin and web but theirs, theirs

only, that would unseen be wicked?

Is this nothing? Why, then the

world and all that's in't is

nothing; The covering sky is

nothing; Bohemia nothing; My wife

is nothing; nor nothing have these

nothings, if this be nothing." --

That's from something called "The

Winter's Tale" -- Shakespeare! You

all remember Shakespeare. He wrote

all them famous plays one after the

other, then he went into a big

slump and he ain't done anything

good in years. That speech is about

jealousy -- jealousy's a bad thing.

Jealousy bothers a lot of guys...

take me... I almost killed my

brother... I love him... he's my

family... I mean, there's nothin'

he wouldn't do for me. And that's

the way we been goin' thru life --

doin' nothin' for each other!

Anytime he got in trouble when we

was kids, I got him out of it. You

know, he used to steal little

things when we was growin' up. But

he was particular...

only stole things that begin with

an 'a' -- a watch, a car, a suit, a

ring... But I was wrong... I

shoulda never hit my brother.

Afterwards, I was sorry. Now every

time I need somethin' I gotta go

shoppin' for it! A psychiatrist

once told me, "When you hit your

brother you're really hittin' your

mother, but you can't admit it to

yourself." He's really crazy. I

woulda never hit my mother. I mean,

only in self-defense!

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