Raging Bull Page #5

JAKE:

You guys know more about that than

I do. I just fight...

JOEY:

(interrupting)

He fights the toughest guys around

that everybody else is afraid to

fight...

JAKE:

(interrupting)

I'm the only guy ever to beat Sugar

Ray, and I still don't have a shot

at the title.

REPORTER:

You just fought Sugar Ray two weeks

ago and you're training like this

right now... Are you afraid Sugar

Ray might beat you this time?

JAKE:

I tell you what. You hit me here.

(points to his right

cheek)

Sugar Ray hits me here.

(points to his left cheek)

I can't tell the difference. I just

fight.

JAKE turns to VICKIE, smiles, and prepares for his

next SPARRING PARTNER.

INT. ARTHUR AVENUE APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY (FEB.

1943)

JAKE, wearing pleated dress slacks, sits on the

edge of the bed examining his muscle tone.

He studies his small fists. Squeezes each knuckle.

Twists his wrists. Clenches. Unclenches.

VICKIE steps out of the bathroom wearing a nightie

and panties.

VICKIE:

Are you sure we should be doing

this?

JAKE:

Come over here.

VICKIE:

You said never to touch you before

a fight.

JAKE:

(lovingly)

If you let me do it, I'll murder

you. Come here.

VICKIE:

You said I couldn't. You've been

good for two weeks...

JAKE:

Come here.

JAKE watches VICKIE approach him. He respects her

as he would a shrine; he slowly removes her sheer

nightie.

His round hands caress her smooth skin. He glides

his bruised knuckles across her shoulders, pride on

his face.

She kisses his bruised knuckles sensuously, then

his bruised face.

JAKE (CONT'D)

Take off my pants.

VICKIE:

Jake...

JAKE:

Do what I say.

He touches her breasts as she removes his trousers.

JAKE (CONT'D)

Now take the rest off.

VICKIE:

Jake, you made me promise not to

get you excited.

JAKE:

Go 'head. Do it.

She pulls off his shorts. VICKIE is now getting

excited. She kisses his chest and licks it.

VICKIE:

I like the gym smell.

JAKE:

Now take your panties off.

She does.

JAKE (CONT'D)

Now, touch me...

(takes her hand)

... here.

VICKIE:

Oh, Jake.

She caresses his broad shoulders and runs her hand

along his erection.

JAKE's lips are trembling. He quickly turns his

back on VICKIE, goes into the bathroom, and gets a

full glass of cold water.

VICKIE watches as he puts his erection in the glass

of cold water. She is shocked and surprised.

JAKE:

I can't do it. I can't fool around.

This Robinson, I gotta beat him

again. I can't fool around. Don't

come near me.

JAKE grabs her again and kisses her. Then, gently

but firmly, he turns her around and pushes her out.

(It's starting again, and he must stop it.) He goes

back the bathroom and closes the door.

INT. OLYMPIC STADIUM - DETROIT (FEB. 26, 1943)

This is JAKE's rematch with SUGAR RAY (their 3rd

fight). AN ANNOUNCER's VOICE gives a blow by blow

description.

THE FOURTH ROUND: JAKE is in serious trouble. SUGAR

RAY knocks him with a hard right, then a series of

rights and lefts. JAKE is punched all the way

across the ring, but stays in there.

THE SEVENTH ROUND: JAKE, coming on strong, forces

SUGAR RAY into his own corner, then lands a left

hook to his chin. SUGAR RAY drops, and takes a nine

count. This time, however, the blow does not have a

crippling effect on SUGAR RAY; instead, he comes

back and outboxes JAKE.

TIME CUT:
THE ANNOUNCER calls out the decision:

SUGAR RAY is the winner. JAKE is stunned. The CROWD

boos so loud and for so long that THE ANNOUNCER is

unable to introduce the fighters in the next bout.

INT. OLYMPIA STADIUM - DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT

JOEY and TONY are in the dressing room. JAKE sits

on the table, dejected. His hand is being examined

by a DOCTOR. TWO HANGERS-ON are also present.

JOEY:

(angry)

They robbed us! Those f***in'

judges -- What the f*** fight were

they watching? If I see them on the

street, I'll break their heads.

Decision Robinson, my f***in' ass!

Those judges give him the decision

'cause he's goin in the army next

week! How else could this have

happened?... What do you think they

gave him the decision for, that's

why.

JAKE:

(almost to himself)

Whadda I gotta do, Joey? I knocked

him down. What did I do wrong? I

don't understand.

JOEY:

You won and was robbed! You didn't

do nothin' wrong.

JAKE:

I dunno. Maybe I don't deserve to

win. I've done a lot of bad things.

I dunno...

TONY goes to the door.

JOYE:

F*** that. This was the fight. This

coulda done it. This was our shot.

They out and out robbed us.

MARIO comes back from the door.

MARIO:

Vickie is here, Jake.

JAKE:

I don't wanna see nobody.

JOEY:

You want us to wait for you?

JAKE:

No, take her home. I wanna be alone

for a while. Everybody go.

They exit.

DISSOLVE:

TO:

INT. BATHROOM NEAR THE DRESSING ROOM

JAKE, now alone, goes into the bathroom. He looks

in the bathroom mirror. After a pauseg, he touches

his newly acquired bruises and bandages. He combs

his hair.

We hear the beginning of an early Frank Sinatra

song. This song carries over onto the following

MONTAGE.

MONTAGE:

This MONTAGE covers the period between 1943 and

early 1947. It shows JAKE hard at work fighting all

the tough guys he can. Each of the fights will be

introduced by the corresponding title card from the

"Big Fights" film showing a boxing glove with the

fighters' names and the places of the fights

superimposed on it. The actual fight images will be

black and white newspaper photos JUMP CUT together

to simulate real action. For example: In still #1

JAKE is about to land a punch on an OPPONENT.

CUT TO:

Still #2, and the punch lands, distorting the

OPPONENT's face, sweat spraying out everywhere.

Live sound effects accompany these stills.

The fight stills are INTERCUT with 16mm black and

white home movies of JAKE, VICKIE, JOEY, etc. (to

be shot in 16mm black and white).

It'll go something like this:

A) JAKE VS. FRITZIE ZIVIC at the Detroit Olympia

(January 14, 1944)

B) JAKE, VICKIE, and JOEY, wearing sunglasses, pose

in front of a Cadillac. (1944)

C) JAKE VS. SUGAR RAY ROBINSON at Madison Square

Garden (February 23, 1945)

D) JAKE and VICKIE getting married. (This will be a

black and white still photo, posed especially for

the occasion.) (1945,

New Jersey courthouse)

E) JAKE VS. SUGAR RAY ROBINSON at Comiskey Park,

Chicago (September 26, 1945)

F) JAKE and VICKIE on vacation -- very loving. They

are dancing, and he allows her to knock him into

the pool. Then, JAKE gives VICKIE a present by the

poolside. She opens the box and takes out a white

garment and turban. She kisses JAKE.

CUT TO:

VICKIE dressed in the outfit. She looks very much

like Lana Turner in "The Postman Always Rings

Twice." She kisses JAKE. (1946)

G) JAKE VS. JIMMY EDGAR at Detroit (The University

of Detroit Stadium) (June 12, 1946)

H) JOEY's marriage. JAKE and VICKIE are there as

witnesses. (Could also be a still photo as D was.)

(1946)

I) JAKE VS. BOB SATTERFIELD at Wrigley Field,

Chicago (September 12, 1946)

J) JAKE and VICKIE in front of their new Pelham

Parkway house. It is an affluent, split-level

house, an idyllic scene -- stone terrace, freshly

cut lawn, etc. JAKE carries VICKIE inside.

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