Robert De Niro

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how in the films, "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," and "Casino," all directed by Martin Scorsese, the characters portrayed by veteran actor Robert De Niro come from backgrounds full of poverty, violence, and disillusionment. It shows how, in "Raging Bull," the character of Jake LaMotta is the product of a very disturbing life, replete with jealousy and sexual insecurity, and how, in "Goodfellas," the character of Jimmy Conway represents the quintessential New York City gangster, whose life overflows with violence and betrayal as a direct result of his upbringing. It also shows how, in "Casino", the character of Sam "Ace" Rothstein is also a product of his background, being one of brutality and dishonesty. It explores how all three of these characters portrayed by De Niro are images and reflections of their individual life stories that were often wrought with decadence and hard living.

From the Paper:

"In Scorsese's Raging Bull, considered by many film critics as a great cinematic masterpiece, the story focuses on prizefighter Jake La Motta, a middleweight icon from the middle years of the 20th century. De Niro's characterization of La Motta has to be one of the most compelling character studies ever brought to the big screen, for he is an individual highly influenced by his poverty-stricken upbringing, a man full of self-pity, sadness and disillusionment. As an historical/biographical film, Raging Bull contains many details taken from La Motta's autobiography, but Scorsese found it necessary to portray La Motta as an uncouth, insensitive lout in order to round out De Niro's portrayal."

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