Jake LaMotta's autobiography, co-written with friend Peter Savage, omitted mention of his brother, as did Mardik Martin's original screenplay. Unhappy with the result, the producers hired Paul Schrader to restructure it, and in the course of doing research on LaMotta, the writer came across an article on the sour relationship between Jake and his brother Joey. Schrader even visited the real Joey, learning that the man was still bitter about giving up his own promising boxing career to manage Jake's. Schrader incorporated the relationship into the revised screenplay, co-opting the character of Peter Savage (Jake's friend), and creating a composite of the two men in the person of Joey LaMotta. That relationship became the central plot theme in the revised screenplay, and one of the primary reasons for the film's success.

Film

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