Finally, at the end of your response, consider the following: at the end of the film, Jake LaMotta sits in front of a backstage mirror reciting a monologue from On the Waterfront. One reviewer called it the most violent scene in the film. Scorsese himself said: "When [Jake] says in the mirror, 'It was you, Charlie,' is he playing his brother, or putting the blame on himself?' It's certainly very disturbing to me." Please respond to Scorsese's question: do you think Jake is 'playing his brother' or putting the blame on himself? And why do you think this is 'very disturbing' to Scorsese?
I look forward to reading what you write by no later than midnight next Monday.
King of Comedy - here we come!
This was my first time watching Raging Bull, and I thoroughly enjoyed the film from start to finish. There is so much to say about the movie, so much that one can take away from the experience, and there were so many things that Scorsese did effectively, which allowed him to make a masterpiece. Aesthetically, this film was damn near perfect. And it’s hard to understand how he got it so right while dealing with all the shit that he was dealing with in his own personal life, but somehow, he did.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that stood out right away as the movie came on, was the intro with Lamotta dancing in the ring shadow boxing. It sets you up right away for the idea that Lamotta won’t just be in a fight with his opponents, but also with himself. He’s caged in by the ropes and arguably will never escape the person who he becomes in the ring. Then you get the monologue from Lamotta, and then the sound of a loud punch jarringly transitions you right into the fight. This technique as it relates to sound was consistent, clever and compelling. Sound was used to transition the viewer from scene to scene, as opposed to transitional shots. The sound would cut in during quite moments and carry you to the more intense fight scenes. The sound contrasted those dramatic moments in a way that kept you on your toes and on the edge of your seat as if you were indeed watching a fight. Sound was used in the same way that day and night are used in film to give you a nice rhythm in terms of how the time moves along. The movie breathes in the more intimate moments, with no score, which allows the performances to speak, and forces you to connect with the characters, while it shakes you up and overwhelms you when the Bronx Bull is in the ring.
I thought this relationship was played perfectly in almost every instance, but one moment that I loved particularly was how sound moved us back and forward from the first bedroom scene with Vicky to the first fight with Sugar Ray. This scene also stood out because the bedroom was a metaphorical ring for Lamotta and Vicky’s love life, which was turbulent and a key contribution to his demise. I thought Scorsese did a nice job of using the ring to echo and represent different stages of Lamotta’s life and character. For example, Lamotta took his insecurities out on Janero because he was a “pretty boy” boxer who people loved, but also because he thought Vicky was attracted to men like that. Or how Lamotta took a brutal beating in the last fight with Robinson, because of the strained relationship he had with his brother after they fell out, and Vicky convinced him to call and make up.
The movie has a level of cohesion that is present throughout every scene, shot, and moment. It fits together and runs like a well-oiled machine in the way the parts constantly complement each other. It’s a timeless piece of work that was ahead of its time and it’s a powerful story that touches and allows you to travel through a gamut of emotions. I think it’s because of these reasons I just mentioned that it’s regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. There is literally something good to be said about every moment and aspect of the film. It’s one of those films that you walk away from and it lives with you for some time after you’re done. I think the latter can also be attributed to the ending that’s an open-ended question. I think Lamotta is blaming himself, only because I like to think that the way his life plays out in the end causes him to be remorseful, but you can’t quite be sure, and therein lies the beauty of that moment. I think this moment is disturbing to Scorsese because in the book he talks about his destructive behavior and how it sends him spiraling down a dark hole, and I imagine he has had that same type of moment in the mirror where he must come to grips with who he is and the decisions he made that got him to that dark place. I think the latter is probably one of the sole motivations for telling this story; there was a part of himself that he saw in the Bronx Bull’s story.
This was my first time watching Raging Bull. I had built up high standards for it, and went into it just knowing it was about a boxer. I think what Scorsese is able to do so well in the film, and all of his other films, is capture a character in their element. Jake is such a large character, he is brutal both in and out of the ring, he is as competitive as he is self conscious, which is his biggest weakness. Scorsese and De Niro capture this character together.
ReplyDeleteScorsese shot the boxing scenes in a way that had never been done before. The audience is in the ring, receiving the punches along with Jake. It's not uncommon to find yourself ducking and weaving in your seat. But what I find so praise worthy, is how Scorsese makes the domestic scenes more cringe worthy and painful to watch than the fights.
Even before Jake starts to physically abuse his wife, we watch him flip the kitchen table due to his wife not cooking his steak the way he wants it. We see him eying Vicky at the local pool who we find out is 15. The most unbearable for me was when he brings Vicky back to his apartment for the first time. watching that interaction was difficult and reminded me of some of Travis’ more embarrassing moments in Taxi Driver, like when he calls Betsy on the pay phone and leaves her a message.
The hard cuts between these “quieter” scenes, and the fights, keeps you on your toes through out the film. I found Joe Pesci’s role as the brother to be the source of some well needed humor. Like he would show in his performance in Goodfellas in the future, Pesci is able to balance the role of a hard guy to like, but can sure as hell make you laugh. I found it interesting to hear that the writers and Scorsese were the ones to add in the brother character. The way they fit Joey into the story brought out some of the best scenes in the film.
The last scene is hard to watch. Jake is years past his time, and holding onto what little fame he has left. He is performing a crappy one man show. Listening to him start to perform the monologue made me squirm due to there being no difference in the way Jake performs the character vs. how he was talking before. I feel bad for whoever had to sit through that show. And I’d be scared to leave, because he might try to beat you up. Although you could probably out run him.
It’s hard to say who he is speaking to. I think he definitely has realized that he messed up. But, I don’t think he takes full responsibility for it. Rematching the monologue, I believe he is blaming his brother. The monologue states that Charlie is the reason why he is a bum. I believe Jake feels that after Joey left him, his life fell apart. He feels that Joey was the last person who really looked out for him, and Joe abandoned him. As hard as this scene is to watch, I think the scene where he follows Joey to his car and keeps hugging him is the hardest scene to watch in the film.
Raging Bull was not what I expected at all. Like always, Scorsese brings something deeper than it looks to the screen. I am really glad I was able to watch it for the first time on a big screen, in a class that allows me to analyze it. It will be interesting to see what I pick up on, during my second viewing.
I’ve seen Raging Bull plenty of times and each time I’ve seen it…I’m blown away. I believe this has to be my favorite Scorsese film and it’s understandable why critics hold it in high regard because of its freshness to a genre. Based on structure, I think a very powerful thing that Scorsese did was start this film with Jake Lamotta in his prime. In other words, we don’t see Jake’s childhood at all. That is very rare for a biopic because most of them, if not all, paint a picture of their home life to make you feel a certain way. I love that Raging Bull doesn’t do that and paints you a picture of this horrific boxer, but you can’t truly judge him because you don’t know what happened when he was younger leading up to this. Also, I love how this was the first film about boxing…that wasn’t really about boxing. The boxing was more like a metaphor and it was a way for Jake to find redemption for his actions outside the ring. Muck like Charlie in Mean Streets, where he doesn’t make up for his sins in church, he does it on the streets. Raging Bull also has this rawness where every interaction within the film feels extremely believable and I believe that had to do with Scorsese’s choice of casting a couple of non-actors. Robert Deniro even went as far as to gain weight for this role and I believe that was the first time an actor did that.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ending scene, I definitely feel like he was blaming his brother. There was a beautiful moment where he somewhat came to terms with himself in the jail scene, but I believe it’s because that was the only time he wasn’t in control of a situation and he was forced to. After that, he goes back to being his old self and that can be seen heavily in the ending. The film opens with Jake Lamotta thinking he’s the boss and the film ends with Jake saying “I’m the boss”. One important thing to note is the way Jake executes his monologue at the end. To clarify Jake is quoting from a scene in On The Waterfront where Marlon Brando delivers the monologue with pure emotion. Jake does the exact opposite. It is almost like he has no emotions at all when he delivers those lines as he blames his brother and he seems almost robotic as well. The fact that this character has done so many things wrong and is emotionless about it… is what I believe is very disturbing to Scorsese.
The first exposure of any kind I had to Raging Bull were the video essays we had to watch a few weeks ago. The scenes that were shown in that essay included the fight over steak that Jake has with his first wife, and his confrontation with Vickie in their bedroom after Jake assumes she’s cheating on him. I remember seeing those clips and immediately becoming nervous about what we were going to be watching in class. I was worried I was going to be overwhelmed by the film and it’s subject.
ReplyDeleteAnd then something unexpected happened; after the screening was over, I felt nothing. I expected to be upset, moved, or at least entertained. Instead, I felt perplexed by what I had just watched. Why was this film considered one of the greatest of all time? Objectively, I could see it. The performances are great, the editing was top notch, the cinematography was groundbreaking. So, then, why didn’t it work for me?
I realized it was because I love movies that I can connect and relate to on some sort of human level, but I recognized nothing of myself in this film. I could not relate to the anger, the violence, or the showmanship. Jake LaMotta is the exact opposite of who I think I am. And I didn’t find him compelling, I found him revolting. He is everything a man should strive not to be: violent, angry, jealous, boastful, self-centered, territorial, paranoid. Whether or not he was his own worst enemy doesn’t really matter to me, I have no empathy for this man. I didn’t care about any of his problems because he created all of them for himself.
I see now that Jake LaMotta was the prototype for every straight, male antihero we see on our screens in shows and films. I see why the film was so influential, but I don’t think I will ever be watching it again. What will I get out of watching Jake LaMotta intimidate and punch Vickie in the face again? Will I learn more about filmmaking, about myself, about the human experience? No, I will be watching a shithead guy destroy his life and the lives of everyone around him in an “influential” way.
After reading the Vanity Fair article, I can definitely see all the parallels between Scorsese’s personal demons at the time and all of Jake’s. But personally, I think Scorsese’s personal story would have been a much more compelling film to make. Cokehead workaholic filmmaker almost dies and then writes a movie in the Caribbean for a few weeks with his best friend and muse? I’m in. Asshole boxer never learns to not be a violent asshole? I’m out.
I think Irwin Winkler hit the nail right on the head when he told Scorsese that Jake would never be more than a “cockroach.”
As for the ending, I think it was disturbing to Scorsese because he didn’t think that Jake was capable of taking the blame for his own downfall. I think it disturbed Scorsese because of the parallels in their lives. In spite of his reckless and unhealthy ways, Scorsese was able to accept responsibility and turn his life around. Jake was not able to do that. He might not be an animal, but he certainly was not willing the change.
*willing to change
DeleteRaging Bull, much like Taxi Driver, numbers among my favorite films. The direct, dynamic relationship between the protagonist, Jake, and the film's visual and auditory experience is nothing short of breathtaking. Much like Travis Bickel in Taxi Driver, Jake has a unspoken desire. Unlike Scorsese's other protagonists, Jake is not very good at containing himself. Jake's rampant masculinity leads to violent outbursts that show who he really is. In the opening moments of the film, we see an aged Jake rehearse a tired comedy routine. The audience is instantaneously introduced to what Lamotta becomes, we are given a vision of the future to base our perception of the character off of. The very next scene shows us exactly why Lamotta ended up this way. he physically threatens his wife over a meal, off all things.
ReplyDeleteOn this viewing of the film, I was struck by how similar the film' overall structure is to The Wolf of Wall Street. Jake continuously sexualizes his idea of success, beginning with his early win streak, and his subsequent affair with the 16 year old Vikki. Jordan Belfort's rise to fortune coinsides with his affair from his wife as well. Scorsese clearly enjoys demonstrating the more damning elements of fame and fortune. This, perhaps, is one of the reasons the film is shown in black and white. Lamotta's world view is similar, he sees the world as a constant fight between his personal relationships and his success. The few shots shown in color are home videos from Lamotta, further demonstrating the severe contrast between the two worlds.
Jake is lost in his ego. It's why he refuses to go down in his final fight against Sugar Ray Robinson.
This was my first time watching Raging Bull and I don't think it'll be my last. It is such a powerful film with such fantastic characters, scenes and performances. One of my favorite parts of the movie were the scenes in the ring. They continually got more violent and angry but they also continued to get better and better as the film progressed. The first one started out pretty tame and mild but by the last fight against Sugar Ray Robinson everything within the ring had changed. I think this is very symbolic of the movie and it's plot too because by this last fight everything within the movie had changed too. This last fight was beautifully shot. The way the camera goes back and forth between Jake and Sugar Ray is awesome. It just looks so cool!
ReplyDeleteI think in this final scene Jake LaMotta is finally coming to terms with who he is and the things he's done in his life. He's finally realizing everything he's lost and what he can't get back. When he has the interaction in the parking garage with his brother, I think that's where he figures it out that he's ruined everything in his life. He just expected his brother to come back to him and he wouldn't. Jake finally figures it out here that he's not going to get everything he wants. So that final scene of him in the mirror is him coming to terms with that but he's also trying to fight it off; when he goes "I'm the boss! I'm the boss! I'm the boss!" he's trying to fight off these feelings that he's having by reassuring himself of what he thinks he is.
I can understand why someone could think of this as the most violent scene in the film. It is incredibly powerful to watch this character come to terms with who he is but to also watch him fight it off. He's realizing he's messed up in the past but he's trying to fight against himself and the changes he could go through.
Raging Bull is a harrowing portrait of a destructive personality and how he destroys the lives of those around him due to his ego, pride, and insecurities which result in violence and emotional pain. While it is not one of my personal favorites from Scorsese ( I find it to be somewhat of an emotionally redundant story for him) it has a deserved place in the lists of "Greatest Films of All Time", due to its groundbreaking cinematography, editing, and sound design.
ReplyDeleteThe film uses contrast to great effect. Even from the beginning of the film, slow motion and soothing musical give us a sense of peace that is soon destroyed by the brutality of the actions on screen. The way the film continually uses inventive new ways to show a fight is astounding, from unique camera angles that switch between character POV to wide shots, and regular speed to slow motion. These hyper stylized fights contrast the simple photography of the character interactions outside of the fights, which are shot often in simple wides with pans. This contrast widens as Jake's aggression and violence from inside the ring swallow creeps outside of it and consumes every aspect of his life.
One of my favorite moments in the film is the Scene where Jake has Vera get him riled up sexually, only to deny himself that pleasure to fuel his aggression in the fight. The way Scorsese frames the scene with intimate close ups showing Jakes growing "tension" and the power that the woman holds in that moment, with a dual framing using a mirror in the wide, it builds up to an anti-climax that diffuses the tension only to have it erupt later when Jake fights his Brother. This flow of build and release of tension, both physically and emotionally defines the film.
In regards to the final moment with the "On the Waterfront" monologue, I think that Jake is completely unaware of the subtext of the monologue. I think that he chose it because it relates to his profession and will be a "cute" moment for the audience. Jake in his mind was wronged by all of those around him. He deflects his own faults in order to maintain his fragile construct of the world around him, driven by a deep deep guilt that he will not allow himself to recognize. This descent into self deception is so psychologically painful, I feel that is where Scorsese finds the violence. Self Harm of the highest degree.
Despite my admiration of Raging Bull and it’s standing as perhaps the greatest sports film ever made, I don’t feel as if the film is superior to Goodfellas; but unarguably Scorsese’s most ambitious film to that date. The two facets at the very core of the feature are Robert De Niro’s Academy Award winning performance as the self-destructive Jake La Motta and the luscious black and white cinematography of Michael Chapman. From the movie’s opening shot, Robert De Niro’s bouncing effortlessly around a boxing ring as he prepares for his next bout, Scorsese poetically creates an image of La Motta as a dancer and the coming match a ballet. Evocative of the works of Powell and Pressburger no doubt, the music complementing the slow motion cinematography transcends the image to a sensory realm that which this film is placed.
ReplyDeleteThe tragic hero, a cinematic provocation of Scorsese’s own inner demons, is at his most beautiful in the film’s final scene. Acting as a bookend as we return to Jake La Motta in 1964, sees him recite the famous monologue made famous by Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront. Puffing on a cigar and in a monotone, we see Jake before us as he utters “I coulda had class; I coulda be a contender; I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum. Which is what I am.” Jake himself has become the very character which Brando played. Jake had so many chances to be the greatest, and at one point reached that with winning the middle-heavy weight title; but now he’s lost it all. And as he shadowboxes his way out to his next gig, repeating “I’m the boss” again and again it’s only affirmed that Jake is in fact a bum. A shadowy remnant of a bittersweet past.
I hadn’t seen Raging Bull in years before last week’s screening and I was unsure why. I loved the black-and-white cinematography, the actors deliver intense performances, and the narrative tells a thorough story. However, I always feel somewhat disconnected during the film. I understand the violence of Jake’s struggle, but it never calms. Even when faced with intimacy, there is still anger. There are only few moments where the anger is disguised as vulnerability, such as when he is crying post-fight. This film shows an intense masculinity that drives him not to success but failure. He’s constantly worried about “weight”; weight of the world and his mind but also his physical weight.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I understand and respect the intensity of the film, which I think is why it is considered the greatest film and applauded by critics everywhere. The structure parallels an actual boxing match where the action starts immediately and doesn’t stop until the end, with brief pauses throughout. The film rarely gives the audience a moment to breath, with the exception of the color home-video footage mixed with stills of meets. I like this because like Jake’s life, and life in general, it’s intense. Like a boxing meet, before you know it twenty years have passed and you feel bruised and beaten.
The final scene is one of my favorites of all time and I agree with the reviewer, it is the most violent moment of the film. On the Waterfront tells the story of an ex-fighter who gave up his potential success to join his brother in the mob. Marlon Brando’s character tells his brother Charlie, I could have been something but it was your fault. While his brother influenced him, it wasn’t Charlie that threw his fight it was Terry. So in a way he ruined his own future. Jake, reciting the famous scene, is playing the role of Terry and “blaming” his brother on his unsuccessful life. Because everyone has left Jake, he doesn’t blame himself. He blames everyone else, especially his brother.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Raging Bull, but the beginning of the movie was always stuck in my head. The peaceful orchestral music is in complete contradiction to Jake La Motta’s boxing. Along with the way the ropes are framed, it looks like Jake is in some sort of cage. Don’t forget his boxing gear, with that on, he looks inhuman. He’s like some sort of prized cock fighter waiting for his next opponent. The black and white really accentuates the scene, it made Jake La Motta look like he’s in his own world.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I really like this movie. I think my favorite part of the movie has to be the relationship between Jake and Joey La Motta. At the start, I believed that Joey was the screw-up, and Jake was the caring brother, who gave him job. But as the film went on, things start to unravel, and you begin to realize it’s the other way around. It’s a great dynamic, you then realize that Joey’s relationship with the local mob was to help Jake’s career. And all Jake has done was complain, eat and get fat. It’s as if Joey realize that early on in their lives, Jake was only good for, taking and giving out punches. So he steered Jake towards boxing.
I think the ending really brought Robert De Niro’s character full circle. Throughout the film Jake refused to take the blame for his actions, the man is an egotistical, simple-minded fool. He had chances to change, when he got married the second time, when he got unsuspended from boxing, apologizing to his brother, and during the scene when we thought he might actually change, in jail, sobbing. But he’s a weed, who managed to skate on his past accomplishments and charm. So at the end, he wasn’t blaming himself, he was blaming his brother, that mob boss, his ex-wife, etc. He blamed them for not stopping him, from becoming what he hated, a bum.
Like some of you it was my first time seeing Raging Bull, but like most of you I found it very enjoyable. I especially found La Motta's character very interesting to say the least. Here we have this fighter that almost represents a gladiator in the arena, but he also has his flaws which Scorsese highlights beautifully. La Motta has trust issues, an eating disorder brought on by trying to fight in different weight classes, and it wouldn't be a Scorsese film without a dominant male character undermining or even beating his woman. Scorsese does an outstanding jobs showing La Motta on top, and when he is spiraling to the bottom. The fight scenes are highlighted with punch after punch, following La Motta's victories and we cheer for him. We see this gladiator in his arena fighting for the crowd and the crowd always cheered for him. Even in the fight he threw the honor he desperately wants to uphold he exclaims by telling Sugar Ray he never knocked him down. He cries in the locker room, this man we've seen as a stone wall, is now crumbling in his tears of dishonoring himself; but he still did it for the money. Once we are shown the outer ring of this character he is much much more violent as a person then as a fighter in the ring. He is so over protective of his wife that in one scene she calls a new up and coming fighter handsome and in retaliation of that, La Motta proceeds to beat this fighters face to a bloody pulp in their match up. He thinks his new wife is cheating on him with everyone, even his own brother, and he starts beating her at one point to.
ReplyDeleteHe starts down this madding decent into infamy and shame after he throws his last fight. The final nail in the coffin was when he started gaining weight again, this time he wouldn't lose it for a fight, beats not only his wife but his brother too. His brother cuts him out of his life and although Vickie stays with La Motta after he beat her, she leaves him too. Now Le Motta is a broken beaten man, and a failing comedy. De Niros character was interesting to say the least, what he lacked in dialogue as a developing character, he made up for through his actions. Finally, we find La Motta overweight and talking to himself in the mirror. I believe he was talking about himself when he quoted On The Water Front, telling himself maybe if you trust the people around you would've been a contender, that you would've been somebody.
This is was first time seeing the film and while I wasn’t really interested in Jake La Motta’s story at first, I can’t deny how beautiful the film is in regards to aesthetics. The film has this grand, cinematic form from start to finish.The opening of the film gives us the image of Jake La Motta in his prime and is immediately contrasted with a heavier, older version of La Motta. Using this contrast was a way to pull the viewer into the story, making us wonder ‘how did he end up like that?’ Because, really, I have no interest in boxing. And so the story begins with Jake La Motta in 1941 in the boxing ring. My favorite sequence in the film is the progression of both Jake and Joey’s life over the years. He uses home-video footage that gives the film a documentary feel. These moments are always contrasted with scenes full of extreme emotions from jealously and self-loathing.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where La Motta is reciting the monologue from On the Water Front, I didn’t get the feeling that it was violent. Instead there was a feeling of sadness for him because he lost everything and never really gained anything to begin with. More violent is the scene in the jail cell where he bangs his head and punches the wall in a rage, repeatedly saying how stupid he is. Though I disliked him I was able still able to be empathic.
I’ve talked how Scorsese gives us honest filmmaking in his earlier films because his subjects are real and bare. It’s the same for Raging Bull. Nothing is glossed over. Even though the film is very episodic and operatic, especially with the choice of music, it is still a depiction of a man with emotions and internal battles like everyone else.
To me, Raging Bull felt similar to Forrest Gump--if Forrest were a somewhat despicable human being. The movie highlights episodes in Lamotta's life, dragging you along with the protagonist regardless of your opinion on him and his actions. Part of me thinks that's why this movie speaks to so many people; we're social creatures. For every Forrest, there's a handful of Lamottas. Raging Bull might not instill the same warm and fuzzy feelings that we have during Forrest Gump, but we're still peering into another person's life... a deeply flawed, but intimate experience. Human experience films will always stand the test of time, because we will always long to sympathize with and be intrigued by other humans. That's what makes Raging Bull so classic. It's gritty, raw, and shocking, but it's authentic to the characters and that's all that matters.
ReplyDeleteAs to the aforementioned ending, I'm not sure I agree with it being the "most violent scene" in the movie, but I do think it's the culmination of all the previous violence. Lamotta has finally come to terms with who he is, and as the audience has witnessed, it's not a very pretty person. All the violence, both in the ring and in his personal life, have caught up with Lamotta--from here, he can either own up to his mistakes, something that might've been hinted at when he greets his brother the final time, or continue on his current path, hinted at when he revisits his now ex-wife. The ambiguity of this ending left me a little unsatisfied, but to know that Lamotta has finally come face-to-face with his past atrocities gives me hope that he will continue to mature as a person.
Personally, I think that “Raging Bull” is the most beautiful and the most raw of Scorsese’s films. From the moment the film started, I knew this was the culmination of everything Scorsese learned through the creation of all his previous works and inspirations. When watching Jake La Motta pumping himself up in the boxing ring in slow motion, I was immediately brought back to the slow motion sequences of “Who’s That Knocking at My Door”. The relationship between Jake and his first wife was very reminiscent of the fighting in “New York, New York” and probably was derived somewhat from Scorsese’s own relationships.
ReplyDeleteI found it funny when in class we discussed how Scorsese couldn’t really connect to the boxing parts of the film. Those scenes are immediately what pop into my head whenever “Raging Bull” is brought up. The scenes in the ring are beautifully ugly. With some of the best cinematography in all of cinema, there is an interesting combination of cinematic fantasy and gritty realism. The lighting on the boxers is so beautiful but, at the same time, makes sure to highlight all of the pores, blood, and sweat of these fighters who look like they’ve clearly been dragged through the dirt a few times. I can’t help but think of the “zolly” shot of Sugar Ray Robinson just before he is about to beat La Motta into a bloody pulp. The camera brings the audience closer to watch the transformation of a man become an animal. As an audience, we are visually witnessing the hesitation from Sugar Ray transition to a decision to literally and metaphorically put La Motta out of his misery.
In response to Scorsese’s own question about the ending of this film, I tend to be on the side that La Motta is putting the blame on himself. What is perhaps the most disturbing thing about his whole character is that he recognizes how much his competitive drives and obsessions have turned him into the horrible person he has become, as well as ruined the lives of those around him, but is not actually looking to change. He just accepts the fact that he is a man who is completely controlled by humanity’s most animalistic impulses, sex and violence, and wants to be that man until the day he dies. It’s a very unique thing to have your main character not have a life changing revelation by the end of the film and, at the same time, its becoming a common trope of Scorsese himself. From what I’ve seen so far in his filmography, Scorsese definitely takes and interest in the characters who know they do bad but continue down the wrong path anyway. This interest can be seen even in his later works, including “Silence”, and can be found all they way back in “Mean Streets”. I’m sure we will see this character type again for as long as Scorsese makes films.
I first saw raging bull when I was 15 and I didn't remember much. Now, 3 years into film school and refreshed once more, I still feel like I need to watch it again to comprehend everything. As I feel with most Scorsese films, further viewings only enrich the content. Jake La Motta is a fascinating, deprecating character. His masochistic style is a perfect fit for Scorsese who obviously likes self imploding characters. What really stuck out to me were the fight scenes. Each scene was incredibly detailed with some of the best camera work. I think it was one of the first few fights where La Motta is coming in for another round and the camera circles him and he looks like a predator circling his prey. He literally is a bull in that shot (it's the same shot as the gif). I would love to see all of the fights edited together, they might even tell the story of Jake La Motta on their own. They are absolutely brutal but also so beautiful. I've never seen any fight scenes like that. I think Scorsese prepares the audience for that with the opening shot, La Motta bouncing around the ring in slow motion to beautiful music. The ring is set up to be a place of expression, revelation, and opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThe end is cringeworthy. I don't think La Motta will ever truly recognize himself as a bum, he's got too much fight in him, but paradoxically that's what is keeping him from becoming great. He can't accept defeat in any situation, even when he was through the fight he still mumbled to the other fighter "You never knocked me down". As he repeats his mantra "i'm the boss, I'm the boss" you just get hit with a hook to the face that no, La Motta is definitely not the boss. It's sad, hopeless, and violent. He will never climb out of the pit he dug himself.
I think Raging Bull is held in such high regard because of the things the film achieved within the context of its release. For one, you can’t ignore that De Niro’s extreme physical transformation in the film hadn’t been done before in a movie. It was also a mainstream film shot and released in black and white a solid twenty years after they had phased out in studio filmmaking. Eyes were on this movie the second it was shot. It was Scorsese’s first film after New York, New York bombed and the director succumbed to a highly publicized cocaine addiction. With Rocky’s monumental success spawning a half-dozen sequels and lookalikes, Raging Bull presents fights with radical filmmaking techniques — slow mo and freeze frames (trademark), shooting inside the ring — that created a truly different experience in a world of boxing movies. The sound design in the film’s fights were also a departure from the norm. Scorsese collected carefully curated cues - from Jaguar roars to flash-bulb shatters - and layered them as they pertained to a specific moment in LaMotta’s POV.
ReplyDeleteBut all of these elements make a phenomenal film. They are choices - in performance, blocking, editing, and photography - that dole out so much character information they last. So while, yeah, timing can have a lot to do with its success, Raging Bull just tells the story of a tragically belligerent boxer so well that it is timeless.
The ending is disturbing because of the genuine inconclusion of LaMotta’s character. Like Scorsese himself asked, we have to wonder whether LaMotta’s interpretation of that scene is that of a man who still blames his mismanaged career and relationships on other beings. Or is it, as Scorsese suggested, his tragic internal realization that he sacrificed the relationship of his family in order to further his boxing career? It’s that grey space where we leave LaMotta that is so tragic. In the end, all we know is he’s alone.
I think Raging Bull might be a casualty of “the hype” for me. It’s one of those movies that everybody seems to only have good things to say about. And while it is definitely a good movie, it didn’t quite seem worthy of all the hype. In my opinion it’s not the best Scorsese film ever made let alone one of the greatest American films of all time.
ReplyDeleteThe pacing felt off to me. I felt like there were a few different times it should or could have ended, but then it didn’t.
Scorsese is a sort of specialist in unlikeable protagonists. Jake fits this bill to the letter. That doesn’t usually stop me from enjoying his films (even if they are disturbing). The problem I really had was being interested in him. Travis Bickle is a fascinatingly freaky dude. Henry Hill is the same way and he even seems like he might be human sometimes. Jake didn’t have either of those things going for him. It seemed like there was never a point in time in the movie where he wasn’t busy being paranoid or trying to play mind games or fuck with people, especially with his brother who just wants to help his dumb ass. I feel like I honestly can’t put my finger on what exactly it was that bothered me about this movie.
While it didn’t quite deliver for me I suppose I can see what people like about it. It is without a doubt an excellent character study. The choice to shoot in black and white really helps anchor it in a certain time and place. The cinematography (particularly the fight scenes) and editing are also fantastic.
I think that without a doubt that when Jake is quoting On the Waterfront at the end of the film he sees himself as Marlon Brando’s character, who happens to be a boxer who blames his brother for his having never become a “contender.” Jake was never one to accept responsibility for his actions and his calling himself “champ” and “the boss” seems to indicate to me a continuation of that trend. If he had changed at all he wouldn’t still consider himself king shit of fuck mountain. And since he always thought Joey was out to get him, I don’t see how he couldn’t be seeing himself as Brando.
Raging Bull 10 out of 10.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to rank Scorcese's best films on a scale of 1 through 10- Raging Bull would come in at number 3, right behind Silence and Goodfellas. Raging Bull is Scorcese's most complex character to date in Jake LaMotta- a maschostic, abusive, raging pedophile with an inferiroity complex. Jake is more destructive than Travis Bickle and way more ambitious than Henry Hill. He's a guy that wants to make it on his own (without the help of the mob) but finds himself trapped due to his inability to control his own emotions. He finally gets the woman of his dreams but ends up only beating her and denying her sex. He has a brother that is helping to guide him through these obstacles but ends up alienating him and after he accuses him of sleeping with his wife, he ends up beating him. Jake ends up losing everything: his championship belt, his wife, his brother and his freedom. In the darkness of his cell, he pounds his fists and forehead against the wall in brutal punishment. The catharsis of the film comes at the end when Jake talks to himself in the mirror while quoting the "I Could've been a Contender" monolouge from "On the Waterfront." Jake is placing blame on himself when he gives this monolouge. "It was you, Charlie" he says while pointing the finger at himself. You would notice that picture has mirrors as a recurring motif. Jake never looks into a mirror (at himself) the entire film until the ending. He has already come to grips with his past and future and he is making headway for his brother to forgive him. This form of punishment is way harsher than the beating he had gotten from Sugar Ray or when he brutalized himself in prison. It is one of self-realization. It is one of coming to terms with yourself and of your past mistakes. It's also taking responsibility which is one of the hardest things for adults to do. Jake could live his life blaming other people for his failures but he doesn't. He has forgiven himself and his mistakes.
The first time I watched this film was a decade ago, I was shocked by the violence in this film. I watched many main stream Hollywood at that time and none of them like this. Wild, raw, savage, animal, and all the word related to primal emotion comes to my mind. Then every time people talking about Raging bull I always have this impression in my mind. Until I watched this film again, I have some new impression. The first impression is the shot when the blood drips down from the ring rope. In my impression, LaMotta was a savage, after I saw the blood, he is a fighter for me. He fought for his life and honor. He blames his brother involves him into the fraud in front of the mirror and they cried in the waiting room after they lose. Boxing is his everything, boxing is his belief, he shouldn't betray it. Just like Martin always honest to his film. The second impression is LaMotta punched the wall in the jail. He kept asking why and saying I am not animal. It was heartbroken moment for me. I couldn't remember this scene at all after first time I watched it. I couldn’t understand this scene when I was 20s. I have fully sympathy for him now. After being a champing, now he is in his worst moment. He is animal, most fierce animal both in the ring and outside of the ring. Through Raging bull, this is first time we go inside of this animal, he is so fragile in emotional like a child. He wants love from his wife and brother, but this love is so sick that he cannot balance it. He loves his brother and wife so much that he afraid to lose them. I love this film most because it shows the life behind his success. We've used to see a perfect model for the successful people. The celebrity also like to give public a perfect impression too. Through this movie, the first time we see a true man. We don't know what happened to his childhood, but when he blames his brother infront of the mirror. I could say he didn't receive enough love from family. He eagers to love. He is still a child.
ReplyDeleteRaging Bull: 10/10! A perfect score, hands down!
ReplyDeleteThis was the eighth time I have seen "Raging Bull", and I still hold it in such high esteem. It is by far and away one of my favorite films of all-time! I will never get sick of seeing this astonishing film. There is absolutely nothing to argue with the consensus that it is one of the best films of all-time. I truly believe that consensus is 100% accurate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this evocative, astonishing, truly compelling film. It truly is a masterpiece. This is hands down one of Scorsese's all-time greats!!! I would rank this his 2nd best film, right after "Goodfellas", and place "Taxi Driver" his 3rd best film! This film was truly ahead of its time with providing an unflinching expose at the deterioration and self-destructive nature of one man; hellbent on destroying himself and his relationships. This film was truly ahead of its time; in terms of creating a protagonist, who in other circumstances, would be downright detestable and irredeemable. Every aesthetic component in this film was astonishing. Everything from the dynamite, Oscar-winning performance from Robert De Niro as the self-sabotaging, psychologically damaged protagonist, Jake LaMotta, the Oscar-nominated performances from: Joe Pesci, as his manager and equally volatile brother, Joey LaMotta, and Cathy Moriarty, as LaMotta's young, physically and verbally abused and exhausted wife, Vickie, the fast-paced editing, which brilliantly captured the world from LaMotta's paranoid, irrational POV, the black and white, yet stellar cinematography, and the pitch perfect direction from Scorsese. One specific scene that comes to mind that perfectly reflects all of these components would be when Jake aggressively confronts his brother, asking him if he is sleeping with his wife. This scene starts off as a mild confrontation; then automatically and rapidly escalates when he physically assaults his brother at his family house; with his children, his wife, and LaMotta's wife as witnesses. This scene was beautifully edited because everything was captured from LaMotta's POV. Audience members could see LaMotta's paranoid delusions were consuming him; and completely took over. We were obviously appalled by his actions; but nonetheless, felt empathy for him because through, the editing; he could not distinguish real life from his irrational and paranoid delusions. He was his own worst enemy. The physical and emotional transformation into Jake LaMotta is also another thing to point out. The commitment and dedication De Niro exemplified throughout this tour de force, remarkable performance was nothing short of miraculous. This is hands down one of the greatest performances ever in American Cinema. Honestly, if Robert De Niro did not win his well-deserved Academy Award for Best Actor that year; the Academy would have absolutely zero credibility at all. This was one Oscar win in the Academy's 89 year history that was well deserved! De Niro's performance in this scene reflected just how detached from reality he had become; which quickly escalated to the point of no return. Another scene that captured the world from LaMotta's POV was in the fighting scene when he was getting creamed by another opponent.
What else could I possibly say about "Raging Bull", that has not been said before. Personally, I believe critics and audiences hold Scorsese's classic, tour de force, "Raging Bull" in such high esteem because of how brilliantly it realistically depicts one man's struggles in the ring and in his personal life; that strays away from sanitizing any of the challenges he endured throughout his life. This film was truly an astonishing representation of one man's inner struggles to get to the top, by chronicling both his many trials and his many tribulations as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think the primary reason it has resonated with critics and viewers worldwide is because of the way it realistically portrayed the protagonist, as a damaged, emotionally complex individual; rather than putting a Hollywood image around him; making him easily redeemable and sympathetic. The audience, in turn, would feel sympathy for him, because of the way Robert De Niro brought this complex character to life. De Niro embodied and encapsulated LaMotta, to the point that it was no longer a performance; but, instead; had become a true embodiment. This a true testament to the captivating, Oscar-winning performance from Robert De Niro; and the seamless, effective direction from Scorsese. Another key aspect to the success of this film would have to the way this film realistically and effectively represents the how the themes of self-destruction, greed, ambition, and competition can corrupt one man's psychological state to the point of no return. Audiences get an in-depth, truly personalized account as to how all of these trivial pursuits corrupted LaMotta until he could no longer function. Another crucial aspect to the film's overall success has to be its aesthetic focus on Neo-Noir and neorealism to tell LaMotta's story.