Raging Bull review

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Satyaki Roy writes about Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull

So for this review I will forget about who did what and just concentrate on the final result. These films which become all time greats are often the subject of more than just final film analysis. They are studied from the moment they were first concieved in someone's head, somewhere. Unending pursuit.

The film starts with a wide-angle slow motion shot of De Niro warming up in the ring with his robe on, head covered, as the begining credits appear by the side. That one shot itself, is worth mentioning. Scorcese experimented successfully with higher shutter speeds in many places in the film. In a surprising many places actually. All you see are the ropes surrounding the ring, the floor, a few people and lights behind, and De Niro in it, dancing on the left, near the other end. Film analysts usually say 'lyrical' is real time. Over-cranking cant exactly be called real time, but that one shot is beautifully lyrical in this otherwise harsh film. Another beautiful part is when during his last fight in the film, De Niro takes a never-before beating from Sugar Ray Robinson while defending his belt. He just wont go down. Sugar Ray keeps hitting him in the face with all his might. He moves away in the end and the focus shifts to the rope with his blood dripping from it. Raging Bull.

It is the story of Jake La Motta, a headstrong and selfish boxer who refuses to go down in the ring. As with most of Scorcese's films, the story is not important. Everyone leaves Jake by the end and he becomes old and fat. He goes to jail and ends up entertaining people with jokes during perofrmances in clubs. The film starts with LaMotta preparing for one such persormance in his dressing room. And returns to it in a circular fashion at the end.

The first fight sequence between LaMotta and Sugar Ray introduces Scorcese's stunning visual design. Fast tracks, inside the ring close-ups, absolute low angles with the lights behind and matching top angles cut together like a storm. There is no establishing shot of the entire space till the very end, when amidst the post fight chaos, an announcer signals to a musician to start the music. It is then we see, behind her, the whole place going crazy. Sound design is authentic, with continuous overlapping, every sound different and distinguishable. Timeless. What is striking is a huge part of the tension is built not through actors moving at great speeds but the camera moving faster and the harsh hard cuts. These aspects of design stay astonishingly consistent throughout.

From there on to LaMotta's life. His brother, played by Joe Pesci, his wife whom he leaves, the next marriage and so on. Scorcese knows that world; the 'bronx', the violence, the music, the words, everything, as is clear from the genuineness of his characters. We know he belongs to that world. Most of his films are set in it. His film language, realistic and dreamlike at the same time, probably the most stylistic in the history of cinema, is a key ingredient in the diet of any film school student. It should be. His narrative structure is loose. But that gives this film a chaotic feel which I am sure he intended. In case he didn't, good for him.

The fights are principally covered by a camera inside the ring. Shots of chaos outside inserted in between. Loads of tracks, everywhere. A great performance by the girl. I forget her name. She plays Vicky, his second wife. A nice feel good color section in between, a device for happy passing of time. Chapman delivers consistently realistic work throughout. A few longer single shots seem to be foreshadowing the fantastically long ones in Goodfellas. The music, popular music of the 70s, including Perry Como and Ella Fitzgearld, plays like its on some radio nearby. When it comes to mood creation, he relies on effortless music laying.

People consider Taxidriver to be the film which deals with lonliness and raw sexuality. Raging Bull is no less. Scorcese says LaMotta takes out the anger he has for himself on those around him. On those he fights in the ring and those he loves outside. Till the end, when he lands up in jail, in solitary confinement, where he has only himself to be angry with. He punches the walls the way he used to punch the bag and his opponents. He cries.

There are parts in the second half where the film drags. LaMotta's sense of persecution mania is a recurrent theme and portrayed as one of the causes of his personal downfall. A funny thing is his character changes towards the end of the film without much reason. Till he is boxing he seems a person not capable of much social joviality. But when he retires he becomes a stand-up comedian and a nightclub owner. In quite a few aspects the film seems pretty loosely bound when compared to Scorcese's other works like Taxidriver and Goodfellas.

The use of the mirror in the last shot is worth a lot of thought. Scorcese attributes his use of mirrors in most films to his personal use and love for mirrors. LaMotta, a man who lives in his own world, by his own rules. A man who is constantly at loggerheads with regular society. What better ending than to make him look at himself in the mirror. Whom does he really lay the blame on, in the end? Watching influences like On the Waterfront etc. could help. But for some reason I don't think it matters. Raging Bull ends with a fighter preparing for his next fight.

Scorcese made this film coming out of depression and illness, thinking it would be his last film. He is still fighting. His narrative structure has become more cogent and he has dealt with a variety of themes. But his best still remain part autobiographical tales from New York's Little Italy. The praise he receives now, he should have received long back. But then, such is life.