Raging Bull

The film 'Raging bull' by Martin Scorsese is one which after watching, stayed in my head for a long time. I understood the film to be very important to myself as I thought about it everyday. I will not go into every nuance of the film as the film can be analyzed in some depth but I will mention a few scenes which stand out to me. The theme of the film which resonated with me is that of struggle, a mans struggle to perform and when his integrity is damaged. Jake LaMotta's on screen struggle is with himself, through the fights and situations in the film we see a simultaneous portrayal of the struggles he went through in life and inside his soul. Jake's remorse for compromising his integrity when boxing perhaps underpins the rest of Jake's downfalls which for myself was a striking theme in the film, the struggle to be successful and keeping your integrity is one which many people can relate too.

One aspect of the film which interested me was the passing of time which allowed the audience to view LaMotta at the beginning of his boxing career and beyond the end of his boxing career. Curiously the scene which most demonstrates this passing of time whilst acknowledging the past's influence upon the present is the final scene inside a dressing room, in preparation for a performance, the beginning of a new challenge.

The reason why this film is important to my art practice is that two of the films most powerful and emotional scenes are at either end of the film, the very first shot and the very last.













The last scene in Martin Scorsese's 'Raging Bull', Jake LaMotta's monologue, is one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen, and one which I could not shake from my mind for a long time after seeing. The presence of this scene in my thoughts lead me to write down the monologue and discover the reason why it meant so much to me at that time.

In the film, the use of the dressing room mirror in conjunction with the monologue is of particular significance. The boxing carer of the main character of 'On the waterfront'(1954) Terry Malloy has many similarities with Jake LaMott's real life. When Jake recites the famous scene of 'On the waterfront' where Terry finally after years of silent torment confronts his brother 'Charlie' and blames him for his miss-fortune in boxing, he recites it into a dressing room mirror. There is no one else in the room. LaMotta is simultaneously blaming other people for he situation he has ended up in, and is most movingly addressing himself through the recital. LaMotta's past career and the dignity of contending as mentioned in the monologue are echoed by his sparing, done to prepare himself physiologically for the coming performance. The sparing reminds us that LaMotta is still fighting his own personal battles, still contending now as a performer, and echos his personal history of boxing and violence which have lead to this moment.

Similarly the first shot of the film, is of LaMotta sparing in a boxing ring by himself. LaMotta of to one side of the shot and the rest of the shot is empty. The solitude of the scene and the sparing sums up the films focus, a man fighting himself. The music of 'Cavalleria rusticana's Intermezzo plays over the shot, a dramatic piece of music used before scenes of violence and revenge. The action of the sparing shows a preparation for an upcoming fight, and being in the opening shot of the film marks the moment before the film really begins the story line, the upcoming scenes of violence. The two scenes I have picked out both bracket the rest of the film in the same way other films which have been influential to me have down such as John Ford's 'The Searchers'.