"Raging Bull"
is a beautiful film about ugly people. It is a
graceful masterpiece about morally clumsy
people. It is a film that manages to be many
things: a boxing film, a biopic, a study of life
and the human condition. "Raging Bull" is one of
the greatest films ever made.
It is the true story of Jake La Motta (Robert
DeNiro), a middleweight boxer whose rise and
fall is similar to that of a Greek tragedy. It
is the story of his brother, Joey (Joe Pesci),
who does what he can to defend his brother's
honor. It is the story of Vicki (Cathy
Moriarty), the woman Jake marries and drives
away. It is a story of triumph, disgrace, pain,
and ultimately, failure.
In a decade that churned out little more than
crap, director Martin Scorsese made a film that
is perfect. Don't avoid it if you don't like
boxing, "Raging Bull" is just as much about
boxing as "Citizen Kane" is about newspapers.
Despite being voted the best film of the decade
by film critics, it only won two Academy Awards.
DeNiro took home one for he performance, and
Thelma Schoonmaker for her editing. It should
have won Best Picture, director, cinematography,
sound, and although the award for it was still a
few years away, makeup.
DeNiro's performance.
Much has been said about how he trained for over
a year with the real Jake La Motta to play the
role of a boxer, and how he then gained 60
pounds and put his health at risk to play him
later in life when his health had been shot to
hell. DeNiro's method acting may seem drastic,
but when it works, why fix it? DeNiro's
performance as the self-loathing, physically
abusive La Motta is terrifying and we hate him;
but at the same time, we can't help but feel
sorry for him.
ALthough this IS DeNiro's movie, it doesn't mean
that the rest of the cast isn't up to snuff.
Pesci's Oscar nominated performance is a perfect
foil to DeNiro's, and the scenes that they share
together are some of the best ever put on film.
Moriarty, a newcomer, manages to hold her own
against these two powerhouses and creates a
real, flesh and blood character that walks right
off of the screen. The drama is amped up the
beautiful use of music. Classical in nature, but
strangely fitting with the brutality.
The two hour running length may consist mostly
of these characters, but what make "Raging Bull"
one of the most unique film experiences of all
time is teh boxing matches. In films like
"Rocky," boxing is presented as an honorable
sport where dreams can come true if victory
comes. "Raging Bull" is the opposite. The boxing
ring becomes hell on Earth when LaMotta fights.
Abandoning the usual, "film from all angles"
camera scheme that most boxing movies use,
"Raging Bull" places one camera inside of the
ring. We see every hit up close, here every
punch. WE ARE IN THE RING. Scorsese also films
the fights in a ring much bigger than a usual
ring, and the audience is little more than
silhouette amidst a gray and blank background.
The hits do not sound like hits; they are
gunshots, glass being broken, animal screams,
horrifying noises that meld together to create
an experience unlike any other. Quick cuts, slow
motion, sped up film, smoke and fog, lighting,
all is obscure and unrealistic. Every fight
scene is surreal and almost terrifying in it's
brutality. Blood, sweat and spit sprays by the
gallon, noses crunch...the usual boxing violence
taken up to the Scorsese level. It all works
together to channel La Motta's angry sould. It
is the way HE sees the fights.
Simply put, for a movie that really isn't about
boxing, the boxing scenes are the best ever put
on film.
I could go on for a long time about why you
should see "Raging Bull" if you haven't already.
Instead, I'll tell you that a new 2-disk DVD is
in stores now and you should go buy it. I would
like to say that Scorsese has never been better,
but he topped himself 10 years later with "Goodfellas."
There is a reason why Martin Scorsese is the
greatest director living today.
THIS is why.
©
Written by Jacob Hall
TC Candler's Comment
A perfect
biography... Beautifully shot and impeccably
acted.
Richard
Propes' Comment
With powerhouse performances by DeNiro and Pesci
and wonderful direction by Martin Scorsese, this
remains one of my favorite DeNiro flicks. I
can't say that I always fancy myself a Scorsese
fan, yet watching this film brings it all home
for me. Scorsese is a genius, and even when I
may not necessarily "like" his films, they are
impossible to not love.
