Raging Bull Film Analysis.

November 21, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment, Movies

I finished the course on Film Arts and according to my teacher now I have more knowledge than most critics which I actually agree on. My second film analysis is on Raging Bull and I got a solid A on it. I could of done better but some simple spelling and sentence structuring problems didn’t allow me to get the full credit for it. This movie is a bit long and slow at times but it is still a great movie with great quotes. If you haven’t seen it go watch it. And here is the film analysis on it….

In the Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull, the camera is used to set a certain rhythm of the movie. It is also used to emphasize on certain things. And to give us a clear message of what Scorsese wants us to focus on.
In the opening scene, where credits are being shown, we can see Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) in the background moving around the ring. This shot is done in slow motion which makes him seem like a calm person. But it also seems like he is captured inside the ring. We see him from outside of the ring as a spectator, judging him already.
The next scene is one long continuous shot of the old Jake La Motta reciting a poem. The shot never cuts, itâ€™s done continuously. This shows him very calmed and confident. When he says â€œthatâ€™s entertainmentâ€ we see a close up on his face, particularly on his broken nose which we can assume is from his previous boxing matches. After this they show a short freeze frame of young Jake La Motta in the boxing ring, he repeats the words â€œthatâ€™s entertainmentâ€ and the boxing match continues. Now we know that boxing is entertainment, even though he broke his nose and he takes a beating every now and then, itâ€™s entertainment.
In the first boxing match of the movie, the camera is positioned as if we were the fighter for a brief second. This gives us the point of view of the fighter. Jake La Motta is throwing punches towards the camera and seems to have no control over them. This show us how powerful Jake is. Many close up shots are used to show the faces of the boxers and certain punches.
In the scene where Jake La Motta is talking to his wife, the camera starts moving in slowly into her face but also placing her inside a frame. The frame gives the meaning that she is locked inside something. We can tell that some how Jake controls her because it started moving slowly towards her and boxing her in after he talked to her. They are not having an ordinary couple argument, and it wonâ€™t be the last fight they will have. We also see the use of slow motion in the scene where Jake and Joey La Motta (Joe Pesci) go to the annual summer dance. But in this case slow motion is used to show the obsession that Jake has with Vickie Thailer (Cathy Moriarty), all he is focusing on is her and nothing else.
The second fight scene against Sugar Ray Robinson (Johnny Barnes) we see more space in the ring, showing more freedom to move around. This suggests that Jake is getting more freedom in his life; he is getting to new areas. We also see the use of a 360 degree swish pan shot to show the current state of Sugar Ray as he is receiving all the punches. This gives us an idea of what the opponent might be feeling, confusion because of all the hits.
The next scene starts with Jakeâ€™s feet hanging from the bed. Vickie walks in and they start having a sexual moment. Between this we can see a mirror behind Jake; this mirror shows his reflection and her reflection. After the sexual moment in the bed, Jake goes to the bathroom. He is looking into the mirror and this time Vickie invades that space in the mirror. The fact that there is a mirror in this scene lets us know that Jake has two lives, one of them is him as a boxer inside the ring, and the other is him outside the ring. In this case both worlds are crossing because his mind is inside the ring preparing for his match but at the same time he is with Vickie. The scene ends with feet hanging from the bed, as it started, but this time they are Vickieâ€™s.
In the third fight scene we see a lot of smoke and something that appears to be heat waves distorting the image. We also see some of use of slow motion during the fight, showing the intensity of the fight. Even when Jake sits down we canâ€™t see his face because it is covered by the ropes. The flashes of the cameras look like bits of fire. All of this adds up to tell us that the fight is heated and they are putting everything they have into it. When Sugar Ray gets knocked down we see all the smoke next to him and the lights flashing and then it cuts back to Jake and the camera shifts quickly to him. This gives us a sense that Sugar Ray got his sense back and can stand up to keep fighting, he knows where his opponent is at.
In the scene where they all go to Copacabana, we notice that Jake is jealous because he sees Vickie socializing with the guys from the mafia. Once again we see the use of slow motion to have a different meaning, hate. In this case after Vickie says hi to the mafia guy, Jake looks at him and it becomes a slow motion shot emphasizing the hate he is feeling towards that guy in that moment. Later on in the same scene Vickie goes to the table to say hi to the rest of the mafia guys. This is also shown in slow motion because Jake is looking at the way she acts around them. These slow motion shots remind us of earlier in the movie when he still didnâ€™t know her but was trying to get to know her at the dance hall.
The next fight scene is against Janiro (Kevin Mahon), the man he has been jealous of because his wife and everyone else keep describing him as a pretty boy. During the fight scene there are a lot of close up shots to Janiroâ€™s face to show the punches and the pain he is going through. They also show a slow motion shot when he starts bleeding after one of the punches. These mixed close ups with slow motion gives us a better sense of how hard these punches are landing. Jake was determined to destroy Janiroâ€™s pretty face.
In the next scene where Joey is at the bar and sees Vickie come in, we see the use of mirrors once more. While Joey is talking to her, Vickie has two mirrors behind her showing two more images of her. This could be interpreted as her living more than one life because it seems she is being unfaithful or/and that she is trapped between worlds. Later on the fight breaks out and we see the use of perspective to symbolize the hits. The mafia guy is inside the car and Joey is outside smashing the door into his face. There is cutting between Joey holding the door, the door closing into the camera and then the expressions in the mafia guyâ€™s face. These separate shots give us the illusion that it is all connected and it is happening, but we never truly see it happen at once.
We later see Jake in the same pool place where he met Vickie. Joey approaches him and they start talking. During this scene they show Jake in a clear shot and then they show Jake from outside, showing the rain that seems to cover him. In a way, the rain is framing him, he is behind the rain. The fact that he is covered by rain and in the same place as he met Vickie symbolizes that he is behind bars. He knows Vickie is cheating on him and wants to find out with whom.
In the next fighting scene we notice that all the elements used on the previous fighting scenes seem to disappear. No slow motion shots are used. And the close ups donâ€™t really mean anything. This is because the fight is boring and nothing is happening. Jake was told to take a dive and the other fighter is no good and canâ€™t knock him down even though Jake is not defending himself. The whole fight scene seems like any other simple scene, nothing special ever happens and that is why we donâ€™t find it entertaining.
Later in the movie we see the use of slow motion come back. When Jake is in the hotel waiting for the fight, the mafia boss pays him a visit. When the boss is leaving, Vickie goes over to say goodbye and kisses him. While this happens Jake is watching them and it becomes slow motion, showing that Jake doesnâ€™t like what he is seeing. We also see the use of a long shot to show Joey looking at Jake and Vickie talk. Jake and Vickie are in a very small frame that the door makes. This makes them look very tight and uncomfortable, which is how the relationship is going. In that same shot we also see the two other guys through a mirror, they are not very important but when Jake slaps Vickie they have no reaction. This hints that it might not be the first time they see him act that way towards her.
In the next fight scene the action seems to go very quick. There is one long continuous tracking shot of Jake going from the locker rooms to the ring, he is big now, he is important and he is calmed. During the fight, no long close ups in the punches and faces. The shots cut through each round and towards the eighth round we see the use of slow motion for a quick second. This is letting us know that the fighter is getting tired and can no longer continue fighting back. Slow motion is used again to build a little bit of drama because Jake finally won the belt.
In almost every fight scene it seems as if Scorsese always introduces something new or changes up the rhythm so the viewers donâ€™t get bored. In Jakeâ€™s next fighting scene we see reverse angle shots, and the camera seems to move around them. We see the close ups on the punches. Also the close up when the opponent starts bleeding. This fight is very brutal. Jake is angry because of what happened with Vickie and he is taking it off on the boxer.
In the last fight we see Jake take a beating. All the camera close ups and angles that were used to see him beat his previous opponents are now used against him. There are a lot of close up to his feet showing all the blood falling. Then it cuts to Sugar Ray with smoke in the background and a spotlight. This means he is now the center of attention and he is definitely going to win this match. We also see the use of slow motion to emphasize the blood that is coming out of his broken face. After the fight is stopped we see a close up to the ropes and drops of blood falling. This symbolizes the end of Jake La Motta, the boxer.
The last scene shows the old Jake talking to himself in the mirror. Itâ€™s like the first shot of the movie, continuous, no cutting. He also seems calm again, no fighting, no arguing, no problems. He is talking to the mirror; itâ€™s his conscience, his other personality. Itâ€™s always been himself and Jake La Motta the boxer.
Martin Scorsese did a great job using different camera shots and different angles to keep the fighting scenes alive. If not for the close ups we wouldnâ€™t appreciate as much the anger and power Jake had in some of his fights. The slow motion showed us Jakeâ€™s hate and obsessions. The continuous shots showed Jake being calmed and confident. Every shot had a very specific meaning under each circumstance.