Appreciate This: Raging Bull
The latest installment of Appreciate This is Raging Bull, possibly the last great performance handed out by Robert DeNiro. Lord knows if he'll ever return to the level of performance that he gave out in this film, but that doesn't mean I still can't be a big fan.
Martin Scorsese is one of those directors who is not only recognized for his great ability to tell a story, but also for mastering the finer points of creating a motion picture. When watching one of his films, the viewer is likely to be absorbed by the action onscreen, and at the same time, be wowed by superb technical precision. Scorsese has made a handful of fine films, and 1980's
Raging Bull needs little argument in making the case for his finest hour.
The film is based on the autobiography of former world middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta who is portrayed by one of Scorsese's most trusted players, Robert DeNiro. His performance in this film is half of the film's strength, the other half being Scorsese's direction. LaMotta is a determined Bronx prizefighter, the kind of boxer who gets by on pure guts. Not only this, but he is also resolute to making it on his own. This quality can be considered to be either heroic or stubborn, depending on the kind of reaction the viewer gets from him. My personal reaction is that LaMotta has his heart set on what he wants, but he's ultimately a jerk.
We follow the core of LaMotta's career, as he rises in the rankings to the championship. All the while, he tries to deal with his manager and brother
Joey (perhaps Joe Pesci's best role), wife Vicky, and their "associates." Jake's devotion to being his own man is challenged by
Joey's constant prodding and encouragement to take a dive for easy money, rather than to pursue championship glory. Jake also suspects Vicky of infidelity, a nagging suggestion that swells into a jealous obsession.
DeNiro won the 1980 Oscar for Best Actor in this role, which was highly deserved. His commitment to the role was a rare display of the craft. Although I believe the Stanislavskian style of acting is more genuine than DeNiro's use of Method-style acting, his willingness to train to be a boxer, maintain a fighting weight, and to gain a considerable amount after the boxing portion of the film was complete is enough proof of his dedication.
Scorsese's direction is nothing short of incredible after the style and composition are taken into account. He essentially takes the two basic film styles, realistic and formalistic, and uses them for different parts of the film. The dramatic portions of Raging Bull are realistic, almost to the point at which the picture seems to be a documentary. The camera remains almost exclusively in a stationary position, framing the shot so that everything in it is static. Objects on counters seem as if they have been there for years, undisturbed. All sound is diagetic - whatever is heard is being created by something onscreen or within the scene. Conversely, the fight scenes are formalistic - the camera moves, the frame rate slows down and picks up without warning, there are jump cuts, background music plays. Once the bell sounds, you are in another world.
Of course, Scorsese doesn't hold true to the idea of using the conventions of realism and formalism the entire film. There are moments in which time slows down briefly outside the ring. The best examples can be gleaned from moments in which Jake's suspicion about Vicky's past with Joey's friends. A peck on the cheek takes several seconds, and the significance of it to Jake seems to be much heavier than to any bystander. In moments of Jake's inner turmoil, music would also be heard without realistic origin. Although these moments might not take place within a point of view shot, it could be interpreted as mindscreen.
In the ring, camera tricks fly by left and right, and clever editing makes them all the more effective. One of the most intriguing shots in all of Raging Bull takes place in one of LaMotta's bouts with Sugar Ray Robinson. Robinson has LaMotta on the ropes, and Jake urges him to take his best shot. The next shot has Robinson at the middle of the frame, raising his right hand for his next blow. The shot is slow speed, and the frame simultaneously zooms out and dollies in, causing all but Robinson to change in perspective. It is slightly confusing, but knowing the technique makes it enjoyable.
Scorsese's decision to use black and white pays off by creating stark images that would not hold as much weight as color. During the fights, bloodshed is more striking when a cut bursts with black liquid. Flashbulbs wash out the frame. Bruises look like deep wounds at slight a distance.
I enjoyed this film for both the acting and the direction. It's not uncommon for both of these film ingredients to work out together, but not quite as well as it worked here. The subject of Raging Bull is Jake LaMotta. DeNiro does his part by creating Jake LaMotta for us to see. In recent years, every Robert DeNiro role has seemed like "DeNiro as this character." Here, from the moment we first see him rehearsing for his nightclub act in 1964, we are not looking at Robert DeNiro, we are looking at Jake LaMotta. That's what made the character great.
Being a student of film and a fan of films all my life, I admire every frame in this movie. Many of the scenes are crafted as close to perfection this side of Citizen Kane. The camera tricks performed in the fight scenes hold so much more when contrasted with the personal life of LaMotta. But most of all, it's the way this film shows you his life and who he is. That's what Raging Bull essentially is, a biography, but it's a riveting one.
Yet another A paper.
(C) 2003 Steve Caputo