Raging Bull: anatomy of a boxing scene

An analysis of the film 'Raging Bull'

After brutally beating his little brother in front of the man’s wife and children, Jake faces his arch nemesis, Sugar Ray Robinson, for the 4th time, alone. He suffers a savage and bloody beating that results in him losing the title he worked so hard to win. The religious symbolism in this scene as it pertains to Christianity is powerful.

This scene represents the fall of Jake as a boxer, it’s all downhill from this point. The fight in this scene is Jake receiving all the punishment his conscience makes him feel like he deserves because of the beating he gave his brother and wife when he falsely accused them of having an affair. In this fight, Sugar Ray is the sum of all Jake’s sins requiring his blood for payment. The rope holding Jake up is a cross on which he is crucified and bloodied under Sugar’s barrage of punches. Also, at the beginning of this scene, the men in Jakes corner work on him as if they are preparing a man for death; the cornerman applying the vaseline looks like a priest giving Jake his last rites. 

The sound editor on the documentary said that he went for unusual sound effects for all of the fights, but for this one, particularly. When Jake is on the ropes waiting for his punishment, the crowd noises die out and a lion’s roar is cued to match Sugar launching himself at Jake. Also, the sound of winds howling replace the roar of the spectators at ringside. Visually, cinematographer Michael Chapman surrounded the ring with thick smoke to make it look like Hell and used the lights to transform Sugar Ray into a god-like silhouette representing all of the insurmountable appetites tormenting Jake’s soul.