Raging Bull is a 1980 film by Director Martin Scorsese that is widely regarded as 1 of the greatest ever made.
Actor Robert DeNiro stars as middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta whose opponents in the ring pale next to his opponents within himself. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff both of whom also produced Sylvester Stallone's breakout film 'Rocky' 3 years earlier. The script was written by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, the cinematography is by Michael Chapman, the editing is by Thelma Schoonmaker and is based on Jake LaMotta’s 1970 memoir ‘Raging Bull: My Story.' The film stars Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Cathy Moriarty. Raging Bull was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and won 2 for Best Actor (Robert DeNiro) and Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), respectively. Here, I will break down the film's themes and symbolism and offer my personal thoughts at the end. Thanks.
Themes
In the opening credits, Jake LaMotta shadowboxes in a boxing ring enveloped in smoke. This scene foreshadows the boxer’s greatest opponent--himself. The boxing ring is an altar where he atones for his sins. The boxing ring is also an outlet for his destructive passions. His nickname, “Raging Bull,” implies a creature that is controlled by the impulses of its flesh. The passion that propels him to the top of the middleweight boxing division is the same passion that destroys the relationships in his personal life.
Clip 4:
The story opens in the dressing room of a nightclub where Jake LaMotta--retired and fat--is preparing to do a stand-up comedy routine. He is sitting in front of a mirror with his head down, not looking at himself, reciting these lines: “and though I’m no Olivier and before Sugar Ray would say: “the thing ain’t the ring, it’s the play” so give me a stage, where this bull here can rage, and though I can fight, I’d much rather recite, ‘That’s Entertainment!” At this stage of his life, Jake is struggling to adjust to retirement as his personal life is disintegrating as rapidly as his once chiseled but now pudgy physique. In the Biblical context, Jake is coming out of the Old Testament where God requires burnt sacrifices of animals to atone for sin. When Jake boxed, the ring was the altar; he and his opponents were the meat. Retirement has taken away the old way of sacrificing and all the people he can blame his failures on: his wife and brother have left him; no crooked boxing politics to point the finger at anymore--it’s just him. He has to accept responsibility for his actions and yet he can’t even face himself in the mirror.
The story opens in the dressing room of a nightclub where Jake LaMotta--retired and fat--is preparing to do a stand-up comedy routine. He is sitting in front of a mirror with his head down, not looking at himself, reciting these lines: “and though I’m no Olivier and before Sugar Ray would say: “the thing ain’t the ring, it’s the play” so give me a stage, where this bull here can rage, and though I can fight, I’d much rather recite, ‘That’s Entertainment!” At this stage of his life, Jake is struggling to adjust to retirement as his personal life is disintegrating as rapidly as his once chiseled but now pudgy physique. In the Biblical context, Jake is coming out of the Old Testament where God requires burnt sacrifices of animals to atone for sin. When Jake boxed, the ring was the altar; he and his opponents were the meat. Retirement has taken away the old way of sacrificing and all the people he can blame his failures on: his wife and brother have left him; no crooked boxing politics to point the finger at anymore--it’s just him. He has to accept responsibility for his actions and yet he can’t even face himself in the mirror.
Jake’s character arc is approaching the turning point. Without the boxing ring as an outlet, his appetites are raging out of control and his sins and body are swelling up to match them.
Rage
The film backtracks to an earlier time in Jake’s life. His marriage is on the ropes because his wife suspects him of cheating. The explosive rage that makes him a great boxer is on display here as he and his wife get into a fight over a steak. Right off the bat we get to see 2 aspects of Jake’s personality, rage and lack of discipline. This scene also introduces Jake’s little brother Joey, played by Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent who plays the role of Salvy Batts, a member of the mafia.
Clip 7: Lust
Joey introduces Jake, who is still married, to a 15 year old girl named Vickie. Jake saw her in a nightclub with a mafia figure and became obsessed with her. Joey knew her and introduces them in this scene, which takes place at a public swimming pool. The black and white shirt Jake has on represents the conflict he has within himself in contrast to Vickie who wears all white. Also, the chain-link fence enclosing the public pool and separating Jake from Vickie symbolizes the forbidden nature of their relationship. In keeping with the Holy Bible, the chain-link fence is in the pattern of crosses, an important Christian symbol.
Joey introduces Jake, who is still married, to a 15 year old girl named Vickie. Jake saw her in a nightclub with a mafia figure and became obsessed with her. Joey knew her and introduces them in this scene, which takes place at a public swimming pool. The black and white shirt Jake has on represents the conflict he has within himself in contrast to Vickie who wears all white. Also, the chain-link fence enclosing the public pool and separating Jake from Vickie symbolizes the forbidden nature of their relationship. In keeping with the Holy Bible, the chain-link fence is in the pattern of crosses, an important Christian symbol.
Clip 8:
This scene is a montage of Jake’s fights and him marrying Vickie shot to look like a home movie. You notice the juxtaposition of the scenes of his marriage to Vickie, which are filmed in color and the boxing scenes which are filmed in black and white. Jake wants to be happy, but there is restlessness in his soul, passions that he can’t control that will eventually overlap into his life outside the ring. These brief clips are the only instances in the film that Jake looks truly happy.
This scene is a montage of Jake’s fights and him marrying Vickie shot to look like a home movie. You notice the juxtaposition of the scenes of his marriage to Vickie, which are filmed in color and the boxing scenes which are filmed in black and white. Jake wants to be happy, but there is restlessness in his soul, passions that he can’t control that will eventually overlap into his life outside the ring. These brief clips are the only instances in the film that Jake looks truly happy.
Clip 10: Gluttony
In between fights Jake picks up a lot of weight and his wife Vickie is unhappy. Also, we see the politics of boxing, that despite Jake’s success he is not guaranteed a shot. Joey persuades Jake to throw an upcoming fight with a weaker opponent named Billy Fox. Later, at a nightclub, Jake and his friends are having drinks and Jake is boasting about his upcoming bout with Middleweight Champ Tony Janiro. Vickie throws in her 2 cents, saying that she thinks that Janiro is good-looking. Jake is consumed with jealousy and now even more determined to release his destructive passions on Janiro. At this point in the film and Jake’s character arc, boxing gives him a designated place to release his rage. In this case, boxing also gives Jake a safe way to release other energies like jealousy. Ultimately, jealousy is what brings his marriage to an end.
In between fights Jake picks up a lot of weight and his wife Vickie is unhappy. Also, we see the politics of boxing, that despite Jake’s success he is not guaranteed a shot. Joey persuades Jake to throw an upcoming fight with a weaker opponent named Billy Fox. Later, at a nightclub, Jake and his friends are having drinks and Jake is boasting about his upcoming bout with Middleweight Champ Tony Janiro. Vickie throws in her 2 cents, saying that she thinks that Janiro is good-looking. Jake is consumed with jealousy and now even more determined to release his destructive passions on Janiro. At this point in the film and Jake’s character arc, boxing gives him a designated place to release his rage. In this case, boxing also gives Jake a safe way to release other energies like jealousy. Ultimately, jealousy is what brings his marriage to an end.
Once again, we have Jake and Sugar Ray in the 3rd of their 4 fights. This is an interesting scene because at this point in the film, Jake is battling on several fronts in his life and career. He knows that he has to win every fight to even have the smallest chance of fighting for the title, which the mafia controls. And his storybook marriage to Vickie is falling apart. This fight reflects Jake’s state of mind. His life has become surreal. The rope covering his eyes represents blindness and his namesake, Raging Bull--a creature controlled by its instincts:
Exodus 29:36,
“Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it.”
“Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it.”
Clip 14:
Jake throws a fight to get a shot at the title at the urging of Joey whose theory was that if the mob saw that Jake was beatable that they would give him a shot at the champ. Jake is a man with a great deal of pride and losing to a lesser fighter is a bitter pill. This fight is a metaphor of his spiritual transformation later in the film after he comes out of prison and humbles himself to fix his relationship with his brother Joey.
Jake throws a fight to get a shot at the title at the urging of Joey whose theory was that if the mob saw that Jake was beatable that they would give him a shot at the champ. Jake is a man with a great deal of pride and losing to a lesser fighter is a bitter pill. This fight is a metaphor of his spiritual transformation later in the film after he comes out of prison and humbles himself to fix his relationship with his brother Joey.
Proverbs 18:12,
“Humilty goes before honor.”
“Humilty goes before honor.”
Clip 16: Jealousy
Shortly after winning the title, Jake confronts his brother about Vickie. Jake has heard through the grapevine that Joey had a fight with Salvy concerning Vickie but Joey refuses to tell Jake anything. At this point, Jake doesn’t trust anybody, not even his brother. Jealousy has distorted Jake’s sense of reality as he continues to act on blind instinct.
Shortly after winning the title, Jake confronts his brother about Vickie. Jake has heard through the grapevine that Joey had a fight with Salvy concerning Vickie but Joey refuses to tell Jake anything. At this point, Jake doesn’t trust anybody, not even his brother. Jealousy has distorted Jake’s sense of reality as he continues to act on blind instinct.
Clip 17:
Jake is out of control. He confronts Vickie about her having an affair with Joey. Vickie affirms his suspicions and makes a facetious comment about the size of Joey’s manhood. Jake takes her seriously and goes over to his brother’s house and beats him up. The guilt and self-hate he feels afterwards is enormous and for this sin he, once again, offers himself up as a sacrifice to arch nemesis Sugar Ray Robinson. But unlike his previous fights, he now has to face Sugar alone.
Jake is out of control. He confronts Vickie about her having an affair with Joey. Vickie affirms his suspicions and makes a facetious comment about the size of Joey’s manhood. Jake takes her seriously and goes over to his brother’s house and beats him up. The guilt and self-hate he feels afterwards is enormous and for this sin he, once again, offers himself up as a sacrifice to arch nemesis Sugar Ray Robinson. But unlike his previous fights, he now has to face Sugar alone.
Clip 18: Atonement
Sugar Ray beats Jake but doesn’t knock Jake out. This is a good sign. In this fight, Sugar Ray is God’s punishment for all of Jake’s sins. God, as Sugar Ray, beats Jake severely and yet with mercy as he is still able to stand at the end.
Sugar Ray beats Jake but doesn’t knock Jake out. This is a good sign. In this fight, Sugar Ray is God’s punishment for all of Jake’s sins. God, as Sugar Ray, beats Jake severely and yet with mercy as he is still able to stand at the end.
Hebrews 12:6,
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Ecclesiastes 9:4,
“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”
“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”
Clip 19:
Jake is now retired and owns a nightclub where he flirts with the female customers. This clip comes just before a short innocuous encounter with a couple of young ladies. They are fans of his and to confirm that they are not underage, they each give him a big girl kiss on the mouth.
Jake is now retired and owns a nightclub where he flirts with the female customers. This clip comes just before a short innocuous encounter with a couple of young ladies. They are fans of his and to confirm that they are not underage, they each give him a big girl kiss on the mouth.
On a side note, Scorsese stopped shooting for several months to allow DeNiro to pack on 65 pounds for the 2nd half of the film. DeNiro went from 150lbs to almost 215lbs.
Clip 20: Born again
Without boxing as both a way to maintain his weight and a way to cover his sins, Jake’s life spirals out of control and he is charged with serving alcohol to a 14 year old girl in his nightclub. Innocence in the mind is synonymous with youth and in the context of redemption, this girl becomes the key that opens the door for Jake to redeem himself.
Without boxing as both a way to maintain his weight and a way to cover his sins, Jake’s life spirals out of control and he is charged with serving alcohol to a 14 year old girl in his nightclub. Innocence in the mind is synonymous with youth and in the context of redemption, this girl becomes the key that opens the door for Jake to redeem himself.
Jake is arrested and put in a jail that looks like a tomb; here, the old Jake dies and he confronts himself and his demons for the 1st time. Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, God requires animal sacrifices for atonement. In the book of Genesis, God kills an animal and uses its skin to cover up Adam’s shame; in the book of Genesis, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son.
But in the new testament, God’s requirement for atonement changes; instead of animal sacrifice He requires repentance.
Romans 12:1,
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
No more burnt sacrifices; no more bulls, lambs, or goats. God requires a living sacrifice, not a dead one. Jake comes out of prison and this symbolic baptism and purification reborn. In the Biblical context, he now realizes that he must repent and seek forgiveness from those he has hurt and he must pay for this forgiveness with tears and not blood. His eyes are open and he can see that his true enemy is, and has always been, himself.
Isaiah 1: 11-16,
“I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,”
“I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,”
Jake cries and begs Joeys forgiveness. This scene marks the final stage in Jake’s character arc, going from a man living on pure appetite and blind instinct (like his namesake, Raging Bull) to a man broken and reconciled with both God and his humanity; from a man used to paying for sinning with his flesh and the flesh of his opponents in the boxing ring to a man who atones with tears. Jake’s pride was his downfall; his humility is his redemption.
Isaiah 40:4,
“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low.”
“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low.”
Also in the background in this scene, there is a cross which is, in the Bible, the sign of forgiveness.
Clip 21: “Now I see!”
This is the final scene, Jake is full circle from where he began in the 1st scene where he’s in the dressing room rehearsing his lines. In that scene, he is not looking at himself in the mirror but in this scene he is looking at himself in the mirror, a sign that he now accepts responsibility for his actions. Here, he reads ex-boxer Terry Malloy’s famous lines from Elia Kazan’s film On The Waterfront: “Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson." You remember that? "This ain't your night"! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money. You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.” After reciting these lines, Jake, dressed in a tuxedo, shadowboxes and leaves the dressing room. Charley, in this monologue, is Jake himself; he has finally accepted responsibility for the mistakes he made in his life.
The film ends with the epigraph from the book of John 9:24-25,
The Jewish leaders[o] summoned the man who had been blind a second time and told him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
Wrap
Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, the film’s producers, were still riding the success of Rocky, which they’d produced 3 years earlier and the studio wanted another boxing movie even though Raging Bull, in contrast, was dark and its protagonist an antihero
Raging Bull is 1 of the most gorgeous black and white film’s I’ve ever seen and if I had to name my top 3 all-time black and white films, my pick would be this film, Raging Bull, Citizen Kane, and Double Indemnity. There are so many great black and white films but I couldn’t see a top 3 without these three films and the influence they have had on the medium. But Raging Bull is remarkable for a lot of reasons, the 1st being that black and white was not a stylistic choice but a practical choice after director Michael Powell noticed that the color of the boxing gloves in the film didn’t match the original color of the gloves worn by boxers of that era, which were brownish-red in color. Turned out that black and white was not only more aesthetically striking but also a motif reinforcing Jake LaMotta’s inner conflict.
Another thing I find remarkable about Raging Bull is that it came out only 3 years after Rocky which featured a clear-cut hero and underdog whereas the protagonist of Raging Bull is, clearly, an antihero with a fixation on underage girls. That both films were produced by Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff took a lot of guts considering that a boxing film following on the heels of a hit like Rocky would invite comparisons, especially a boxing film with a character that contrasts so sharply with Rocky.
Also unbelievable about Raging Bull is the fact that it was even made. DeNiro read the autobiography the film’s based on and brought it to Scorsese’s attention after Scorsese nearly killed himself from a drug overdose. Scorsese, made the film to save his career and seriously thought Raging Bull would be his last feature film. Scorsese also wasn’t a big boxing fan which is incredible when you look at the job he did on the fight sequences. But the most remarkable thing about Raging Bull is how much better it seems to get with each passing year. And the cinematography by Michael Chapman is mesmerizing, particularly the use of light and visual effects like the shimmering heat effects in Jake’s 3rd fight with Sugar Ray which was done by placing the camera near and slightly above a flame . Then there’s Thelma Schoonmaker; what a job she did editing this masterpiece. She took the jump cut to another level in this movie from the staccato editing of the fight sequences to the popping flashbulbs when Jake wins the title to Sugar Ray hammering Jake’s face to a bloody pulp in their 4th fight--incredible!
Raging Bull is dark but lovely at the same time, 1 of those films that you can watch over and over and each time lose none of the visceral power you got the 1st time you watched it. The best sports film, period, by a mile and 1 of many classic films by 1 of the world’s greatest filmmakers, Martin Scorsese.
