Raging Bull Literary Elements

Martin Scorsese

Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty

Frank Vincent, Therese Saldana, Nicolas Colasanto

Biography, Drama, Sport

English

Academy Award for Best Actor; Academy Award for Best Film Editing

December 19, 1980

Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff

New York City, Cleveland, Miami; 1941-1964

Jake's point of view dominates the film. Only a few short scenes do not feature Jake on screen. Throughout the film, the camera takes the subjective point of view of Jake—not only does the audience see the world through Jake's eyes, but they witness it in slow-motion through his punch-drunk consciousness.

Distressing, evasive, grim, impartial, solemn, intense

Protagonist: Jake LaMotta; Antagonist: Jake LaMotta, the Mob

The major conflict of Raging Bull is between Jake LaMotta and himself. While a boxing movie with numerous violent encounters in the ring (and an equal number of violent encounters outside the ring), Raging Bull focuses on Jake's inability to resolve his own paralyzing jealously and sexual inadequacy, as well as his tendency to alienate himself and his family.

Jake accusing Joey and Vickie of sleeping together, resulting in brutal fistfights and the permanent estrangement between Jake and his family

The elegant opening credits features Jake LaMotta in the ring to the accompaniment of music from Cavalleria Rusticana—an opera centering on jealously, failed romances, and self-doubt—thus foreshadowing Jake's inner conflicts and paranoia.

Also, when Vickie and Jake play mini-golf together, Vickie's ball vanishes under the obstacle. She asks Jake, "What does that mean?" to which Jake replies, "It means the game is over," which foreshadows their tumultuous marriage and failure to deeply examine the problems of their relationship.

In a rare moment of self-reflection, Jake pensively declares, "I've done a lot of bad things, Joey. Maybe it's comin' back to me. Who knows? I'm a jinx maybe..." after losing the Robinson fight. While Jake finally begins to acknowledge his morally bankrupt character, he understates the extent of his wrongdoings (referring to them as simply "bad things"), which have permanently damaged Joey, Irma, and Vickie.

Martin Scorsese's filmic techniques in the movie's boxing scenes represent groundbreaking innovation in the previously-tired sports genre. Scorsese's mobile camera perpetually moves inside the ring, and his use of cinematic effects—from slow motion to still photographs—not only produces a kinetic energy in the scenes, but also provides psychological insight into Jake's state of mind. The soundtrack accompaniment to the fight scenes features almost subliminal insertion of everything from the screaming of a jet engine to the whinny of a horse.

Raging Bull makes a prominent allusion to Elia Kazan's classic film, On the Waterfront (1954). The two films feature protagonists with failed boxing careers and complicated relationships with their brothers, and, at the end of Raging Bull, Jake even (nearly word-for-word) recites Terry's (Marlon Brando) famous speech at the end of the film—"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. It was you, Charley."

Paradoxically, Raging Bull centers on the life of middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, but the boxing scenes take up less than 10% of the film's running time. Also, depending on viewer interpretation, one could view the Bible quote appearing on the film's final title ("once I was blind and now I can see") as paradoxical: Jake does not undergo any real spiritual or moral change by the end of the film, so the quote contrarily contrasts to Jake's actual progression—or lack thereof—as a human being.

The film's structural narrative demonstrates a parallelism between Jake's boxing career and his marriage to Vickie. Home movies show happy scenes during the couple's early years in their marriage, which are interjected with Jake's various victories toward the middleweight championship. After this act, Jake's professional career begins to deteriorate, as does his relationship with Vickie.