Literature
“Raging Bull” is a very dramatic life story of one of the most extraordinary figures of the world of boxing and definitely one of the best works of Martine Scorsese and Robert De Niro creative duo.
At first, it seems that the film will focus on boxing successes and failures of the outstanding boxer of the last century - Jake La Motta, but twenty minutes later you realize that this movie is primarily about life. It makes us think about the experience of failure and that sometimes it is so hard to put up with difficulties.
At the beginning of the film Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) seems a very determined, but at the same time incredibly selfish and cocky guy, who basically has no respect for anyone but himself. But closer to the end you feel sorry for him. This guy constantly gets into troubles and can’t find the way out of difficult situations. However, at the end you’re filled with real, sincere respect for this man. He was one step away from total collapse, but resisted, found the strength to go on and brought his life back to normal (what is evidenced by the last dialogue with his brother). People like Jake La Motta deserve respect and it’s great when their interesting life stories become plots of good movies.
The film absolutely deserved obtained awards. Robert De Niro received Oscar as the best actor for his work in “Raging Bull” not without reason. His acting is phenomenal and versatile. What is striking is how De Niro managed to show a complex and controversial image of Jake La Motta. Joe Pesci (Joey La Motta) and Cathy Moriarty (Vickie) didn’t recede into the background, but on the contrary, perfectly complemented De Niro, who solos most of the screen time. Each of these characters evokes completely different feeling. And if Jake La Motta throughout the film changes for several times, actions of his brother Joey always deserve only respect. Joey is always with Jake and supports him even in the most desperate situations.
Martin Scorsese is telling this story with his special manner of showing the truth without embellishment and smoothing sharp corners. The film is devoid of pathos, but instead has vitality and sincere feeling that this story really happened. What is special about the film - is the atmosphere of boxing bouts on the background of America's 40s. They look very authentic and convincing as like you’re watching a real fight. “Raging Bull” is like the old movie shot in the 50s. Black and white episodes of boxing matches with Jake are periodically replaced by colored frames of Joey’s wedding that is very stylish and original.
Music for “Raging Bull” is gorgeous and sounds very dramatic. Grief, despair and a small spark of hope for a better future can be heard at the same time. This melody captures and helps to feel the mood of the film.
“Raging Bull” is a masterpiece and one of the best stories in the biopic genre. This film has drama, great acting, directing and brilliant soundtrack, great scenery and interesting style. Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese once again met all expectations of the public and made a really outstanding film that was great in 1980 and is interesting to watch now.
