New York Cinemania: Raging Bull @ StuZ2

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«So give me a stage / Where this bull here can rage...»

These words were spoken in the film by middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, the subject of this riveting and legendary biographical film. Martin Scorsese directs and La Motta is portrayed by Robert De Niro. The devotion and attention to detail given to this motion picture by the actor and director mark a high point and represent arguably the best work in their long and celebrated careers.

Raging Bull is largely historically accurate, with most of the details taken from La Motta‘s autobiography. Though it is a movie about an athlete, it is not a sports movie; it is rather the captivating story set in the 40’s and 50’s, mostly in the Bronx, of a talented, driven human being whose stubborn and forceful nature brings him to the top of his profession, but also leads to his tragic self-destruction and alienation of those closest to him. De Niro portrays this figure brilliantly and convincingly, drawing both empathy and disgust for La Motta from the audience. De Niro’s dedication included learning to box from the real Jake La Motta and a startling physical transformation from fit and trim (when the boxer was active) to fat and over 25 kg (!) heavier (after the boxer’s retirement).

But it is Scorsese’s work that makes this film particularly spellbinding. It is nearly all black and white, reflecting photographs of the time period. The dialogue is filled with elements of the Italian-American subculture and working class New Yorkers, including colloquial, blasphemous language. Scorsese showed the raw violence of the fights by filming inside the ring, as if the viewers were the fighter. Yet at various poignant times, particularly during fight scenes, the motion of the film would slow and be punctuated by silence or by melancholy operatic music, captivating the audience and inviting us into the character’s frame of mind.
These and other aspects of the film, make it a fascinating story of human struggle, triumph and defeat, a cinematic masterwork and a modern classic.

Filmdaten: Martin Scorsese, USA 1980, 129 Min, 35mm, E/d/f
Buch: Paul Schrader
Kamera: Michael Chapman
Schnitt: Thelma Schoonmaker
Musik: Jim Henrikson
DarstellerInnen: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent