Formal Analysis of Raging Bull
Formal Analysis of Raging Bull Martin Scorsese’s film “Raging Bull” is considered by many to be one of the greatest “sports” films of all time. The plot focuses on the professional and personal life of boxer Jake LaMotta. In the opening sequence, the film uses narrative, mise en scene, cinematography, editing, and sound to provide a framework for the rest of the picture. These elements also help to establish the film’s themes of nostalgia, isolation, loneliness, and suffering. In addition to setting up the film’s themes, these elements also help to create two distinct personas of the main character Jake LaMotta. The narrative form exhibited in the opening sequence seems simple at first glance, but actually conveys a multitude of information to the audience. The opening sequence is comprised of three scenes, the first and third scenes being longer, while the second, middle scene is much abbreviated. These three scenes, the ring, the theatre sign, and present day LaMotta, help suggest the three act structure of the film’s overall narrative; LaMotta’s early boxing career and life, his post-championship boxing career and life, and his post boxing life. Between the first and second scene, a black placard reads “New York City 1964.” This non-diegetic device is used to tell the “where” and “when” for the following scene. This device is used again in the third scene to supply the audience with the “whom,” being Jake LaMotta. The syuzhet of the opening sequence can be jarring for the audience. The transition from the young, fit, graceful, boxer to the overweight and broken man preparing to perform on stage, not only frames the film, but also draws the audience in. It forces the viewer to wonder, how did this transformation occur and what happened in this man’s life to bring him to this. It also serves as a snap to reality and present time. The sudden jolt helps the audience realize the boxing ring scene was just a memory of the Jake LaMotta they now see. The fabula is