*I took off my robe, and what’d I do? I forgot to wear shorts. I recall every fall. Every hook, every jab The worst way a guy can get rid of his flab.
So give me a... stage, Where this bull here can rage And though I could fight; I’d much rather recite ... that’s entertainment*
No. I didn’t go crazy under a Shakespearan frenzy. I took it from the opening standup routine by Robert De Niro as legendary boxer Jake La Motta, from the classic movie ’Raging Bull’ directed by, you guessed it right, Martin Scorsese. I may not be on a Shakepearean one, but definitely afflicted with Scorsese-mania (you know if you’ve been a regular).
De Niro in the Rings
From the familiar gangland front, Marty moves on to the Boxing and familial front. Another arena for unapologetic blood-spilling. To be a fair, an Italian family, a mob one too, is involved. But Bull isn’t about the mob or their control of Boxing (more like Betting/Fixing like the way prevalent in World Cup), it’s about a legendary Italian boxer Jake La Motta who was almost unbeatable in the boxing ring. He might have lost matches owing to technicalities, but nearly never was knocked out in the ring.
While the record in the ring was impressive, his personal life was far from being impeccably perfect. He had a troublesome first marriage with a Jewish wife. A romantic relationship and marriage with a much younger Vicki (Cathy Moriarty). A marriage of obsession, and suspicion of being cuckolded by her. A cordial brotherly love for Joey La Motta (Joe Pesci) ruined by doubt of adultery with Vicki. Jake was like a bull in a china bazaar, however the bazaar being demolished his his own life and family.
Scorseses’ Boxing Bout
It’s considered to be one of Scorseses’ best, some consider it his THE BEST. Shot entirely in Black & White, RB stands apart from other works of Marty. De Niro enthralls as Jake in both his initial avatar as the mean well-built fighting machine; as also later-life middleaged and obese standup comedian. Being a method actor De Niro created a record by putting on 70 lbs to play the role. The record remained unbroken for several years. The movie deservedly won him his only ’Best Actor in a Lead Role’ Oscar ( his other was in supporting role for ’God Father II’).
Joe Pesci another legendary Italian made his debut here. He is my favorite after De Niro for his roles in ’Goodfellas’ and ’Casino’. For a guy as short as Danny DeVito he’s played some of most violent characters onscreen. Raging Bull is no different. There’s a scene of him banging the car door on a mobster who offends him. It’s a wonder he didn’t win Oscar for ’Best supporting actor’ despite delivering a powerful performance. Ditto for Scorsese as director. Cathy Moriarty is okay as the blonde bimbette, but the ’best supporting actress’ nomination was a stretch. No surprises that she lost.
Initially Jake is shown as an insensitive jerk, but as the movie progresses the viewer begins to sympathize with him for his fall from grace from a ’king of the ring’ to a standup in bars. Climax is the real clincher that leaves the audience thinking and feeling for Jake, the self-centered prick he may have been.