The art of Exaggeration: George Bellows and his influence on Raging Bull

 From the beginning, we know that this is not meant to be a 'true-to-life' boxing story; there's more to it, and I think a lot of that comes from George Bellows painting, Dempsey and Firpo, which Scorsese says "he had in mind." 


    Above, the famous painting by Bellows shows an exaggerated version of what really went down. No, He didn't actually knock him out of the ring, but it is important because it is the first time that a Latin American fighter challenged for the Heavyweight title. After this information, it becomes quite apparent that this painting holds a lot more power, a microcosm. Sure, to boxing fans, the fight might just be another win for Jack Dempsey, but to patriots, this is America defeating Latin America, and Bellows makes that apparent with the brutal knockout that shows a horrible ending to Firpo, a fighter who, even after his loss, was considered one of the best in Latin America. 

That said, this is important because Scorsese mentions this painting as an inspiration for the film, and it is apparent in the way that the fights play out, but especially in the last fight. Though the ridiculous amount of blood and exaggerated punches show up in almost all of the fights, it is this last fight that shows us the power of Scorsese's storytelling. Though I could go on to talk about how LaMotta's eminent end comes at the hand of a black fighter, which, I still think holds a lot of importance, I will focus on how this exaggeration tells us the story of Toxic Masculinity. 

These fights are meant to highlight rage and power, and Scorsese shows this through that exaggeration. The blood and the punches become a symbol for much more. Stronger punches and knockouts equate to being stronger and more masculine, and having your blood drawn becomes a symbol of weakness, of loss of power. 

Those last words that LaMotta mutters become sadder more than anything: "You never got me down Ray" as his body bleeds and his body stumbles. Sure, some might argue that he 'wins' at the end of that fight, but to me, It's his last words as a human being. 

Comments

  1. Ethan SwansonOctober 4, 2020 at 5:21 PM

    Your idea of having your blood drawn as a loss of power is really interesting. It's almost like when LaMotta lets Robinson beat him up he's saying that even with all this punishment he is still better.

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  2. AmyOctober 11, 2020 at 1:46 PM

    I also find this painting as inspiration to be a really interesting lens to explore the film. I think the film's entire color palette comes from how evocative the picture's use of black and white imagery is. Also, the picture really captures the exaggeration of the importance of the actions of the fighters beyond a mere sporting match. It's as if something really epic is happening, as if good and evil have actually met in the ring. I think the film attempts something equally epic in its turning of the life of Jake LaMotta into a larger story of a tragic hero who is unable to see his undoing even as he performs it.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownNovember 22, 2020 at 9:14 PM

      Billy- I had never seen this painting but it gives me the same feeling as the boxing scenes in the movie. The darkness and contrast in the painting is similar to the movie as well as the over the top nature of the exaggerated portrayal. It is exaggerated but captures a sense of what the audience may have felt watching the real fight.

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