The eight boxing matches are the backbone of the movie, and various other passages are attached to it, unfolding from it, and developing into a big tree in the sky. These boxing plays not only complete the narrative, but also complete the shaping of the characters and form the theme.
First round.
There are several messages that Scorsese wants to convey here.
1. Jack LaMotta's boxing style is so much as his personal character. His fighting ability is extraordinary, and he even has a hobby of masochism, which is reflected in the first shot. At the same time, his desperate attitude towards offense is reflected in his personality as his persistence to his goals.
2. Jack LaMotta’s main external contradiction with the underworld - the manipulation of the underworld makes him unable to win the game even if he defeats his opponent, and he will not be at ease if he loses the game. There are also gangsters and the like using a chair to hit him. ——This detail can only be understood by rereading it. He just wants to rely on himself, and he doesn't want to be controlled by others. It is still a part of his character and a way for Lao Ma to build his image.
3. There was a riot scene at the scene of this first boxing match. The sense of chaos created by Lao Ma is also paving the way for Jack LaMotta's entire chaotic life. The scene of the woman playing the piano coincides with what he hopes to achieve. Sense of religion.
second round.
Fight against Robinson. It fully embodies Jack La Mota's boxing strength, like a fierce animal. In the background sound of the upgrade shot of La Mota, the old horse uses many animal calls. After the fight, the shot of the broadcast speaker falling from the sky is an announcement that Jack La Motta is capable of becoming the champion.
This scene is immediately after Jack LaMotta's love scene. At this stage, his life is on the rise, although there are other problems hidden.
The third scene.
Still fighting Candy Robinson. Lao Ma photographed the boxing ring into a purgatory. Everyone seemed to be scorched by fire. The background sound was still mixed with the cry of beasts, but it was even more tragic. He deliberately turned Jack LaMotta's beloved boxing into a painful torture. In the lounge after the boxing match, Jack LaMotta reflected on himself for the first time. Although this rude guy has simple thinking, his IQ is also very problematic. The sequence of the two shots he looked at in the mirror is very inspiring to me.
Before this boxing purgatory, it was a sex scene with Jack La Motta, where it should be explained that he insisted on suppressing sex for his boxing.
At this time, his life changed from rising to falling.
At this point, it is considered the end of a stage. His love paragraph is also over, there is a short sweetness, but those colorful pictures are intertwined with each victory of his but unable to win the championship. What follows will be the intensification of various internal and external contradictions step by step.
The fourth game.
No special treatment was done. Jack LaMotta beat Guinillo with a fist and broke his nose. After the victory, La Mota smiled triumphantly at his wife. It was all this patient's crazy jealousy and possessiveness.
At the same time, adding narratives makes the underworld more eager to control him.
Here he rises again as the victor he considers to be.
The fifth game.
He betrayed himself and punched fake punches. That's why the underworld boss sits under the stage, and that's why the two brothers in the dark passage are resigned, so he stood on the stage and walked around anxiously before the start of the game. But after all, he held the bottom line of his personality and never fell for anyone.
In this boxing match, his life is of course falling.
The sixth game.
His first world champion. The meaning of this scene is actually in the long shot before the start of the game. That shot also covers his previous life. Warming up in a small lounge, walking through the narrow silence with his brother and coach. Through the passage, stepped up the steps, passed through the cheers and applause of the crowd, and came to the center of the ring. At the end of the shot, the camera no longer closely follows Jack LaMotta. Instead, stay away from him and pat him and his ring high, which means it goes without saying.
As soon as the bell rang at the beginning of the game, before the opponent could turn around, he rushed forward. He waited too long for this day, paid too much, and wanted too much, no wonder. The game is as violently as it should be, and there is no need to set him up for any difficulties here.
The famous Podwell once wrote an article that Jack LaMotta's initiative to embrace his opponent after the victory of the game is also implying his homosexuality. In my opinion, this is nonsense. This kind of hug only appears once. A successful person suddenly wants to show his kindness. It is not difficult to understand, even if his character is bad.
The state is up.
The seventh game.
Defending. Before this scene, he had just beaten his wife and brother, and completely broke with his brother. He defended his title in a manner that is almost self-abuse, is it a kind of proof or regret? Or both? Here is the one I am not sure about.
At this point, the rise and fall have become blurred. Victory is in hand, but more can be lost.
The eighth game.
The last game, with Candy Robinson. Before the start, his coach's series of actions were obviously Lao Ma’s meticulous arrangement, both like baptizing and saying goodbye to the body.
He took the initiative to give up the championship, which is his self-punishment for all his previous actions and choices. The theme of "Redemption" of the old horse is half completed here. The winner is not important, the last shot slid over Robinson and the celebrating crowd indifferently, staying on the blood drop on the rope. The plot handling about the loss of the championship is contrary to the real experience of Jack LaMota, a real character, and is used by the old horse to strengthen his own expression. This is in line with our slogan of "above life" that we have always mentioned.
Lao Ma combined the speed of this boxing shot, and it was extremely shocking.
The originally pursued upturn has become a downfall, and the originally evasive downturn has become an uplift. He gave up the championship and won himself back.
Look at how complicated and sophisticated these eight boxing matches of Lao Ma are, step by step, he has reached the height of the goal he hopes to achieve.
This movie is worth continuing to watch. I don’t know how many more times are waiting for me.
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