BLACK AND BLUE IN BLACK AND WHITE

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2003)

It takes an actor, only the rank of Robert De Niro, to perfectly play the role of a violent, mercurial guy, who has no clue whatsoever of what he has to do with his life. Moreover, only an actor like De Niro can play the part of a well toned, energetic boxer, and also fatten himself up at the same time, to play the role of the same well toned energetic pugilist when all he cares about is glutting himself up and being slothful to the point of being indifferent. All the more, it takes a director, the caliber of Scorsese to make De Niro do all of these things.
Scorsese is a master of disturbing movies. His movies are subtle, yet disturbing. In `Raging Bull', he has perfectly captured the deranged character of Jack La Motta, and has chosen the perfect person to enact this character. The movie is uncomplicated, but the fights are not. Each moment of La Motta's various fights seems to be crafted diligently and with perfection. The fights are violent, but not gory. But, the blood-spills of the fights, even in black-and-white seem quite distressing. Of course, De Niro acts fantastically, even, and especially during his boxing scenes.
The black-and-white look of the movie, enhancing the subfusc nature of it, actually helps one, focus fully on the intensity of the characters, especially since everything else around them seem so livid and wan. As a matter of fact, colors are used symbolically by the artful Scorsese. The majority of the movie is pretty depressing. Hence, the movie is colorless, for the major part of it. However, the movie has a five-odd minute patch, which is shot in color. In fact, the colored' part, is the only positive part of the movie, which actually is a phantasmagoria of shots, showing positive things happening to lives of the Motta brothers.

`Raging Bull' is quite a depressing movie; there is no doubt about that. But, it is one of those movies, which is ought to be studied' for its brilliant direction (especially the non-usage of color producing greater effect) and the acting, especially of Robert De Niro, who did seem to actually put a on lot of weight for the movie.

8/10