1. In Martin Scorsese’s film, “Raging Bull” (1980), the director makes use of powerful
cinematic devises to achieve a deeper emotional connection between Robert Deniro’s
tragic character, Jake LaMotta, and the audience. In the hands of a competent director
like Scorsese, devises such as lighting, intricate camerawork, sound (or absence thereof),
editing and even costuming become ways of evoking pity or even sympathy from
viewers. Two scenes in particular make use of these devises, Jake LaMotta’s time in the
Dade County Stockade and the final fight between Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray
Robinson.
In the first scene Jake LaMotta is dragged into a prison cell by two guards. Jake
sits down to take a few breaths and then walks towards the wall. He leans on the wall
with his head down to think about everything. His wife, his children, and his career are
now all gone. Jake physically punishes himself by smashing his head repeatedly against
the wall and also punching it. He then cries childishly and slides down on his seat.
The Stockade’s use of environmental lighting is immediately obvious. Darkness
is usually associated with bad things or in this case the lowest point in Jake’s life.
Scorsese uses as little lighting as possible to maintain his famed realistic style as well as
to emphasize Jack’s isolation from the outside world. It also draws the viewers
sympathy, since the cell’s lack of light is representative of the lack of good luck in Jake’s
life. When Jake starts to cry, the shadows cover his face and body but his arm and
shoulder is still visible. This shows that he is not human but an animal and that he can’t
show his face to the world. One quote that supports this is…

2. When Jake begins to beat himself, the camera zooms in. The magnification of his face as
he bashed it against the wall in frustration absorbs the viewer’s attention and elevates the
importance of the moment, suggesting symbolic significance. Also, Scorsese wants the
audience to focus on the details, expression, and the reaction of Jake. Scorsese does not
use the extreme close-up because he wants to emphasize his arms and his head, not his
face.
Sound is a very important factor of this scene because it shows pain and anger.
When Jake sits down there is silence for a few seconds. He starts to breathe heavier and
heavier to show that he is building anger inside of him. He stands up and starts to abuse
his body by banging his head and punching the wall. Sound effects are used to show that
Jake is using all his strength to release his emotions like he always does in the boxing
ring.
Costuming in this scene is essential because Jake LaMotta’s costume has his
stomach sticking out with dirty clothes. He is no longer wealthy and he is suffering.
Costumes can reveal class, self-image, and even psychological states.(footnote ryan)
Jake is a nobody in society and he is forced to do stand up comedy which is not really
important to him. He lost his family, money, and fame. Another significant about Jake’s
costume is that Robert Deniro transformed his body to fit this scene to show the passage
of time and physical changes.