Because Martin Scorsese is… well, Martin Scorsese, we’ve mentioned him pretty frequently here on the blog. But today’s a special day; one of his films is celebrating its 40th birthday, and it’s even considered by some to be Scorsese’s magnum opus. That’s right, it’s the anniversary of Raging Bull!
Raging Bull is a gritty story of a man who fights for a living while also at constant war with himself. Although it was initially released to mixed criticism, the film was eventually regarded as a masterpiece—being inducted into the National Film Registry the first year it was eligible and earning a spot on AFI’s “100 Years... 100 Movies” list.
Each scene in this boxing drama had to be specifically choreographed to accommodate the groundbreaking editing Scorsese was trying to achieve. This meant there was plenty of creative room for the post-sound team. In several shots, punches and camera flashes are the only things audible, establishing an eerie intimacy between the characters and the audience. The sound team perfectly crafted the glove hits and flashbulb sounds coming in and out of focus and building tension all the way to the end of the fight.
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