In the article, Glutton for Punishment, by Dante A. Ciampaglia, Ciampaglia states "Redemption? That’s only in the pictures. But Hollywood approaches the inherent danger and venality of the fight game cautiously, never staring too long into the abyss. To do so would be to stray too far from the formula: audiences should go home cheering, if not for a champion then for a guy who failed stoically and with class. No one wants to spend time—or, more importantly, money on a downer." I like this quote because the author makes note of how Hollywood portrays boxing. I think for a subject like this, once you watch a lot of boxing films, you forget that there is an actual reality behind these films. Like in Champion (1949), or Million Dollar Baby (2005), the audience is reminded of a fate like death, but it is truly in films like Fat City and Raging Bull that emphasize mental effects contributed to boxing. The soul starts to deteriorate just like body, and it is hard to find a certain meaning as to why the boxer is competing. In the end of the film, Tully wins the fight, and yet he is reminded by a cut over his eye a crucial experience that left a toxic taste in his mouth. He's an alcoholic and nothing, not even winning can change that. Boxing turned him into a bum because he wasn't fighting for the right reasons. I think this is important because there isn't necessarily a happy ending to this film. In the beginning, we hear the song "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and it once again plays to the audience in the very end. It highlights just how miserable these people are, and how nothing is going to change that.
The boxer as loner finds expression in both Tully and Ernie. But the film never gives these fighters a villainous rival upon whom to project the wrongs they are combating; instead, a meaningful similarity between boxers emerges. Obviously, Tully and Ernie have similarities of lovers and boxing skills, and yet Ernie is solely there to juxtapose Tully. We see that Ernie is viewed as a successor of Tully. Tully sees himself and what he could have been in Ernie. The audience is meant to view both as unsuccessful men, and yet I believe Ernie can be argued to be successful. He doesn't give up on boxing because he doesn't see it as a source of income, but something that amuses him. He still continues to balance work and his personal life with boxing, whereas Tully cannot. I believe that in this sense, Ernie is achieving happiness because he is still doing what he loves. Something also very telling in this situation is how the boxing matches play out.
In this scene, there is a moment when no words are spoken, and Tully realizes everyone is lonely in their own world. He is sitting next to Ernie and the two exchange awkward facial expressions and body positions. The two men are in their own worlds, and nothing will take them out of that. That's important because it in a sense shows Tully accepting his fate. He is an alcoholic, depressed man. There is a harsh reality in this scene and I think the director did a wonderful job in encapsulating feelings without words being spoken. Overall, this movie is trying to prove to the audience that the state of mind is what truly will help to achieve happiness. Tully was not a successful boxer because he was not happy in his life. Boxing was not sufficient enough for him to receive pleasure out of the sport. The boxer was defeated by his passion and it is not easy to admit to that feeling of defeat. Through the use of comparing Ernie and Tully, I think it helped the audience note that happiness is in the eye of the beholder, and doing what you love is important for your soul.
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Author(savannah hink) |