The film opens at the end of James Braddock's first reign in the boxing world. His coach Gould has placed him in a fight that gives him the chance to increase his purse back up to $75 per match. The increase in pay would do wonders for the state of living his family has degraded to. His wife, Mae , and his three kids live in an apartment in Jersey with the overdue bills piled up. James does everything in his power to try and provide for his family during a terrible depression. Unfortunately, James loses his match in the most embarrassing of ways. It's so bad that his license to fight is revoked. To make matters worse, his right hand's been broken, making his sporadic shifts at the docks a fight to keep his injury hidden. But the injury turns out to be something of a blessing. Because he can't use his right hand, James strengthens up what's usually his weak arm in the ring, making him a brutal force with both hands. A few months later, after having to send the kids off to live at a relative's house, Gould offers James one more fight. He doesn't have the license back, it's just a one night stand in the ring. To the surprise of everyone, even himself, Braddock wins the fight, making headline news and starting the uphill battle for the sport yet again. Growing up, my family was not wealthy at all. We lived in a double wide trailer from the age of 7 until I was 16. The trailer park we lived in was very run down and "ghetto." There were times I walked in from school and the power was shut off and other times I turned the television on and there was no cable. My parents both owned their own small businesses but did not always have a job to do. I remember standing in line every Wednesday at the outreach center o... ... middle of paper ... ... For James Braddock, we were always aware that he had chosen his profession because his family came first. Boxing was a way out of poverty, a way to make sure his kids had the milk and food and light they needed, a way to take the strain and worry from his wife’s face. So even while we watched the brutal battles in the ring, we knew why he was fighting, and why he was determined to win. Two scenes stand out for me – his trip to Madison Square Garden, to the wheelers and dealer’s room, to beg for money to pay the bills that will get his kids back home. You can feel this proud man’s humiliation, and the cruelty of some of the men in the room so strongly, you could have been sitting right there with them as he went, cap in hand, for anything he could get. The other scene was his face to face with Mae, his wife, as he tells her how much he needs her love.
He was offered a “Club cap” but James “gave it back” to his friend, Kris. They waited until Kris left the apartment building, then played a game of checkers. James had wanted to fit in with his friends in the “K-Bones” club but had realized that his brother was more important. He pushed his friend away to play games with Isaac. Furthermore, James has to “take care of” Isaac when his mother is at work. Even when he is trying to fit in with a devious club, he would still “hold Isaac’s hand” or even “carry him home”. James is a very nice and caring brother. This is logical because, that is what a good brother should look like. James must truly love Isaac as his brother, and admires his family more than his
war often, for the sake of his country, but when he did he put in a
after watching him do a few miracles (pg. 24). He then begins to barraage him with
Boxing was earlier known by the name Pugilism ,meaning “sweet Science”(The Editors Of Encyclopedia Britannica).Historical evidence lead to the fact that boxing was prevalent in North Africa in four thousand B.C, it was also popular in Greek and Rome(HOB).Now Back to MMA, the fastest growing sports organization in the world ,the Ultimate Fighting Championship(UFC),started in 1993 as a professional mixed martial arts(MMA) organization(UFC). UFC matches take place inside the Octagon ,an eight-sided structure comprised of metal chain link fence(Britannica). The fence is six feet high and allows for 30 feet of space from point to point of the Octagon(Britannica). For a fight recap if a kickboxer was matched with a brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, the kickboxer would realize that he must become more adept at defending takedowns ,thus prompting him to train with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner(UFC). From that point forward ,competitions were no longer between athletes who focused on a singular martial art ,but between to an athlete with two are or more
Gould believes he has another chance to fight once again-be yet again a star. Gould is like family, always has. Gould looks out for the ones he cares about, being James is like his brother he wants him to get on track. He knows James and his family are going through a very tough time. He wants James to be on his game more, to be that leader for his children's eyes, and to not steal food for his kids to have a meal on the dinner table. He convinces braddock to fight in the ring yet again. Braddock starts at a pretty scratchy start but with a little time on the punching bag in the gym, Gould is confident in a successful winning
to the remnants of his family only to discover that Marija has become a prostitute. Another
The movie opens just as it ends, the camera pans down to the pavement revealing a sign outside the Barbizon Plaza Theater: “An Evening with Jake LaMotta Tonight 8:30.” The film then cuts to a punched out overweight shot of LaMotta babbling a barely coherent rhyming rant mixing Shakespeare with the infernal jabber of an half illiterate has been boxer. Quickly the scene shifts from backstage of a nightclub to a close up of a younger LaMotta receiving repeated jabs to the face. The bold white title card “Jake La Motta 1941” jumps out against the stark grey images of the match. LaMotta between rounds sits in the corner surrounded by his trainer, manager and cut man giving the impression of lion tamers antagonizing a corned animal by telling him he is “out pointed” and “You’re gonna have to knock him out.” When the fight continues LaMotta crouches like a coiled snake boring his way into a barrage of punches only to explode in a flurry of flashbulbs sending his opponent to the canvas. With a bombardment of hard stuck lefts, LaMotta sends Jimmy Reeves on a return trip to the mat. Again, in the final round a bloody pulverized Reeves lies pinned to the floor only to be saved by the bell after the count reaches nine. LaMotta then proceeds to strut around the ring proudly wearing a leopard skin robe with hands held high w...
times in his journey through New York and even before he left. The setting is in
To solve this problem, he would often steal in order to look good enough to attend school. By the time James reached 16 years old, he was arrested, and served 3 years in prison. While in prison he started a gospel group and earned the title “Music Box” (Brenchley, 2003, DVD). James tried to find his place in life, his interest was boxing, and his idol was Bo Jack the boxer. He did some semi-pro boxing in his days, and played baseball.
It was basically a routine- Walk down the stairs, turn a right, see 9th graders Jill and Macy talking behind their folders as they scurried past, always sharing some kind of secret.
losing his parents. The absence of a home, in addition to his uncertainty, Jim continues to
for both his wife and his science apart for long: “His love for his wife might prove the
James was an authoritarian parent. He was controlling, in-charge and no one questioned him. He would play the role of the doting father. When his children made mistakes, he made a point to criticize them. He often compared them to other kids that he felt were “more perfect.” When his often unspoken expectations were not met he would yell and scream striking fear into his entire family. “He’s not a warm, fuzzy kind of guy, and he’s not going to inspire feelings of intimacy. But when his system works, he can boast about one thing: His recruits tend to obey” (Dewar).