The King of Comedy

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DeNiro became so skilled at playing tightly wound, simmering types that Mean Streets is kind of an outlier in what a live wire character he portrays. I still love that back room conversation between him and Keitel, and the pool hall fight scene (which is actually stolen by the supporting characters imo.) It's better on subsequent viewings, I saw it when I was younger and it felt half-formed, but later viewings revealed a lot.

Romanus and Proval are outstanding, too; Proval in particular. As far as I know he didn't do much of note between Mean Streets and his role as Richie Aprile in The Sopranos. He was so good in the latter, casting people must have been sleeping on him.

omar little, Thursday, 3 January 2019 18:56 (five years ago) link

Casino btw is pretty astonishing, it received unfair flak for being a Goodfellas ripoff but it's such a different vibe. The characters are more desiccated and empty, Goodfellas felt at times like a classic '30s/'40s comedy mixed in with a vicious gangster film, w/unrepentant yet likable characters, Casino is an ugly, horrifying tragedy. Assuming it was brought up because it hasn't been seen, all I'll say is that there's a scene near the end which is probably one of the most terrifying, nightmarish things I've seen in cinema.

omar little, Thursday, 3 January 2019 19:02 (five years ago) link

omar otm re: Casino. Some days I prefer it to Goodfellas -- it feels like Scorsese is fully aware he's doing another Goodfellas, but he's trying to see just how far he can take that kind of story, in every way.

And as great as the music cues were in Goodfellas, stretches of wall-to-wall music in Casino are masterful, as are little things like the "Toad" solo fading in and out, and only using "Go Your Own Way" for a few seconds.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 3 January 2019 19:10 (five years ago) link

Casino suffers from too many narrators syndrome.

I don't usually love Ray Liotta, but I think he's great in Goodfellas precisely because he's not afraid to put his character's flaws front and center. He doesn't play it too cool, he's not an anti-hero, he's a shithead who managed to be a big shot for a little while.

Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 3 January 2019 19:12 (five years ago) link

King of Comedy is great, but count me among the boring Taxi Driver/Raging Bull/Goodfellas/Mean Streets contingent.

I had little doubt on this point.

love craptually (Eric H.), Thursday, 3 January 2019 19:12 (five years ago) link

I would never argue that TKoC is "clearly superior" to Raging Bull and Goodfellas. It is if you're wired like me.

a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 3 January 2019 19:13 (five years ago) link

If you think of Mean Streets as little more than a rough sketch, stay clear of Who's That Knocking at My Door--which has at least one scene, the one with "El Watusi," I consider as great as almost anything Scorsese went on to do.

clemenza, Thursday, 3 January 2019 19:23 (five years ago) link

Taxi Driver and King of Comedy are kind of a double A side

flappy bird, Friday, 4 January 2019 05:17 (five years ago) link

And now I want to see Mean Streets, but I only have ten minutes before I go to work

Mark G, Friday, 4 January 2019 07:55 (five years ago) link

two months pass...

Lewis told GQ, “Originally my name in the script was Robert Langford, I said, ‘Marty! We’re going to be shooting in New York. Do yourself a favor and call him Jerry Langford.’ He said, ‘Why?’ “Because everywhere we go in New York, your construction workers and cab drivers will validate that it’s Jerry.”

https://cinephiliabeyond.org/the-king-of-comedy/

... (Eazy), Saturday, 16 March 2019 22:39 (five years ago) link

Screened Ingrid Goes West last night...strong KoC vibes in that one.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 19 March 2019 15:21 (five years ago) link

one year passes...

saw this for the first time last night. it’s an astonishing film, almost can’t believe scorsese made it. de niro has played sociopaths well before but he’s just so perfect here, class acting all around actually. and having seen UNCUT GEMS first, it almost anticipates that film — I was expecting rupert to get shot between the eyes as soon as his bit finished airing in the bar.

k3vin k., Tuesday, 14 July 2020 02:24 (three years ago) link

seven months pass...

Phoned a longtime friend today and--long story--had to make sure it was actually him I was talking to.

"What do we call our second cameraman?"

It was him.

clemenza, Thursday, 11 March 2021 21:49 (three years ago) link

Laraine Newman says she auditioned for the Sandra Bernhard role. Had to sit on De Niro's lap and coo at him. It didn't work out.

Josefa, Friday, 12 March 2021 00:59 (three years ago) link

nine months pass...
one year passes...

I guess the greatness of The King of Comedy is supposed to be that it is brilliant because it's entirely cringy and off-putting. All I can say is ugh. It is my least favorite Scorsese film

Dan S, Thursday, 22 June 2023 23:48 (eleven months ago) link

Next thing you will be telling us is that you don’t like Andy Kaufman.

Holly Godarkbloom (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 22 June 2023 23:50 (eleven months ago) link

Andy Kaufman was great

Dan S, Thursday, 22 June 2023 23:54 (eleven months ago) link

:)

Holly Godarkbloom (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 22 June 2023 23:54 (eleven months ago) link

Agreed that this is Scorsese's best. It's certainly the one that's most stuck with me in the years since I saw it.

"You should only get cancer, I hope you get cancer!"

immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Friday, 23 June 2023 00:05 (eleven months ago) link

I think it's a great film too, one of Scorsese's best. IIRC John Huston was really put off initially but came around to it when he realized it was confronting a lot of uncomfortable truths that public Hollywood figures like himself usually try to ignore - that a lot of aspiring filmmakers, actors, etc. who want to make it in Hollywood are attracted to fame just like a zealous fan. And as good as All About Eve may be, King of Comedy comes closer to how ugly, deranged and pathetic that attraction can be.

birdistheword, Friday, 23 June 2023 00:49 (eleven months ago) link

^good post

Johnny Bit Rot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 23 June 2023 01:01 (eleven months ago) link

All I can say is ugh. It is my least favorite Scorsese film

You daffy bastard.

Renaissance of the Celtic Trumpet (Tom D.), Friday, 23 June 2023 06:38 (eleven months ago) link

I didn’t know he was Welsh.

Johnny Bit Rot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 23 June 2023 06:44 (eleven months ago) link

That would be Taffy. 0:53.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjAfhTsxVyo

Renaissance of the Celtic Trumpet (Tom D.), Friday, 23 June 2023 09:07 (eleven months ago) link

Yeah, I know

Johnny Bit Rot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 23 June 2023 10:13 (eleven months ago) link


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