The King of Comedy
THE KING OF COMEDY (15)
D: Martin Scorsese
20th Century Fox/Embassy (Arnon Milchan)
US 1982 (released 1983)
108 mins
Comedy/Drama
W: Paul Zimmerman
DP: Fred Schuler
Ed: Thelma Schoonmaker
Mus: Robbie Robertson
PD: Boris Leven
Cos: Richard Bruno
Robert DeNiro (Rupert Pupkin), Jerry
Lewis (Jerry Langford), Diahnne Abbott (Rita), Sandra Bernhard (Masha)
The King Of Comedy is one of the lesser known collaborations
between director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert DeNiro, but is every bit as good as the more famous partnerships (Goodfellas, Raging Bull, etc).
DeNiro stars as Rupert Pupkin, an oddball so obsessed with
becoming the world's most famous comedian that he begins to stalk his idol, late night talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), even going as far as kidnapping him, holding him to ransom so
he can get his moment in the spotlight.
One of the best films of 1983 and ample proof that its
director can tackle black comedy as well as gangster movies and biopics. Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis are also excellent, but both are probably upstaged by Sandra Bernhard, also playing a
crazed fan who tries to seduce Jerry.
8/10
