Luke
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CibbuanoRobert De Niro: A Guide to his Film Roles (Part 1 - the 1970s)
April 1st 2007 20:57
I'm a huge De Niro fan. Chances are you might've come across my latently homosexual gushings about him in various reviews of films on this blog. Chances are you haven't, and I've just implied that I'm gay for him to someone who previously didn't suspect this. Damn.
I don't claim to have seen all of De Niro's films, but I've seen a good deal of them. Of his 70 film credits, I've probably seen close to half. The other day I watched 'Mean Streets' for the first time, and I'm sad to say that I've now seen almost every major De Niro film that most critics will tell you are worth seeing. There's the odd film or two floating about that I'd still like to see, but I'm guessing it's mostly downhill from here. It's no secret that De Niro doesn't make the same calibre of films anymore, or that he seems to care for artistic merit as much as he currently does about his paypacket, but I try not to get too bitter about it... the guy's in his mid-60s, his glory days are behind him, who can blame him for wanting to finally reap the rewards of his reputation for a nice retirement? No, no, I try not to be bitter... I just bide my time and hope he pulls out one of two more amazing performances in his most senior years to remind everyone again of his legacy. That would rule.
Anyway, I'm going to go through all the films I've seen that featured Robert De Niro and talk a little bit about each one.
Johnny Boy (Mean Streets)
Johnny Boy: This is the film credited with bringing the young Robert De Niro to everyone's attention, and is also the first of De Niro's eight collaborations with Martin Scorcese. Here Bob plays debt-ridden, gum-chewing, hothead hooligan Johnny Boy - a scene-stealing performance full of unrestrained glee and reckless energy. One to check out. Unfortunately, besides a horrendously expensive Martin Scorcese boxed set, it hasn't been given a proper release in Australia on DVD yet.
Vito Corleone (The Godfather Part II)
The Godfather Part II (1974) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Young Vito Corleone: De Niro had been passed over for the role of Sonny Corleone in the first Godfather film (footage of this audition can be seen on the Godfather DVD boxed set) and thankfully this left him eligible to play a young version of Marlon Brando's memorable character in the sequel. It's testement to De Niro's abilities that he was able to fill such big shoes more than adequately, and he went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work - the only case of two actors winning the award for playing the same character. In prepartion for the role, De Niro learnt a Sicillian dialect and he is heard speaking in this language for nearly the entirety of his performance. For later scenes in the film he also had a smaller version of Brando's cheek-fillers made to give his face that distinctive Don Corleone look, to show ageing.
Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)
Taxi Driver (1976) Directed by Martin Scorcese
Travis Bickle: After making 'Mean Streets', Scorcese realised he had found his muse. The reteaming between Scorcese and De Niro saw the creation of this film... my favourite movie of all time, no less. Here De Niro gives one of the most accomplished pieces of acting ever put on screen, the film 'Taxi Driver' is Robert De Niro. Travis Bickle is a shell-shocked loner slowly unravelling at the seams as he cruises the seedy underbelly of New York, looking for someone to save regardless of whether they want to be saved or not. Most people know this film for the ad-libbed 'You talkin' to me?' monologue that Travis launches at his own reflection in the mirror while he fantasises about violent carnage and glory, but this film and performance is so much more than that. De Niro got his first Best Actor nomination for his work here, and lost out to Peter Finch, who won posthumously for 'Network'.
Alfredo Berlinghieri (1900)
1900 (1976) Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Alfredo Berlinghieri: Bertolucci had originally wanted Jack Nicholson to play the character of Alfredo in this epic film about early 20th century Italy. One can't help but imagine the film might've been a little less plodding had Nicholson been present instead of Bob. De Niro gives an okay performance as an Italian facist pulled along by events that he doesn't really understand, but it's easily his co-star Gerard Deperdieu who gives the more engaging performance. The film itself stretched my patience a little, it's running time somewhere in the vicinity of five hours. Worth noting for De Niro's earliest and most explicit nude scene... he and Deperdieu visit a prostitute in one scene and De Niro grabs Deperdieu's weener to try and excite him a bit more!
Jimmy Doyle
New York, New York Directed by Martin Scorcese
Jimmy Doyle: De Niro reteamed with Scorcese again for this uneven and misplaced semi-musical. Here he plays Jimmy, a frustrated musician trying to break the big band bigtime in post-War New York. It's a strange film, and De Niro is introduced to us as a wisecracking opportunist straight out of the golden era of Hollywood... unfortunately things get a little muddled after this, and De Niro's character becomes more irascible and less likeable as the film goes on. It's worth noting that Scorcese was pretty strung out on coke when he made this film, and is alleged to have been having an affair with the film's star, Liza Minelli, at the time. The film itself runs for about three hours and is around two hours too long, and it's hard to know what to make of it. For this role, Bob learnt to play the sax. He also sings a little in one part of the film (don't get too excited, he isn't much of a singer). Read a full review here - New York, New York
Michael Vronsky (The Deer Hunter)
The Deer Hunter Directed by Michael Cimino
Michael Vronsky: De Niro himself considers this intense performance to be his best, and most physically exhausting. In preparation for the role he lived and hung out with real steelworkers at their homes and in their bars, and he during filming he performed his own stunts - including a scene where he freefalls into a river. The film itself is excellent, one of my all-time favourite war films, and De Niro's work here is amongst his best - especially in the frightening and heartstopping russian roulette scenes. This film got De Niro nominated for Best Actor again - this time he lost out to Jon Voight, who won the award for 'Coming Home', another film about the Vietnam War. Read full review here - The Deer Hunter
Of course, as I mentioned at the start of this article, I haven't seen every De Niro film. Here are some others that I've heard are worth checking out...
'Greetings' (1968) and 'Hi Mom!' (1970) are early satirical films by Brian De Palma that feature De Niro as amateur filmmaker and peeping tom, Jon Rubin. 'Bang the Drum Slowly' (1973) features De Niro in his first major role as Bruce Pearson, a simpleton baseballer with terminal cancer. 'The Last Tycoon' (1976) saw De Niro team up with legendary and controversial director Elia Kazan - based on a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it features De Niro as a golden era movie mogul, and is notable for being the only film to feature scenes shared by De Niro and Jack Nicholson.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Guide, the 1980s...
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Love all his early works, Hi Mom and Greetings are quite amazing films to see the now famous character quirks develop.
Comment by Luke
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
thanks JD!