Scorsese and De Niro
The dynamic relationship between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro has produced, arguably, eight of the most memorable, and endurable films of all time. They seem to mesh in a way that few directors and actors have done before. Even the legendary John Ford/John Wayne or Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart collaborations seem pale when we compare them to the grit, honesty and outright audacity of films such as Goodfellas or Raging Bull.
Surely every director has his favorite actors; those wonderful talents that seem to understand his vision without having to debate the finer points. It would seem impossible to think that Scorsese knew nothing of the sport of Boxing before De Niro pulled him along to watch a bout; to see the blood dripping from the ropes that no one else seemed to notice. He saw a rare form of poetry in that gore, an art that was waiting to be captured as it had never been before, while De Niro was preparing for a role that would gain him the envy and honor of his short-memory profession. As with all of their collaborative efforts, it produced legendary results.
De Niro gained and lost sixty pounds while delivering to us a lasting image of a fighter. How the Oscar failed to land in Scorsese's trophy case still confounds his fans. De Niro took home his second Oscar (his first for leading actor) while the film won for Best editing. Smiling, happy that his work had received eight nominations, Scorsese, the consummate professional, went back to work.
Both actor and director had received critical recognition on all of their work: Mean Streets, The King of Comedy, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino and an amazing re-make of the classic Cape Fear. Scorsese would direct over thirty films before he teamed once more with De Niro, and a who's who cast, to get his Best Director Oscar for The Departed.
Martin Scorsese films starring Robert De Niro
from earliest to latest...
Mean Streets (1973)-"You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets..." A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy.
Taxi Driver (1976)- "On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody." A mentally unstable Vietnam War veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out. Nominated for 4 Oscars.
Raging Bull (1980)- Based on the life and career of boxer Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull focuses on Jake's rage and the violence that makes him virtually unstoppable in the ring. The same anger also drives Jake to beat his wife and his brother Joey, and sends Jake down a self-destructive spiral of paranoia and rage. Nominated for eight Academy Awards. Winner of two (Best Actor: Robert De Niro, Best Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker)
The King of Comedy (1983)- "Nobody knows Rupert Pupkin, but after 11:30 tonight no one will ever forget him." Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin wants to achieve success in showbiz, by resorting to stalking his idol, a late night talk show host who craves his own privacy.
Goodfellas (1990)-"As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster. Henry Hill, Brooklyn NY, 1955." Based on real events, Goodfellas takes us into the workings of Wise Guys and their ties to the Italian Mafia. It is the rise and fall of Henry Hill, who became a federal witness, bringing down many of his associates in order to escape his own prosecution. Nominated for five Academy awards. Winner: Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actor.
Cape Fear (1991)-"there's nothing there in the dark that isn't there in the light, except Fear." A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a 14 year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him. Nominated for two Academy awards.
Casino (1995)-"no one stays on top forever." Greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two mobster best friends and a trophy wife over a gambling empire. Sharon Stone was nominated for Best Actress