The King Of Comedy

one of the best scorsese films... feels like the spiritual inspiration for Joker

This has got to be my favourite Robert De Niro / Martin Scorsese collaboration. Perhaps De Niro's best performance, even better than 'Taxi Driver' and 'The Deer Hunter'. In 'King of Comedy', De Niro displays his considerable talent as an actor by playing a character (Rupert Pumpkin) who is all smiles and friendly banter on the surface but whose interior life is dominated by a fierce and determined ambition that will stop at nothing to achieve fame as a comedian. The menace that Pumpkin eminates lurks just beneath the surface but is nevertheless palpable throughout the 109 min movie runtime. Rupert Pupkin is a delusional stand-up comedian unsuccessfully trying to launch his career. After meeting Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), a successful comedian and talk-show host, Rupert believes that his "big break" has finally come. He attempts to book a spot on the show but is continually rebuffed by Langford's staff and finally by Langford himself. Feeling betrayed by Langford, who'd promised to give him a spot on his show, Pumpkin takes the law into his own hands and kidnaps Jerry, threatening to kill him if he isn't given time on air to perform his comic routine. Many comments here suggest that Pumpkin is "delusional" and doesn't have any real talent or chance of becoming a stand-up comic like his hero Langford. I would argue, however, that Rupert not only has talent, which he hones as a result of advice from Langford and his secretary Cathy Long (Shelley Hack) into a perfect comedy routine, but is also a true embodiment of the American Dream which rewards hard work, determination and ambition with fame and fortune. No matter that Pumpkin has to kidnap Jerry Langford to get to the top . . . what matters is that millions see his act live on TV and that he become a household name. Pumpkin doesn't play by the rules, and in the end is sent to jail for 6 years, but is released early and is straight back in front of the cameras performing his comedy for millions of adoring fans who have been anticipating his return. One thing I love about the Pumpkin characted is his steadfastness and ability to hold onto his dream, despite time and time again being laughed at and humilated. Rupert is gonna make it and no one is gonna get in his way. Towards the end of the film, Rupert says that it's "better to be king for a day than smuck for life". This sums up his personality in a nutshell. He's no "smuck" and he's gonna show all those who doubted him, including his childhood sweetheart, Rita Keene (Diahnne Abbot), that even those who are struggling at the "bottom" can surprise everyone and make it to the top. All it takes is a strong belief in yourself and the American Dream. 'King of Comedy' was the inspiration for the much darker 'Joker' (2019), directed by Tood Phillips and starring De Niro as talk-show host Maurice "Murray" Franklin.

Brilliant film still entertaining nd though ages slightly, still extremely watchable nd shows how to make captivating films.

The film is good, it is not a comedy though. All in all I find the film a bit disappointing in this respect. I got it from Amazon for around 4-5 quid, as far as I remember. Now it's 16 quid:) Not worth the price IMO. Worth watching, but I don't think it is the kind of film you watch over and over again.

Brilliant film.

This is one of scorsese's finest, yet one of his most underrated films to date. Unlike the rest of his films at this period, he transistoned from his Dark Deniro thrillers and dramas ( like Raging bull and Taxi Driver) and made this, a dark comedy thriller. I believe this and 'Hugo' are his only PG rated films, yet unlike the other iw ould not classify this as a kids film... This is a film of desperation, crippiling ambition and the dark reality of new york life. The cast is spectaculer with Jerry Lewis playing De Niro's hero/enemy, of Whom Deniro wants to become. I would rate this film a solid 10/10 and the DVD itself was clean and in great condition, and the extras offered a lot of insight into what was really going on on set and the intentions of the crew when making this opus.

I bought this film for an university assignment and although admittedly I picked it for unsophisticated reasons (it contained the word 'Comedy' in the title which made it sound a helluva lot more cheery than one of the other options: 'Misery') I must say I'm glad that I did. De Niro turns in a fantastic performance. His Rupert Pupkin is both endearing yet simultaneously a bit too clingy. He has a worthy adversary in Jerry Langford, a character to who I am sure Lewis can relate - in fact, he even directed one of the extras in a sequence that mirrored an incident from his own life (for all you trivia fans, its the bit where the old lady approaches him on the street). However Lewis' suggestion that Pupkin should end up killed failed to materialise thus providing viewers with one of the most ambiguous endings since... well... Scorsese's last picture Taxi Driver. This film that satires our obsession with celebrities, perfectly captures people's desire to get their fifteen minutes of fame and culminates in De Niro performing a five minute stand-up routine. What more could you want from a film?

A lesser known Scorsese/De Niro effort - but rather superb in it's depiction of hunger for fame for it's own sake. Prescient too - De Niro's misguided terrible stand up comedian only wants to be famous, not good, echoing the current trend for vacuous talentless celebrity. He's chasing the wrong thing, but does achieve infamy after kidnapping the successful Jerry Lewis character. De Niro is superb as the nerdy, mothered, tragic loser. Jerry Lewis plays it straight and is remarkable. Great support from an angsty unhinged Sandra Bernhard and a long suffering Diahnne Abbott. For a Scorsese production it's rather subdued, and flopped when released in the early 80s, but it's a thought-provoking, funny, scary, and very New York movie. Worth seeing indeed.

Great film and terrific on Bluray x good price too xxxxx stars

La inspiración para Joker

Opinión de King Of Comedy [Italia] con ASIN : B00HVAFOXU Película con audio castellano. Los extras no tienen subtítulos en español, solo en italiano. ¡Un saludo!

Edizione inglese ma è presente anche la lingua italiana , capolavoro assoluto del grande martin scorsese con un ottimo robert de niro , film stupendo , tutti gli appassionati dovrebbero possedere questo bluray !

..............und natürlich zu Robert, dessen Rolle hier gleichermaßen zur Beängstigung wie zum Fremdschämen anstachelt/ anregt. Diese penetrante Anmache eines von sich über alle Maßen eingebildeten Wichtigtuers gegenüber seines Idols Jerry ist nicht nur voll schräg, sondern nicht minder die Spitze des schwarzen Humors. " Man sagt nicht: Hey Freunde, jetzt kommt die Pointe,.....man bringt sie einfach! " Rupert Pupkin ist ein Wahn.sinniger. Er ist besessen vom Wahn, berühmt sein zu wollen. Er ist überzeugt davon, dass er ein guter Komiker ist. Dass er witzig ist. Und negative Reaktionen blendet er aus. Und letztlich ist ihm jedes Mittel recht, sein Ziel auch zu erreichen. KING OF COMEDY ist aufwühlend spannend, KING OF COMEDY ist tatsächlich ein Thriller, denn die Kombi aus falscher Selbsteinschätzung und aus nicht ernst genommen werden hat brutale Folgen für alle Beteiligten. Ein wahnsinniger, wahnwitziger Film eben. Und großartig wie Lewis und DeNiro. Eben. " Tut mir leid, er hat keinen Termin mit Ihnen. " ******************************************************************************** Story: Ein Möchtegern- Entertainer, der sich für ein unentdecktes Talent hält, entführt sein großes Idol und erzwingt sich damit den Platz in dessen Fernsehshow? Kaum zu glauben, oder? Seht selbst. ********************************************************************************* Fazit, mein grandioses: Eine grandios gespielte und bitterböse Farce: KING OF COMEDY! Ein Film voller bizarrer Szenen, schrägstem Humor und komischster Schärfe komischer Einlagen, über die ich ernsthaft lachen konnte. DeNiro überzeugt als narzisstische Nervensäge, die sich für einen göttlichen Komiker oder sogar für Gott hält. Der personifizierte Wahnsinn, der am Ende als bemitleidenswerter Wicht enttarnt wird, der in einer Traumwelt lebt. " Haben Sie ihn gebeten, zu gehen? " - " Ja. Aber er geht nicht. " Genial doch die Szene, in der Rupert in seinem Zimmer sitzt und mit fiktiven Gästen in einer fiktiven Talkshow quatscht- während er dabei von seiner Mutter unterbrochen wird, die aus dem Erdgeschoß nach oben ruft, dass er doch nun endlich den Müll rausbringen soll. " Also wenn Sie jetzt nicht mitspielen, Jerry,..........könnte das ein Problem geben. " Nur zu gut erinnere ich mich an dieses Zitat: `In jeder Straße, in jeder Stadt gibt es einen Niemand, der davon träumt, ein Jemand zu sein. Ein einsamer, vergessener Mann, entschlossen zu beweisen, dass er noch lebt. ` Ja, das stammt aus Paul Schraders Feder, ist die Tagline von " Taxi Driver " aus dem Jahr 1976- die Geschichte von Travis Bickle, der einen Amoklauf verübt, um " die Straße vom Schmutz zu befreien ". Und um seine Männlichkeit zu beweisen.....beinahe so könnte man die Linie von Rupert Pupkin beschreiben, der hier in KING OF COMEDY noch bei seiner Mutter lebt und dessen großes Ziel es ist, wie der berühmte Jerry Langford zu werden. Beinahe. Mit all seinen Boshaftigkeiten und seinen inneren Dämonen. " Soll man das für möglich halten? Dieser Irrsinnige bedroht Jerrys Leben und ihr sorgt euch um die Sendung?! " Also: Sowohl " Taxi Driver " als auch KING OF COMEDY handelt von kranken Individuen,.........aber auch von einer kranken Gesellschaft. " Hallo, wer ist da? " - " Ich bin der King. " KNG OF COMEDY- ein Film über die Leere hinter der vorfabrizierten Fröhlichkeit. KING OF COMEDY- ein wirklich besonderer Film. " Verhaftet? Fein. Ich glaub`, ich muss jetzt zum Make up. " - " Ich würde zu gerne etwas Farbe in Ihr Gesicht bringen. " - " Hähä, haha. " :DD Und: Mein großer Dank gilt Daniel Zynda- ohne seine klasse Rezension hätte ich mitnichten den für mich immer nur witzigen Jerry Lewis in einer so ernsten Rolle erleben und bewundern können.:-) Lauflänge: 104.20 Minuten ( mit Abspann ) ! Bonus ( deutsche Untertitel ) : - Der Versuch, nach oben zu kommen: Making of= 18.40 Minuten! - Unveröffentlichte Szenen= 6.15 Minuten! - Original Kinotrailer + kanadischem TV- Spot! Ja, ein wirklich besonderer Tipp!