Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews A Bronx Tale (1993)

Alright, you got to know nice and time two. This is the Fordham section of the Bronx. My home a world into itself. You could get Tenny Bong fifteen minutes from here, but they might as well be three thousand miles away. That's Mount Carmel Church and the sound of the bells would fill the neighborhood on the street to the where. It was nineteen sixty and Duop was a sound on the streets. It felt like there was a duop group on every corner back then. What a time it was. The New York Yankees were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series and Mickey Mantle was like a god to me.

My dad would take me to Yankee Stadium and we would watch the Yankees win. That's the shape Bipy. That's where all the guys hung out. But I'll tell you about them later. That's my building. I lived right there on the third floor six six seventies a hundred and eighty seventh Street. There's my stoop and I war summer nights through the neighborhood you would hear sounds of young Italian men ro man sing their women. I'm right getting a car, no getting a car. Let me alone. Come, mom, baby, you know I love it.

Were you getting a car? And right there, right there under that lamp post, Dan stood the man, the number one man in the neighborhood, Sonny. Everybody loves Sonny, and they treated him like a god. And in my neighborhood he was a god. And I would sit on my stoop and watch him all day and all night. But he would never even look at me, never until one day. If one were to think of the countless movies that have taken place in the Bronx, there would be many great films that come to mind. However, this week's film, sadly is often forgotten in the upper tier of films about the great city, despite having the known area in its title, and even though it can be overlooked, it has carved itself a nice little legacy even over thirty years after its initial release.

This week's film is the directorial debut of screen legend and my personal favorite actor of all time, Robert de Niro. Adapted from the autobiographical One Man's Stage Play starring in written by Chas Paul Monterry, a Bronx Tale, released in nineteen ninety three, presents us the story of Claire Duo, a young man that, over the period of ten years, finds himself torn between a life in organized crime when he is befrinded by local mob boss Sonny played by Paul Mon Terry in his honest, hard working bus driver father Lorenzo played by De Niro.

Our next clip will tell us how this film came to be. Two years ago, De Niro, Paul me and Terry Tommy Mottola were on The Today Show before the premiere of the Broadway musical adaptation of this film. Paul Menary and De Niro speak on what led to the film being made and the uniqueness of the deal broker between the two to get it made the right way. Check out this crew Oscar nominee Chas Pulmonary, Oscar winner Robert De Niro, Tony winner Jerry Zax and legendary music mogul Tommy Mattola. They all share a love for the Bronx tail.

It says a one man show. Staring was a one man show starring Chaz Palm and Tary back in the eighties. Robert made his directorial debut and appeared in the nineteen ninety three movie version. Now, nearly twenty five years later, they've turned a Bronx Tail into a Broadway musical. Chaz wrote the book. Robert and Jerry codirect Tommy is lead producer. Wow, guys, good morning, Nice to see you take this the right way. This is like a murderer's row producing and directing talent here. This is your story.

Yeah right. I saw him at a basketball game not long ago. We walked up talk to each other. When we brought this show up. You got a smile on your face like I have never seen before. Why does it mean so much to you? Well, you know it was my life story, you know, growing up in the Bronx. You know, I witnessed this murder when I was a kid. My father, Lorenzo, was a bus driver. He played saxophone, you know, and he always wanted to play, you know, be a saxophone player. Which I didn't bring it up in the movie The Other One Man Show, but I was able to do it in this new Bob saw me do it in the twenty five almost twenty eight years ago, and he said this should be a movie, and Bob made it happen as a movie.

The way the story goes you're told, after one night doing that one man show that he's in the house and in your dressing room and wants to talk to you. Yes, what do you remember about that meeting? No, I had been hearing about the show and so on, and I said, I want to go see it. And that's how it then one. I mean, it had been running for a while, a couple of months or so. I went and so chazed, he said, we'll talk blah blah blah. Next thing you know, you say, he changed your life. And I want to mention there were other offers you had gotten to buy the story.

Why was his offer the right offer at that time? Well, because what Bob said was well, first of all, Bob was the one who said, you should play Sonny and you'll write the screenplay because it'll be honest. He was the one who gave me that opportunity. Everybody else wanted it, but they didn't want me. They wanted to put a star in the role. But Bob let that happen and he let me write the screenplay. And really, I mean, and he looked at me and said, if you do it with me, I'll make it right. I'll never forget those words.

And he said, shake my hand, and that's the way it'll be. That was the deal right there. Oftentimes in gangster films there is this poll of good versus evil. Many times our primary character falls into the pitfalls of a life in organized crime. However, in this film, Sonny doesn't want this life for Claire Duro. In a way, Lorenzo and Sonny want the same thing for the young man, but they cannot see it through their different standings in the community. Our next two clips are examples of this. First, when Lorenzo finds out his young son has earned over six hundred dollars working at Sonny's bar and shooting craps, he angrily confronts the mobster.

Then, in the second clip, Sonny schools the teenage Colaire Dureau or See as he is known as, on life and hearkening back to the ending of our previous clip, Sonny answers if it is better to be loved or feared Sonny around. Yeah, I think he's in the back. We can't accept that

I didn't give you. I give you your son. He worked, that's right, my son, and I don't want my son involved in what goes on here. What what are you talking about phase. I'm not a stupid man. Okay, Please, I'm not stupid. You know what I'm talking about. Just stay away from my son. Okay, hey, you stay right over here. See, why don't you go outside? I want to to your father. I'll speak to my own son. Go out your wait outside. First of all, I respectul the rent. So you're a stand up guy from the same neighborhood.

But don't ever talk to me like that again. I tell your son to go to school, to go to Carl. Understand, it's not what you say. It's what he sees. It's the clothes, it's the cars, it's the money, it's everything. He tried to throw away his baseball cards the other day because he said Mickey Mann will never pay my rent. He said that that's not funny. Not funny when your nine year old kid has a bigger bank account than you do. I offered you a job, but you said a note to me. That's right, and I say no.

Now, just leave my son alone. Please. Hey, don't you see how I treat that kid. I treat that kid like he's my son. Yeah, your son, he's my son, he's what he's my son. I'm not afraid of you. You should. I know you are Sonny. I know what you're capable of, and I would never step out of the line. You can ask anybody in this neighbor who knows me. But this time you're wrong. You don't fool the man's family. This is my son, not yours. What are you gonna do? You stay away from myself? Here? Before I give you a flock, you'll just stay away from my what?

How could you do that? Yet? He was my money. That's bad money. I don't want you to have that money, I said, I want you to stay away from him. I said, you stay away from him. Did you hear what I said? You stay away from him? Said? He was right the Woo community. He's a sucker. Yet he's a sucker. He's wrong. It don't take much strength to pull a trigger. But try and get up every morning, day after day and work for a living. And let's see him try that. Then, well, she was the real tough guy. The working man is the tough guy.

Your father is the tough guy. But everybody loves him. Do you think everybody loves you? In the bus to say thing, No, it's not the same. People don't love him, They fear him. There's the difference. And now Sonny imparts a lesson on Claire dream Sku Dumpsolvia. You know hees me twenty It's been two weeks now, and every time he sees me keeps dodging me. He's becoming a real pain in the ash. I mean, should I crack him on a one? Somebody? What about it? Telling me sometimes hurting somebody in the answer?

First of all, is he a good friend of yours? Yeah? I don't even like him. You don't even like him? Does your answer right? Then look at it this way. Of course, you're twenty dollars to get rid of him. Right, He's never gonna bother you again. He's never gonna ask you for money again. He's out of your life. For twenty dollars, you gotta have cheap forget it. You're always right, You're always right. Yeah, I'm always right. If I was always right? And when he done ten years in the giant, what did you do every day?

There's only three things you can do when the joint kidden, lift weights, play cards, and get into trouble. What did you do me? I read it? What did you read over here? Machiavelli. Who Machiavella. It's a famous writer from five hundred years ago. Availability. That's what he always said. Availability. That's right. Listen to me. I could live anywhere I want to. You know why I live in this neighborhood. Availability. I wanna stay close to everything cause being on the spot, I can see trouble immediately.

Trouble is like a cancer. You gotta get it early. If you don't get it early, it gets too big, then it kills you. That's why I gotta cut it out. As come on. You worried about Louie Thoms, nobody cares. Nobody cares. Worry about yourself, your family, the people that are important to you. That's what it comes down to. Availability. The people in this neighbor that see me every day, that are on my side, they feel safe because they know I'm close and that gives them more reason to love me. But the people that want to do otherwise, they think twice because they know I'm close and that gives them more reason to fear me.

Is it better to be loved or feed It's a good question. It's nice to be but it's very difficult. But if I had my choice. I would rather be feared, fear less longer than love. Friendships that are bought. Would money mean nothing? You see what is around here? I make a joke. Everybody laughs. I know I'm funny, but I'm not that funny.

It's fear that keeps them loyal to me. But the trick is not to be hated. That's why I treat my men good, but not too good. I give them too much, then they don't need me. I give them just enough where they need me, but they don't hate me. I'll forget what I'm telling you. This film builds up to one of the most heartbreaking climaxes one can see in a quote unquote gangster film. Sonny is murdered by the man that Colaire Dureau as a young man witnessed him murder. Sees unwillingness to identify Sonny as the shooter, starts the friendship slash mentorship between the two.

In our final brief clip, Lorenzo and c finally put their differences aside, and Lorenzo admits to Sonny, laying in his open casket, why he disliked the mentorship that Sonny gave to his son. Dude, what are you doing here. I came to pay my respects to your friend. Are you okay? Yeah? And I'm sorry if I've heard him anyway, It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay, Sonny. I want to thank you for saving my kid's life. I never hated you. I guess it's that I was just mad at you because you made him grow up so fast.

Make God have mercy on your soul. The way over here, Sonny, did you hear that my father didn't hate you? Nobody cares. You were wrong about that one. What is the talent she around? Sonny? Let's go home and see Some of you may be asking, wondering, or even be upset that I spoiled the ending of this film. I feel comfortable doing so because knowing the ending doesn't diminish this film's impact or how great it is. That's because this film transcends its ending the powerhouse performances from pulmonarian de Niro, the accurately depicted and at times uncomfortable showing of racial tensions in the Bronx, and a story that we all can relate to, the mentor that made us into who we are is what this film is truly about.

I dare any of you to watch this film and state that knowing the ending made this film any less enjoyable, because I believe this film is much better and greater than a simple ending. I hope you join me when we will look at the crowning achievement of director Ridley Scott's career and our first sand in Sandals Roman epic film covered on Classic Film Reviews. The film is the two thousand release Gladiator for W. M. N H and Matt Connorton. Unleashed. This has been a classic film review with Eric Pilcher on the street of the rocks, well on a f standing on the corner, seeing goodle homy uh all the maco lo the creach some please good job.

Oh but time you w want want to set I'll dump up and down about see my brady shiny col want the streets is where I want a beef. That's where I wanna be, all shaping in harmon on the streets where among a fields, where of coin of bothering Parmaskita bruns, Where one of me on the corner the mindty seven streets of the way are the medico long discovered me standing on the corner scene good Homon. On the streets of the Pass is where I wanna be. Where one be

Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews A Bronx Tale (1993)

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