The King of Comedy (1983 film)

• Robert De Niro: Rupert Pupkin
• Jerry Lewis: Jerry Langford
• Diahnne Abbott: Rita Keane
• Sandra Bernhard: Masha
• Shelley Hack: Cathy Long

The King of Comedy is an American film directed by Martin Scorsese from the year 1983.

Action

Rupert Pupkin is a struggling stand-up comedian in New York City, who considers himself the unrecognized greatest of comedians. Only his greatest role model Jerry Langford, it can be considered as competition. Pupkin has only one problem: the public does not know him, while Langford has a regular show on television. He does everything to excite Langfords attention. Almost daily he besieged the production company Langfords to act on his show. But he receives rejection to rejection. His obsession turns slowly but surely in an intense stalking until he kidnapped together with his girlfriend Masha television entertainer to come this way to a gig in Langford's show.

Pupkin gets his appearance and is subsequently arrested. He now has not been obtained, however, by his jokes celebrity. Even the prison does not keep him from his desire to be a TV star. His became famous he knows how to use there yet.

Background

King of Comedy was at the box office one of the most unsuccessful films Martin Scorsese. However, he was loved by critics, who considered him one of his best films. Scorsese originally wanted Johnny Carson occupy for the role of Jerry Langford. As further alternatives, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were talking before finally Jerry Lewis was cast in the role. In the film, some celebrities appear, the play itself: the comedian Ed Herlihy, Lou Brown as a leader, Tony Randall and Victor Borge. Martin Scorsese himself plays a TV director.

German version

The German synchronous processing was established in 1983 in the studios of the Berliner Synchron GmbH Wenzel Luedecke in Berlin.

Reviews

• Lexicon of international film: A cryptically told tragicomedy about the exploitation of dreams and the conflict between illusion and reality in American show business. Excellent interpreted in two contrasting lead roles.

• Der Spiegel, 10/ 1983 Because in this new, sometimes sardonic film Scorsese Jerry Lewis plays the talk show host Langford, a warning is necessary. There is indeed the story, written by former Newsweek critic Paul D. Zimmerman, full of sarcastic wit, a comedy from the usual variety it is not. Jerry Lewis namely performs before a figure that hardly exhausted laugh. He is the lone television superstar, the all show business clearly gets on my nerves. On the road he is chased by fans, and at night he sits sullen and alone in his apartment watching television. Scorsese, the precise observers of American madness gaffes, however is too good for the sentimental cliché of the loneliness of the men at the top. The example Pupkin - De Niro he shows that loneliness is just as large at the bottom.

Awards

The film participated in the competition at the International Film Festival of Cannes in 1983, but was not considered in the award. In 1984 he was nominated in five categories for the BAFTA Award, but only Paul D. Zimmerman got him for his screenplay. The union of the London Film Critics named him in 1984 for the film of the year.