Feb 18th: “The King of Comedy” (1982)
Celebrating 28 days of underrated 80s cinematic treasures.
I know what you’re thinking. The “King of Comedy” is underrated? Really? I have to fight in my corner to say that, for the most part, the King of Comedy is very much in the minds of most, for one reason only: cinephiles, Empire, and the entire film review magazine top 100 must sees, website listings from everything from What Culture to imdb “must see” lists, as well as various other platforms are dying to get people to see it. It’s included in more lists than any other film, and for good reason. It’s a Martin Scorsese film that did terrible at the box office. It’s a film that has no likeable characters — unless you yourself are a masochist.
I know what else you’re thinking. It’s another Martin Scorsese movie. He’s done all right for himself, I hear you say. Surely his greatest movies have the habit of having fans of his work, seek out the smaller productions, and the ones that simply aren’t Goodfellas, The Departed, or the Wolf of Wall Street. If it wasn’t for his positive experience in directing The King of Comedy, and thereafter, After Hours, he might not have been in the business of directing anything at all.
“CERTIFIABLE”
After Raging Bull, Scorsese was weather beaten. He had been ill after brutal work schedules, which put his health at risk. He had figured out the magic combination and came up with an Oscar winning movie, but still, he was not fulfilled. With Heaven’s Gate draining funds and resources, movies studios were getting warry and the industry was about to take a difficult turn for the worse. Scorsese had a choice to make. He could either give up making cinematic movies, and make a move to producing documentaries instead, or find a way of getting his passion project, The Last Temptation of Christ, onto the silver screen, and then seeing if that set him straight, both spiritually and artistically.
On a similar path, Robert De Niro also wanted to try something different after Raging Bull. He hadn’t had his hand at comedy as yet, and once he got his hands on Paul D. Zimmerman’s script (which he had since the late 70s) he wanted that to be his next project. At first, Michael Cimino was attached to direct, but you guessed it, he was still working on Heaven’s Gate, with no end in sight. De Niro managed to convince both the studio and Scorsese that this could be a small picture. It wouldn’t need any interference from the studio, and would be a New York movie that could be made extremely quickly.
It seems that De Niro originally was planning to take on a producer credit for this picture, seeing that he owned the rights to the script. There were hints that Andy Kaufman was being considered for the role of Rupert. Sandra Bernhard had always been considered for her role as Masha, and to be honest, there isn’t a single actress out there that could have been a better suit. Bernhard was sublime and edgy as hell… in sneakers.
I don’t know why, but whenever I think of Masha in The King of Comedy, I think about warn our sneakers, and shoelaces that aren’t done up, trailing behind her with every step. It’s a wonderful, untidy and beautiful image.
Jerry Lewis gave a standout performance as the seasoned, veteran, late night host, Jerry Langford, the object of Rupert Pumpkin’s obsession. Oh, and Marsha’s too, but in very different ways. Where Marsha’s desire is both sexual and spiritual, Rupert wants Jerry to like him. The film breaks from what is experienced completely in Robert’s head about how things would happen when he would meet with Jerry Langford. Lewis seemed more welcoming, energetic, filled with enthusiasm within Robert’s imagination, but in reality, he seemed burnt out. Tired of it all and itching closer and closer to retirement.
Lewis’s performance was so stark and understated, in comparison with his song and dance persona. It felt so real, as if he really didn’t want to be there. But with his ego put to the side, as he said in his first meeting with Scorsese, he loved the idea of playing this character, and was eager to let De Niro and Bernhard escalate their performances and tear away at the scenery with all their might. The restraint Jerry Lewis is a wonderful creation, and as it stands, his performance is deeply undervalued as a result.
This is a film about fanaticism. In keeping with the method acting, De Niro spent a lot of time chasing down his own autograph collectors, and even chatted with an oddball stalker who shamefully conceded that, all he wanted to do was to sit down, talk to De Niro and have lunch. Naturally, there would always be others out there with similar psychological struggles embodied by Rupert and Marsha. John Hinkley Jr (who stalked Jodie Foster relentlessly after seeing her in Taxi Driver. His influence with that movie as well as his inability to make Jodie Foster like him, led to the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan)
You could say that The King of Comedy was a cautionary tale, if in fact it resulted in Pupkin being punished for his role in kidnapping Jerry Langford in order to get his chance to host the Jerry Langford show through the means of ransom demands.
Although we understand he never intended to hurt Jerry — and that antihero element of his success has often baffled critics and audience members who forget the one vital element of this film that changes everything:
Most of this film is shown from Robert Pupkin’s point of view, to the point where scenes from his imagination are played out no differently to that of actual reality.
Did Pupkin really succeed, or were we duped by what was quite possibly, a fantasy ending.
Was it a day-dream that was in his own head?
Written by: Stephen Radford
Website: stephenradford.com
Instagram: stephen_p_radford
Twitter: StephenPRadford
