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The King Of Comedy [1982] [DVD]

DVD ~ Robert De Niro

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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Product details

Actors: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard, Shelley Hack
Directors: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Paul D. Zimmerman
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Robert F. Colesberry, Robert Greenhut
Format: PAL, Widescreen
Language English
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: PG
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: 19 April 2004
Run Time: 104 minutes

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

ASIN: B0001B3YQ0
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 6,156 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

The King of Comedy, which flopped at the box office, is actually a gem waiting to be rediscovered. Like A Face in the Crowd (a not-so-distant cousin to this film), Network, and The Truman Show, its target is show business--specifically the burning desire to become famous or be near the famous, no matter what. Robert De Niro plays the emotionally unstable, horrendously untalented Rupert Pupkin, a wannabe Vegas-style comedian. His fantasies are egged-on by Marsha, a talk-show groupie (brilliantly played by Sandra Bernhard) who hatches a devious, sure-to-backfire plan. Jerry Lewis is terrific in the straight role as the Johnny Carson-like talk-show host Jerry Langford. De Niro's performance as the obsessive Pupkin is among his finest (which is saying a lot) and he never tries to make the character likable in any way. Because there's no hero and no-one to root for, and because at times the film insists we get a little too close and personal with Pupkin, some will be put off. Yet it's one of Scorsese's most original and fascinating films, giving viewers much to consider on the subject of celebrity. Its inevitable climax is clever and quietly horrific. --Christopher J Jarmick

Special Features

Deleted scenes
A Shot At The Top: The Making Of "The King Of Comedy" featurette
Stills gallery
Canadian TV spot
Theatrical trailer
Interactive menu
Scene access

DVD Technical Information:

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 Anamorphic
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Language: English
Subtitles: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, English for the hearing impaired
Running Time: 1 hour and 38 minutes approx.
Region Code: 2

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the king of black comedy, 25 Jul 2004

By	"thegreatfanaticalfilmguy" - See all my reviews

This has to be one of the sharpest, darkest and most subtle comedies ever made. It is hilarious, it has brilliant performances all round and has a great satirical statement to make.
Robert De Niro brilliantly portrays the delusional slightly creepy (but curiously loveable) loser Rupert Pupkin with dreams of becoming the 'king of comedy'. He badgers his hero, chatshow host Jerry Langford incessantly after a chance meeting believing that he and the celebrity have a friendship. His delusions are eventually shattered when he realises that Langford isn't the funnyman and the hero he thought he was, but a miserable and aggravated man who hates his fans. What results is a kidnapping where he holds Langford and demands a small slot on langford's chatshow as ransom.
The film cleverly shows us societies pathetic obsession with the media and the celebrity and strips it down and condemns it to fallacy. Rupert Pupkin is hilarious at times- as a comedian and in real life- in his appearence, his bumbling harmlessness and not so convincing act as a threatening kidnapper, whilst at other times he seems quite unnerving- his obsessions and his fantasy world we are left to construe are slightly discomforting. Jerry Lewis is dynamite as the old crettenous chatshow host who hates the world around him.
Scorsese has created a first rate, highly intelligent comedy which depicts obsession, delusion, and the whole fallacy of the media in a little, unpretentious gem of a movie. It is also a great 'New York' film, some of the shots of the streets of NYC really give the film its gloomy, brooding and serious tone. This is easily one of De Niro's greatest films, it shows he can be very funny and gives him another chance to play the 'antihero' again (like in Taxi Driver). One of my all time favourite films- check out the comedy routine at the end, it's hilarious!

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of it's time, 5 Jul 2006

By	jbezzo "jbezzo" (Cumbria) - See all my reviews

When the King of Comedy was released in the early 80's reality TV had yet to be concieved. Which is precisely why it bombed at the box office. Only now, in an era when you can't switch channels without seeing another group of talentless, dysfunctional losers selling their dignity in the pursuit of fame, does the character of Rupert Pupkin strike such a resonant chord. DeNiro, plays Pupkin - a delusional wannabe comic who believes that his is a talent that deserves primetime exposure, and to that end kidnaps talkshow host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) in order to gain his fifteen minutes of fame. The darkness and subtlety of the movie was lost on audiences at the time - unsure of how to take a film whose title suggests a comedy when in fact it was anything but. As the film closes, Rupert does become famous in the Z list sense of the word, a damning indictment that paved the way for the Big Brother losers who would follow nearly two decades later. A very under-rated film and one which would be critically acclaimed were it released to day.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scorsese's overlooked masterpiece, 18 Feb 2004

By	"joelliron" - See all my reviews

While this film hasn't got as much attention in the past as Taxi Driver or Goodfellas, it is just as good; only Kundun has been more unjustly overlooked.

Autograph hunter and wannabe celebrity Rupert Pupkin (De Niro)idolises the network television chat show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis, in fine sober form). When an incident leads to a chance encounter with Langford, Rupert tells him he is an aspiring comedian, as much to get rid of him as anything else, Langford tells him to call his secretary. The reality of the situation is lost on Rupert who sees himself as a close friend of Langford and, when his attempts to get his material onto the Langford show fails, leads him to go to desperate measures.

King of Comedy is a scathing attack on the celebrity system that probably plays better in today's reality show climate than it did 20 years ago; it is one of those very rare movies that deserve the term "visionary".

This is one of those rare movies which make you laugh as well as make you uncomfortable; in its own way it is probably a more unsettling film than Taxi Driver because you never know how you are meant to react as a viewer; various parts of the film blur the line between reality and fantasy, and the ending is extremely ambiguous.

If you like black comedies, masterful direction, and want to know why De Niro is considered one of the greatest actors then this is definitely a film for you.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars a great film
The king of comedy is a film that i have only just discovered,i had heard of it but was always put off by it,i aint sure why,perhaps if it had been certified '18' then i may have... Read more

Published 9 months ago by sean paul mccann

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantasist lives his fantasy
Again I was completely ignorant of this film which is a gem. I can see why it was not a box office hit as it has an uncomfortable humour about it. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Peter Wade

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional and Tragic-Beautiful
What a film; easily makes it into my top five films. It is so very stylish, elegant, funny; it is also very dark.

A wondrous achievement. Watch it.

Published 18 months ago by James Blackman

5.0 out of 5 stars The Prince of Scorcese's Movies
Almost prophetic tale of society's dangerous obsession with celebrity and the media's manipulation of it. What an insightful film this was/is by that gifted film maker. Read more

Published on 29 Jul 2007 by Lou Knee

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't just walk onto a stage........
The King of Comedy is best remembered as a notourious work by Martin Scorsese that flopped the box office, it was also credited as having both a difficult shoot and frustating to... Read more

Published on 7 Mar 2007 by I. Thomson

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific film
This is one those masterpieces that don't get enough recognition. Maybe this one is too "weird" and dark to be considered funny enough or serious enough. Read more

Published on 20 Jan 2007 by Jari Ahvalo

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary Comedy
This brilliant film about an aspiring comic who resorts to kidnapping, is a little known masterpiece by Martin Scorcese. Read more

Published on 6 Oct 2006 by S J Buck

5.0 out of 5 stars The court jester rules
Martin Scorsese's 'The King of Comedy' has long been a favourite film of mine. The storyline is nothing grand, and the acting is passing fair, but it is the little psychological... Read more

Published on 19 Dec 2005 by Kurt Messick

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Scorcese's best!
Putting it simply, this film is a gem. Deniro is at his disturbing best and Jerry Lewis appears like you've never seen him before. Read more

Published on 23 Sep 2004 by Tom the Bomb

5.0 out of 5 stars Rupert Pupkin, ladies and gentlemen!!!
I do agree with the Amazon review in that the character of Rupert isportrayed in such a way that you're forced to root for him despite thefact that he's clearly an anti-hero... Read more

Published on 27 April 2004 by Mr. G. L. Lowe

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