A Bronx Tale

''A Bronx Tale'' is a 1993 American coming-of-age crime drama film directed by and starring Robert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced by Jane Rosenthal, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's 1989 one-man play. It tells the coming-of-age story of an Italian-American boy, Calogero, who, after encountering a local Mafia boss, is torn between the temptations of organized crime and the values of his honest, hardworking father, as well as racial tensions in his community. The Broadway production was converted to film with limited changes.

De Niro, who first viewed the play in Los Angeles in 1990, acquired the rights from Palminteri, with the intent of making the play his directorial debut. The duo worked heavily together on the screenplay, with Palminteri aiming to retain many of the aspects of the original script, as it was based largely on his own childhood. Production began in 1991, and was funded in collaboration with De Niro's Tribeca Productions and Savoy Pictures, as the first film released by each studio.

''A Bronx Tale'' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 1993, and was released in the United States on September 29, 1993. The film achieved limited commercial success, grossing more than $17 million domestically. However, it fared much better with critics, who praised the performances of the leads, and launched Palminteri's acting career, while also helping De Niro gain acceptance as a director.

Plot

In 1960, nine-year-old Calogero lives in Belmont, a working-class Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx with his father Lorenzo, a Surface Transit (later MTA) bus driver, and his mother Rosina. Calogero becomes enamored of the Mafia presence in his neighborhood, led by local boss Sonny.

One day, Calogero witnesses Sonny shoot and kill a man who was assaulting his friend. Calogero keeps quiet when questioned by NYPD detectives. Sonny's men offer Lorenzo a better-paying job but, preferring a law-abiding life, he politely declines.

Sonny befriends Calogero and gives him the nickname "C". Calogero earns tips working in Sonny's bar and throwing dice, but is admonished by Lorenzo when he discovers the cash that his son has earned. Lorenzo returns the money to Sonny and warns him to keep away from Calogero.

Eight years later, a 17-year-old Calogero has been visiting Sonny regularly without his father's knowledge. Calogero is part of a gang of local Italian-American boys, which concerns Sonny, who does not want him to live a life of crime.

Calogero meets an African-American girl, Jane, and a tentative romance blossoms between them. Despite the high racial tensions between Italian-Americans and African-Americans in the area, Calogero arranges a date with Jane. He asks for advice from Sonny, who lends Calogero his car to impress her.

Earlier, Calogero's friends beat up a group of African-American cyclists who are riding through their neighborhood. One of the cyclists turns out to be Jane's brother, who accuses Calogero of beating him up when he and Jane meet for their date. Calogero loses his temper over the accusation, and calls him a nigger, which he instantly regrets. Jane, disappointed, leaves with her brother.

At home, Lorenzo confronts Calogero after seeing him driving Sonny's car. They argue and Calogero storms out. He runs into his friends, who tell him that some African-Americans egged their social club in retaliation to the earlier beating. Sonny and his crew confront Calogero after finding a bomb on Sonny's car. Calogero tearfully pleads his unwavering dedication to Sonny, who recognizes his innocence and allows him to leave. Calogero meets his friends, who plan to have revenge on the African-Americans by using Molotov cocktails.

They pressure Calogero to participate, but Sonny stops the car and orders Calogero out. Calogero catches up with Jane, who tells him that her brother has admitted to her that Calogero was not his assailant. Jane and Calogero make amends, but he suddenly remembers his friends' plans to attack Jane's neighborhood, and the two rush to stop them. During the attack, an African-American shopkeeper returns an unbroken Molotov cocktail at the boys' car, which enters through the window and ignites the many Molotov cocktails still inside, causing an explosion that kills everyone inside. When Calogero and Jane arrive, the car is engulfed in flames.

Calogero, afraid for his safety in Jane's neighborhood, rushes to Sonny's bar to thank him for saving his life, but a young man (who had planted the bomb) shoots Sonny in the head moments before Calogero can warn him. Calogero soon learns that the killer was sent to avenge his father's death from eight years earlier.

At Sonny's funeral, countless people pay their respects, but, as Sonny had once stated, none seem to really care about his death. When everyone but Calogero has left, a lone man, Carmine, visits the funeral and tells Calogero that Sonny once saved his life. Calogero does not recognize Carmine until he sees a scar on his forehead and realizes that he was the man whom Sonny defended.

Carmine tells Calogero that he is filling in for Sonny in the neighborhood, and promises to help Calogero if he ever needs it. Carmine leaves as Lorenzo unexpectedly arrives to pay his respects to Sonny. Lorenzo thanks him for saving his son's life, and admits that he never hated him, but that he resented him for making Calogero grow up so quickly. Calogero bids goodbye to Sonny and walks home with Lorenzo while thinking about the lessons that he learned from his two mentors.

Cast

* Robert De Niro as Lorenzo
* Chazz Palminteri as "Sonny"
* Lillo Brancato Jr. as Calogero (age 17)
* Francis Capra as Calogero (age 9)
* Taral Hicks as Jane
* Kathrine Narducci as Rosina
* Clem Caserta as Jimmy "Whispers"
* Frank Pietrangolare as Danny "K.O."
* Joe Pesci as Carmine
* Alfred Sauchelli Jr. as Bobby "Bars"
* Robert D'Andrea as Tony "Toupee"
* Eddie Montanaro as Eddie "Mush"
* Fred Fischer as Joe "Jo Jo the Whale"
* Dave Salerno as Frankie "Coffeecake"
* Joe D'Onofrio as "Slick" (age 17)
* Louis Vanaria as Mario "Crazy Mario"
* Sobe Bailey as Willy, Jane's brother
* Domenick Lombardozzi as Nicky "Zero"

Production

The film is based on Chazz Palminteri's original play of the same name, which was performed as a one-man show, largely based on his own childhood, specifically the shooting that Calogero witnesses as a child, as well as the occupation and name of his father.

In 1990, at a performance of ''A Bronx Tale'', Robert De Niro met with Palminteri in his dressing room after having seen the show. De Niro told Palminteri, "This is one of the greatest one-man shows I've ever seen, if not the greatest ... This is a movie, this is an incredible movie." After acquiring the rights to create the film, with De Niro claiming the deal was made solely with a gentlemen's agreement with Palminteri, the duo began crafting the screenplay. Prior to partnering with De Niro, Palminteri rejected several offers for the film's rights, including some as high as $1 million, due to not being granted the roles of primary screenwriter and Sonny, the gangster Calogero meets. De Niro met Palminteri's requirements on the condition that he be allowed to direct the film and play Lorenzo, Calogero's father, which Palminteri accepted.

Release

Theatrical

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 1993. It was released in the United States on September 29, 1993.

Home media

HBO Video released the movie on VHS on April 6, 1994, and in 1998 on DVD. In January 2010, Focus Features released a DVD copy of the film exclusive to online retailer Amazon.

Reception

Box office

''A Bronx Tale'' opened in 1,077 theaters, with an opening weekend gross of $3.7 million. It went on to make $17.3 million domestically.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''A Bronx Tale'' sets itself apart from other coming-of-age dramas thanks to a solid script, a terrific cast, and director Robert De Niro's sensitive work behind the camera." Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Critic Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film four stars out of 4, calling it "very funny ndvery touching. It is filled with life and colorful characters and great lines of dialogue, and De Niro, in his debut as a director, finds the right notes as he moves from laughter to anger to tears hileretaining its values."

In 2008, the American Film Institute nominated the film for its Top 10 Gangster Films list.

30th Anniversary restoration

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of ''A Bronx Tale'' in 2023, Tribeca Productions, with technology and distribution partner Giant Pictures, undertook a 4K digital restoration of the film. The original negative was provided by the Harry Ransom Center film archive at the University of Texas at Austin, which houses the Robert De Niro collection. The film master and audio were digitally scanned and restored to create an ultra-high-definition 4K version of the film. The digital coloring process was handled at Goldcrest Post in New York and was personally overseen by director Robert De Niro. The restoration took 9 months to complete.

Coinciding with its 30th anniversary on September 29, 2023, Tribeca and Giant Pictures released the 4K version on UHD Blu-ray in the US, as well as on video-on-demand platforms, including Apple TV and Vudu. Titled ''A Bronx Tale (30th Anniversary Edition)'', the release showcases the new restoration in Ultra High Definition Dolby Vision and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround sound. The UHD Blu-ray edition includes new interviews with director and star Robert De Niro and writer and star Chazz Palminteri, reflecting on how the film has become a beloved classic, as well as recalling the original production process, how the screenplay was adapted and the authenticity of the film's characters.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bronx Tale, A
1993 crime drama films
1993 films
American crime drama films
American coming-of-age drama films
Films about the American Mafia
American gangster films
Films about race and ethnicity
American films based on plays
Films directed by Robert De Niro
Films set in the Bronx
Films set in 1960
Films set in 1968
Films about interracial romance
Films about racism in the United States
Savoy Pictures films
Belmont, Bronx
Films shot in New York City
Films shot in New Jersey
1993 directorial debut films
1990s coming-of-age drama films
Films about father–son relationships
Films produced by Jon Kilik
Films about Italian-American culture
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
English-language crime drama films