40 Years Later, This Drama Remains Martin Scorsese's Most Overlooked Masterpiece
We've all seen Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, but this one deserves no less attention.
In 1983, The King of Comedy was released, starring Robert De Niro as a hapless comedian willing to commit any crime to become famous.
Martin Scorsese's film is a witty satire on the world of celebrity, obsessed fans, and the generally unattainable American dream.
It was also The King of Comedy that inspired Todd Phillips to write the plot of Joker: the dark drama about a psychopathic clown is in many ways a reference to the 80s film, which in Scorsese's case is not as often talked about as Taxi Driver or Goodfellas.
What Is The King of Comedy About?
The movie tells the story of failed comedian Rupert Pupkin, who tried to realize his dreams of a career in comedy, but failed. Annoying everyone he could, Pupkin becomes an object of ridicule – he is kicked out of the office of the famous host Jerry Langford and all hope is lost.
Obsessed with his idea, Pupkin takes the host hostage and makes a demand: Langford will be released if Pupkin gets his 15 minutes of fame on television.
It Was Martin Scorsese's First Comedy
Unlike the film's protagonist, Scorsese did not need recognition. By 1982, he was already famous, had made several big hits, and was carefully considering his next project – a movie about the last days of Christ.
The biblical story was postponed until 1988, and De Niro, who had originally applied for a role in the film, suggested that Martin slow down and make a simpler film – with humor, where there was more irony and less tragedy.
Thus Scorsese had his first comedy film: unlike other hits of the master, it did not receive a unanimously positive reception and the box office left much to be desired. However, a second life for The King of Comedy was only a matter of time: but few expected that the success of Joker with Joaquin Phoenix would contribute significantly to this.
The King of Comedy Was a Big Inspiration for Joker
Joker, a dark story about psychopathic clown Arthur Fleck, is in many ways a duplicate of The King of Comedy: a lonely, unsuccessful comedian finds fame on live television, inspiring crowds of aggressive anarchists with his example.
Joaquin Phoenix's Fleck, a man whose jokes are downright painful to listen to, imagines himself a successful comedian in the same way that Pupkin fantasizes about his beginnings on a TV show.
Todd Phillips, a fan of Scorsese's film, just had to get rid of the comedic overtones and finally crank up the social realism to the limit. As a result, Phoenix's Joker was not only a loser, but also a rejected person, relegated to the bottom of the social ladder.
Homages to The King of Comedy turned Joker into a cinematic patchwork in which familiar patterns of New Hollywood could be found: in the aesthetics, in the construction of psychological depth, and in the social sharpness of the plot.
Not for nothing does Joker leave a clue in the form of Robert De Niro – he appears briefly in the guise of a TV presenter and talks to the guest of the show, Arthur Fleck. It is very tempting to see in De Niro's cameo the same Pupkin who seemed to have found success – decades later, he no longer appears before the hosts, but reveals new freaks to the audience.