| A Bronx Tale | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert De Niro |
| Screenplay by | Chazz Palminteri |
| Based on | A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Butch Barbella |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Savoy Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million[1] |
| Box office | $17.3 million[2] |
A Bronx Tale is a 1993 Americancoming-of-agecrime drama film directed by and starringRobert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced byJane Rosenthal, adapted fromChazz Palminteri's 1989one-man showplay of the same name. It tells the coming-of-age story of anItalian-American boy, Calogero, who, after encountering a localMafia boss, is torn between the temptations of organized crime and the values of his honest, hardworking father, as well asracial tensions in his community. The Broadway production was converted to film with limited changes, and starred Palminteri and De Niro.
De Niro, who first viewed the play inLos 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'sTriBeCa Productions andSavoy Pictures, as the first film released by each studio.
A Bronx Tale premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on September 14, 1993, and released in the United States on September 29, 1993. The film achieved limited commercial success, grossing over $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.
In 1960, nine-year-old Calogero lives inBelmont, a working-classItalian-American neighborhood inthe Bronx with his father, Lorenzo, aSurface Transit (laterMTA) bus driver, and his mother, Rosina. Calogero becomes enamored of theMafia presence in his neighborhood led by local boss Sonny. One day, Calogero sees Sonny shoot and kill a man assaulting his friend. Calogero keeps quiet when questioned byNYPD 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 andthrowing dice, and is admonished by Lorenzo when he discovers the cash. 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 doesn't wish him a life of crime. Calogero meets anAfrican-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 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 anigger, 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-Americansegged 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 up with friends, who plan revenge on the African-Americans usingMolotov cocktails. They pressure Calogero into participating, but Sonny stops their car and orders Calogero out. Calogero catches up with Jane, who tells him that her brother admitted 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 throws an unbroken Molotov cocktail back at the boys' car, which enters through the window and ignites the Molotov cocktails still inside, causing an explosion that kills everyone inside. When Calogero and Jane arrive, they find the car engulfed in flames.
Calogero leaves and rushes into Sonny's bar to thank him for saving his life, but a young man (who had planted the bomb) shoots Sonny in the back of the head before Calogero can warn him. Calogero later learns that the killer was sent to avenge his father's death from eight years earlier. At Sonny's funeral, countless people come to pay their respects, but, as Sonny had once stated, none seem to really care about his death. When everyone but Calogero disperses, a lone man, Carmine, visits the funeral, and tells Calogero that Sonny once saved his life as well. Calogero does not recognize Carmine until he sees a scar on his forehead and realizes he was the man Sonny defended. Carmine tells Calogero that he is filling in for Sonny in the neighborhood for the time being and promises Calogero help should he ever need it. Carmine leaves just 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 Sonny goodbye and walks home with Lorenzo while narrating the lessons he learned from his two mentors.
The film is based on Chazz Palminteri'soriginal play of the same name, which was performed as aone-man show, being largely based on his own childhood, specifically the shooting Calogero witnesses as a child, as well as the occupation and name of his father.[3]
In 1990, at a performance ofA 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."[4] After acquiring the rights to create the film, with De Niro claiming the deal was made solely with agentlemen's agreement with Palminteri, the duo began crafting the screenplay.[4] 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.[4] 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.[4]
The film premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on September 14, 1993. It was then released in the United States on September 29, 1993.
HBO Video released the movie onVHS on April 6, 1994,[5] and in 1998 onDVD. TheDVD is out of print, but in January 2010,Focus Features released aDVD copy of the film exclusive to online retailerAmazon.
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.[1][2]
OnRotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 33 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."[6]Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
CriticRoger Ebert gave the film four stars, calling it "very funny [and] very 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 [while] retaining its values."[8]
In 2008, theAmerican Film Institute nominated this film for itsTop 10 Gangster Films list.[9]
To celebrate the 30th anniversary ofA Bronx Tale in 2023, Tribeca Productions along with technology and distribution partner,Giant Pictures, undertook a4Kdigital restoration of the film.[10] The originalnegative was provided by theHarry Ransom Center film archive at theUniversity of Texas at Austin, which houses the Robert De Niro collection.[11] The film master and audio were digitally scanned and restored to create anultra high definition 4K version of the film. The digital coloring process was handled atGoldcrest Post in New York and was overseen personally by director Robert De Niro.[12] The restoration took 9 months to complete.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary itself on September 29, 2023, Tribeca and Giant Pictures released the 4K version on UHDBlu-ray in the US, as well as onvideo on demand platforms, includingApple TV andVudu. TitledA Bronx Tale (30th Anniversary Edition), this release showcased the new restoration in Ultra High DefinitionDolby Vision andDolby TrueHD5.1 Surround sound.[13] The UHD Blu-ray edition included 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 with audiences, as well as recalling the original production process, how the screenplay was adapted and the authenticity of the film's characters.[14]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artios Awards | Best Feature Film Casting – Drama | Ellen Chenoweth | Nominated | [15] |
| Sant Jordi Awards | Best Foreign Actor | Chazz Palminteri(also forBullets Over Broadway andThe Usual Suspects) | Won | |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture – Drama | Francis Capra | Nominated | [16] |
