King Of Comedy

This is a Martin Scorcese film that I really enjoyed when it came out. Here's a link on IMDB. Scorcese's films have sometimes been violent, in fact some of his best ones (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas) have been very violent, but this one was more of a black farce and I thought it was great. I've seen it again since and I wasn't so impressed, I think because it was very much of its time and it struck a chord with me at the time. It has a very obvious point - the corrupting influence of media and celebrity; but I thought it was hilarious that the Robert De Niro character (Rupert Pupkin) kidnaps Jerry Lewis and holds him hostage, the ransom being a spot on Lewis's show. He gets sent to prison, but when he gets out he's famous and people love him. So it's not very subtle. Sandra Bernhardt plays a wonderfully hysterical fan obsessed with Jerry Lewis. Every time I think about it I want to see it again, but the last time I did I just didn't think it was as good as I had remembered. Probably that inditement of celebrity and fame is not shocking to me now. You don't often see something so unrestrained though, just in some of the other best Scorcese films.