A Bronx Tale
Short description
A Bronx Tale is set in the Bronx during the 1960s and follows Calogero, the son of Lorenzo, an honest bus driver. As a boy, Calogero witnesses a shooting by Sonny, a local crime boss, and keeps quiet when questioned by police rather than identify him. That silence begins an unlikely friendship. Sonny takes an interest in the boy, while Lorenzo objects to the hold the gangster has over his son. Growing up, Calogero is pulled between the working life his father represents and the appeal of Sonny's world, and he also develops a romance with a young Black woman, a relationship his neighborhood does not accept.
The film is Robert De Niro's directorial debut and stars De Niro as Lorenzo, Chazz Palminteri as Sonny and Lillo Brancato as the older Calogero, with Francis Capra as the younger Calogero and Taral Hicks as Jane. Palminteri wrote the screenplay. On a budget of 22 million USD, it earned about 17 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.8/10 from 183,000 votes and on TMDB 7.9/10 from 3,015 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 7.5/10 from 35 reviews, so audiences rate it slightly higher than critics do.
De Niro's second directorial feature, The Good Shepherd, followed in 2006.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the autobiographical work of Chazz Palminteri.
- Chazz Palminteri refused to sell the film rights to his book until De Niro gave him the opportunity to be the screenwriter and play one of the leading roles in the film.
- Robert De Niro dedicated the film to the memory of his father.
- Approximately at 1:40:00 of the film, as the burning car drives away from the store, it is visible that the driver inside the burning cabin is wearing a protective balaclava and welding goggles.
- Catherine Narducci brought her 9-year-old son to the audition for the role of young Calogero. There she learned that the role of the hero's mother was also available, asked if she could audition for it, passed the screen test, and got the part. The role she brought her son to audition for went to Francis Capra.
- In order to drive the bus on set, Robert De Niro had to obtain a standard driver's license with the right to transport passengers.
- According to the rules of Russian orthography, the word “Bronx” is written with two “s”s. However, in Russia, this film was released under the title “Bronx Story” with one “s”.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
