^{NEW FEATURE} H O M A G E

Continuing the first of our new series of in-depth career profiles

Before he resumed his connection to the Corleone family De Niro turned in a wonderfully moving performance in Bang the Drum Slowly, playing a journeyman baseball player with a terminal illness. If this role got him noticed, he capitalized on it with Mean Streets for director Martin Scorsese, the first film in an enduring professional relationship.

Then Francis came calling again. Had De Niro appeared in the first Godfather film his chances of returning in The Godfather Part II would have been slim indeed. But, thanks to a passing resemblance to the young Marlon Brando, he was offered the role of the young Vito Corleone, the small time hoodlum who would mature into the Brando character of the first film.

Immersing himself in his research, De Niro studied Italian, and watched hours and hours of Brando's performance to bring a continuity to the young and old character they now shared. His efforts were not in vain as he was rewarded with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. If that film allowed De Niro to emulate Brando, his next - The Last Tycoon - offered the chance to work with Elia Kazan, revered director of movies like On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire.

The film, released in 1976, was a thinly-veiled biography of MGM's legendary production chief during the Thirties, Irving Thalberg, but while earnest could not capitalize on the impression De Niro had made in The Godfather Part II. His next role, in Taxi Driver, would etch his name deeper into the cinema going public's collective consciousness.

Re-teamed with director Scorsese, he brilliantly portrayed Travis Bickle, a Vietnam veteran who becomes angry and disillusioned with what he sees around him. With almost Biblical overtones, the story follows Travis's efforts to claim redemption for himself and the corrupt city of New York that is his home. This involves 'rescuing' a 12-year-old prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her life on the streets, and turning himself into a lethal vigilante to deal with 'the scum' around him. A searing, harrowing film it endorsed the reputations of both star and director.

Get the full seven-page profile in this NEW-LOOK 601st issue of Film Review

See also: Part 1 here
MEET THE PARENTS • FILM OF THE MONTH REVIEW HERE

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