Charlie Stabile

By 1974, although Robert De Niro had just completed Martin Scorsese’s early hit Mean Streets, De Niro was still establishing a name for himself. But a star was born when De Niro won the part of a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II. Coming off the massive success of the original & walking in the footsteps of Marlon Brando, De Niro didn’t run from the pressure- he embraced it. He famously spent four months learning to speak the Sicilian dialect, obsessed over Brando’s mannerisms & truly became Vito Corleone. De Niro’s breathtaking performance exceeded expectations. He won Best Supporting Actor and changed both his career and Cinema forever. 50 years, 7 more Oscar Nominations, and countless moments later, Robert De Niro is as essential to the history of Cinema as any actor ever. Happy 80th Birthday, Don Vito. 🎂

Roger Ebert once wrote that many of Martin Scorsese’s best films have been “poems about guilt”. In Goodfellas, Scorsese exposes the guilt of Henry Hill in brutally honest terms. With the help of a career-performance from the late Ray Liotta, Scorsese captures the idea that Hill does not feel guilt for robbing, killing, or stealing: he feels guilt for not robbing, killing, or stealing enough. Despite all the hell Hill suffers from a lifetime in the mob, the only remorse that we get from Hill is remorse for getting caught. Remorse for being stuck with egg noodles & ketchup. Few directors can balance that type of evil and humanity like Martin Scorsese. It’s one of the many reasons Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest American filmmakers ever.

Leonardo DiCaprio once called Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese “inarguably the greatest partnership in cinema history”. It’s hard to disagree. From Taxi Driver to Raging Bull to Goodfellas to The Irishman, Bob & Marty have given audiences a lifetime of meaningful work. Both De Niro & Scorsese have fought their entire careers to protect and push forward cinema. And after six decades, they’re still fighting. This year’s Killers of the Flower Moon is rumored to be one of the most important projects the two have ever created and is a project no one should take for granted. Cinema is forever indebted to Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro.