{"id":11393,"date":"2019-12-23T14:50:40","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T18:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=11393"},"modified":"2019-12-27T14:53:38","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T18:53:38","slug":"adding-to-their-catalog-of-mob-mayhem-cinematic-icons-robert-deniro-martin-scorsese-bring-the-irishman-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=11393","title":{"rendered":"Adding to Their Catalog of Mob Mayhem, Cinematic Icons Robert DeNiro & Martin Scorsese Bring \u201cThe Irishman\u201d to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sept 27, 2019 Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel at New York Film Festival 57 Opening Night\/World Premiere of The Irishman at Alice Tully Hall Lincoln Center CreditRW\/MediaPunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Irishman<\/strong>
\nDirector: Martin Scorsese<\/strong>
\nCast: Robert DeNiro<\/strong>, Al Pacino<\/strong>, Joe Pesci<\/strong><\/p>\n

While master actor Robert DeNiro and director Martin Scorsese have established highly-praised voluminous careers separate from each other, their work together has stirred the most hurrahs and made them cinematic Olympians of. Whether it was \u201cTaxi Driver or \u201cRaging Bull,\u201d their collaborations have raised the level of filmic art and forged a dynamic that has been truly special. Over 50 years, this Academy Award-winning filmmaker has crafted iconic gangster stories starting with \u201cMean Streets\u201d to \u201cGoodfellas\u201d and \u201cCasino\u201d and now \u201cThe Irishman\u201d joins that list.<\/p>\n

While the jury hasn\u2019t fully entered the box on \u201cThe Irishman\u201d \u2014 it will take time and a shelf full of awards to establish its ultimate status (it\u2019s already won the NY Critics and NBR Awards) \u2014 the talk\u2019s been good. It received incredible reviews when it opened the New York Film Festival, making it a certain Oscar contender. Scorsese\u2019s three-and-a half-long epic has been compared to a Rembrandt painting by The New York Times and the film received an unprecedented 100% \u201cfresh\u201drating from Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n

But getting the film financed for both big and small screen again presented a daunting challenge to Scorsese and DeNiro after a decade-long quest \u2014 so this time around, it\u2019s Netflix\u2019s movie. Recalled the legendary 76-year-old director during a press conference, \u201cThere\u2019s a really long history because Bob and I really wanted to work together since we did \u2018Casino\u2019 which was in 1995, and we would check with each other as to what projects we were doing, things like that, but never quite connecting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added the Oscar-winning actor, \u201cYeah, we were talking about a project for about two years before, and I said now I should just read [about this story while doing] for research on [a mobster named] Frankie Machine. And then I read it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 76-year-old actor is referring to another project that had been under consideration \u2014 \u201cThe Winter of Frankie Machine.\u201d Though it was pitched for possible production, it fell to this project to get made. How did it get started? Producer Jane Rosenthal had explained that in 2007 she and partner DeNiro were trying to make this other movie, \u201cThe Winter of Frankie Machine.\u201d \u201cOn a call with Paramount Pictures head Brad Gray, Bob brought up this other book that he had read and said, \u2018Maybe we could do this together or maybe not.\u2019 The book was \u2018I Hear You Paint Houses,\u2019 and we decided that we should do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, Scorsese responded, \u201cWhen Bob presented the book to me, it seemed that he was very strongly attached to the character. We didn\u2019t have to say much. After the phone call with Brad, I got Steve [Zaillian] to write the script. That was about 10 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on Charles Brandt\u2019s 2004\u2019s book, \u201cThe Irishman\u201d stars DeNiro [who is part Irish], as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, Al Pacino as union leader Jimmy Hoffa, and Joe Pesci as mob boss Russell Bufalino; in it, Sheeran recounts his job as a union official who doubles as a hitman for the Bufalino crime family. Born in 1920 to Philadelphia-based house painter Thomas Francis Sheeran Jr., and Mary Agnes Hanson, the young Sheeran grew up in a small working-class Irish neighborhood on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Darby, Pennsylvania. As a World War II veteran, he learned his killing skills fighting in many important battles in Italy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Irishman\u201d received incredible reviews, making it an obvious Oscar contender in a variety of categories. Scorsese\u2019s film has been compared to a Rembrandt painting by The New York Times and received an unprecedented 100 percent \u201cfresh\u201d rating from Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n

In the film, the killer looks back on his Mafia life, the hits that defined his career, and the crucial part he claims he played in the disappearance of life-long friend Hoffa, the former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Hoffa mysteriously vanished in late July 1975 at age 62. A classic mobbed-up union figure fighting for his constituency \u2014 while taking wads of cash under the table \u2014 Hoffa provided a challenge for any actor. For Scorsese, this film offered an opportunity for him to finally work with Pacino. The award-winning actor remembered that, \u201cOh yeah, it was because in today\u2019s world, you have a lot of access to these kinds of characters because of people who know them, or knew them; there\u2019s lots of books about them. We had access to all that. When I played Serpico, the thought of him on a video somewhere was\u2026 I mean it wasn\u2019t even a thought, but I had him. That\u2019s always an advantage. But Jimmy knew so much about it, I grew up at the time of [all this in the news].\u201d<\/p>\n

The movie also re-teams the director with DeNiro and Pesci, who last worked together maybe 20 years ago. As DeNiro noted, \u201cOpportunities passed and then Joe and I would talk about the movie too. We went through our own process of talking about it as far as all that goes. But I\u2019m just happy we all finally got to do it because it did take a long time. The way that Martin was able to do it and the way that we wanted to do it, we were lucky to have the people who put up that money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scorsese agreed, \u201cYes, that was the key! We couldn\u2019t get a backer, there was no way, for years. But, ultimately it was [Netflix\u2019s] Ted Serrandos. He actually backed the film and financed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still there was another huge challenge facing the director. The story spans three decades and more. That offered a unique opportunity. As he explained, \u201c[Visual effects supervisor] Pablo Helman and Maya had come up with a solution for the de-aging process that wouldn\u2019t interfere with Bob and Joe \u2014 like talking to each other with helmets on or tennis balls on their faces. We did tests a few years ago, but it\u2019s a costly experiment. Yet Ted and everyone at Netflix said, \u2018go with it!\u2019 Creatively, they turned to us and there was no interference of any kind. There were some notes from time to time and we addressed them \u2014 or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is that it was necessarily an interesting hybrid in a way, because it hung in the balance [for] what a film is. All of this is an extraordinary time of change, but when it comes down to it, ultimately, we all felt the picture had to be made for ourselves really. We had to check in with each other; as you grow older, people change differently at times and you grow separate away from each other. This was not the case; we just kept coming back and still have a telepathic way of working together, particularly with certain characters. And, It\u2019s my first time working with Al, finally!\u201d<\/p>\n

To which, Al chimed in, \u201cI read the script, I promise!\u201d<\/p>\n

As for that, Scorsese replied: \u201cI know so because the marks you hit and the lines [you said] were very specific. Certain people think he would have a lack of appreciation\u2026 You know it\u2019s there, it\u2019s in the script, but it\u2019s the interpretation.<\/p>\n

The 79-year-old master thespian added, \u201cSomebody said to me, about the age thing, and they showed me this thing of Bob doing \u2018Good Fellas,\u2019 and I thought, \u2018why is he doing this again?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Scorsese explained, \u201cI\u2019ve always told this story about the first day of shooting with you, of you getting out of the chair. It was you and me, and you were complaining about \u201cthose Kennedys, they go to war with these people\u201d \u2014 remember, on the TV? That was the first time I\u2019ve ever worked with you too and I said, \u2018That\u2019s great!\u2019 It was really good what he did and I said one more take and he gets up out of the chair, yells at the TV and leaves again, at which point I say, \u2018Good, maybe we\u2019ll do one more and I think we can move on.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were two cameras going, and this was [with] the three lenses on each camera. I think it was [cinematographer] Rodrigo Pietro, Pablo and I think Gary. It wasn\u2019t just about lenses and computer imagery. It\u2019s about posture, about movement, it\u2019s about everything, so there were people on each element dealing with the actors on this.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Gary came over and said, \u2018I have to tell you something.\u2019 And I\u2019m like \u2018What?\u2019 and he says, \u2018He\u2019s supposed to be 49.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Why are you telling me?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe says, \u2018No, you have to tell him!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI walk over and say, \u2018Al, everything\u2019s fine, but one of the things is that when you get out of the chair, you\u2019re supposed to be 49.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAl\u2019s like, \u2018Oh God, Okay!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were sculpting this whole thing, it was like working models in a way, plus the truth about how they\u2019re interpreting. It\u2019s an extraordinary experience!\u201d<\/p>\n

To which Pacino acknowledged, \u201cYoung again!\u201d<\/p>\n

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