Robert De Niro’s “King of Comedy” to close Tribeca Film Fest

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Tribeca Film Festival will close with a new restoration of “The King of Comedy”, the 1983 Martin Scorsese film that happens to star Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro, TheWrap said.

The disturbing black comedy, in which De Niro plays obsessed stand-up comic Rupert Pupkin, who kidnaps talk-show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) and demands a spot on Langford’s show, won largely rave reviews but has grown in stature since its initial release.

The film has been given a digital 4K restoration by Scorsese’s Film Foundation, Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox.

According to Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal, the idea of including restorations in the festival’s lineup came from Scorsese himself. “Twelve years ago when we announced our first festival, it was Marty’s idea for us to feature restored and rediscovered films,” she said in the TFF press release announcing the booking. “’The King of Comedy’ was so ahead of its time; it seems more relevant today than it was 30 years ago.”

Added De Niro, “I was a big fan of the script and very excited to do it with Marty and happy that we finally made it. The fact that it’s been restored (hard to believe that so many years have passed) is even all the better, and I can’t wait to see it on our closing night.”

The closing-night film will screen on Saturday, April 27, though the festival itself will have an additional day of screenings on April 28. It begins on April 17 and will take place at a variety of theaters and venues in downtown Manhattan.