A Bronx Tale
Encyclopedia
A Bronx Tale is a 1993 American crime drama film
set in The Bronx
during the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro
, and follows a young Italian-American teenager as his path in life is guided by two father figures, played by De Niro and Chazz Palminteri
. It also includes a brief appearance by Joe Pesci
and an appearance by famous actor Clem Caserta, who plays as the costar Jimmy Whispers. It was written by Palminteri, based partially upon his childhood. The film grossed over $17 million domestically in the box office.
) young son Calogero (Francis Capra
) witnesses a murder committed by the local Mafia
boss
, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri
), in defense of an assaulted friend. When Calogero chooses to keep quiet when questioned by NYPD detectives, Sonny takes a liking to him and gives him the nickname "C". Sonny's men offer Lorenzo a job to make more money, but Lorenzo, preferring a law-abiding life, politely declines. Sonny, however, befriends Calogero and introduces him to his crew. Calogero earns tips amounting to $600 dollars working in the Mafia bar and throwing dice
, and is admonished harshly by Lorenzo when he discovers it. Lorenzo speaks severely to Sonny, returns the money, and warns him to keep away from Calogero. Outside the bar, Lorenzo admonishes Calogero, who is unrepentant, and slaps him across the face. Calogero begins to tear up, and Lorenzo hugs him and apologizes, picking him up and carrying him home past the bar's front window, through which Sonny can be seen watching.
Eight years later, Calogero (now played by Lillo Brancato, Jr.) has grown into a young man and has secretly been visiting Sonny regularly without his father's knowledge (Calogero's mother is not seen again during his adulthood, leaving it ambiguous as to what happened to her). Calogero is also part of a gang of local Italian boys he grew up around, even though Sonny tries to persuade Calogero to keep away from them and focus more on his schoolwork. Some time later, Calogero meets an African-American girl, Jane Williams (Taral Hicks
), and is smitten with her. The two arrange a date, despite the high level of tension and dislike between Italians and Blacks, particularly amongst Calogero's friends. He asks advice from both Lorenzo and Sonny, the latter who agrees to lend Calogero his car and tells him of a test to determine whether or not the date is a worthwhile prospect. Around the same time, Calogero's friends beat up black cyclists passing through their neighborhood; Calogero is powerless to stop them but does his best to defend a young man, who turns out to be Jane's brother, Willie. Willie, however, mistakes Calogero for one of the assailants and accuses him of beating him when Calogero and Jane meet for their date. In the ensuing argument, Calogero loses his temper at Willie's lack of gratitude and responds with calling him, "Fuckin' nigger," although he instantly regrets it. Heartbroken, Jane leaves Calogero.
At home, Calogero is confronted by Lorenzo, who saw him driving Sonny's car from the window. An argument ensues, and Calogero storms out. Suddenly, he is confronted by a furious Sonny and his crew, who found a bomb in Sonny's car and suspected Calogero of planning to assassinate him. Calogero swears his innocence again and again as Sonny treats him roughly and accuses him of lying even about the existence of Jane. Calogero breaks down, proclaiming his love and dedication to Sonny, whereupon Sonny recognizes Calogero's innocence and allows him to leave. Lorenzo, who saw the mobsters roughing Calogero, emerges to defend his son, but is held back and assaulted by Sonny's men, and goes home. The African-Americans egg
the Italian boys' usual spot in retaliation for the previous beating, and in revenge, Calogero's friends make a plan to strike back using molotov cocktail
s. They take Calogero with them, but along the journey, Sonny intervenes and orders Calogero out of the car. Calogero catches up with Jane, who tells him that Willie had since admitted that the boy who beat him up wasn't Calogero, but that Willie was angry and tried to hurt Calogero (simply because of his affiliation with the Italians) by lying about him. Jane and Calogero make amends, but Calogero suddenly remembers his friends' plans to assault Jane's neighborhood, and the two rush to stop them. However, upon arriving, Calogero and Jane see the boys' car destroyed and the boys themselves burned to death; during the assault, a shopkeeper had thrown one of the boys' cocktails back into their car through the window, igniting the remaining bottles and causing a crash and an explosion.
Calogero rushes to the bar to thank Sonny for saving his life, but the bar is crowded, and an unnamed assassin (the son of the man who Sonny killed in the beginning of the film) shoots Sonny in the back of the head before Calogero can warn him. A funeral
is then held for Sonny, where countless people come to pay their respects. Once they are all gone, a lone man named Carmine (Joe Pesci
) visits, claiming that Sonny once saved his life as well. Calogero does not appear to know Carmine, but remembers him when he sees a scar on his forehead: the day Sonny had committed that murder outside Calogero's home when Calogero was little, it had been in defense of Carmine, who was being beaten by the assailant with a baseball bat. Carmine tells Calogero that he will be taking care of the neighborhood for the time being and promises him help should he ever need anything, and leaves just as Lorenzo arrives, surprisingly, to pay his respects to Sonny, and thank him for saving his son: he says that he had never hated Sonny, but merely resented him for making Calogero grow up so quickly.
Calogero makes peace with his father, and the two walk home as Calogero says, "I learned something from these two men. I learned to give love and get love unconditionally. You just have to accept people for what they are. And I learned the greatest gift of all: the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. The choices that you make will shape your life forever. You can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they'll just tell you, 'This is just another Bronx tale'".
; the black neighborhood
said to be on and around Webster Avenue was actually filmed at East 15th Street and Gravesend Neck Road in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
; finally, the scene set on the Bronx's City Island
was actually filmed in that location.
Shops craftsman, Salvatore Sirico, helped build the infamous bathroom in the basement scene where two mobsters were outcasted to. He was also featured on Hall and Oats' music video, "Out of Touch".
, John Coltrane
, The Beatles
("Come Together
"), Frank Sinatra
, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
("All Along The Watchtower
"), James Brown
("It's a Man's Man's Man's World
"), Cream
, The Kinks
, Dion and the Belmonts
("I Wonder Why
"), The Moody Blues
("Nights in White Satin
"), Miles Davis
, Dean Martin
among others.
. The show had successful runs in Los Angeles
and Off-Broadway
. Palminteri would not sell the rights to his story unless he could write the screenplay and was guaranteed the role of Sonny. At one point he was offered one million dollars, but refused because his conditions were not met. Later, De Niro saw the show and approached Palminteri. He said he knew about Palminteri's refusing to sell the rights. For the rights, he told Palminteri he would act in the movie and meet Palminteri's conditions if De Niro could direct. De Niro said he was good to his word with only a handshake
from Palminteri.
Palminteri based several characters' names on himself: his real name is Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri. A scene was written wherein the Don
(to be played by Frank Vincent
) would visit Sonny and meet Calogero; the idea was eventually scrapped, but Vincent still got paid.
, and an average score of 80/100 from Metacritic
. Critic Roger Ebert
gave the film four stars, calling it "a very funny movie sometimes, and very touching at other times. It is filled with life and colorful characters and great lines of dialogue, and De Niro, in his debut as a director, finds the right notes as he moves from laughter to anger to tears. What's important about the film is that it's about values."
A Bronx Tale was nominated for AFI's Top 10 Gangster Films list.
and in 1998 on DVD
. The DVD
is now out of print, but in January 2010, Focus Features released an Amazon.com
exclusive DVD
copy of the film.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
set in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
during the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, and follows a young Italian-American teenager as his path in life is guided by two father figures, played by De Niro and Chazz Palminteri
Chazz Palminteri
Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway....
. It also includes a brief appearance by Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
and an appearance by famous actor Clem Caserta, who plays as the costar Jimmy Whispers. It was written by Palminteri, based partially upon his childhood. The film grossed over $17 million domestically in the box office.
Plot
In 1960, Lorenzo Anello's (Robert De NiroRobert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
) young son Calogero (Francis Capra
Francis Capra
Francis Capra is an American actor. Some of his best known roles are a young Calogero Anello in A Bronx Tale, Max Connor in Kazaam, and Eli "Weevil" Navarro in the TV series Veronica Mars.-Personal life:...
) witnesses a murder committed by the local Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
boss
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri
Chazz Palminteri
Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway....
), in defense of an assaulted friend. When Calogero chooses to keep quiet when questioned by NYPD detectives, Sonny takes a liking to him and gives him the nickname "C". Sonny's men offer Lorenzo a job to make more money, but Lorenzo, preferring a law-abiding life, politely declines. Sonny, however, befriends Calogero and introduces him to his crew. Calogero earns tips amounting to $600 dollars working in the Mafia bar and throwing dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, and is admonished harshly by Lorenzo when he discovers it. Lorenzo speaks severely to Sonny, returns the money, and warns him to keep away from Calogero. Outside the bar, Lorenzo admonishes Calogero, who is unrepentant, and slaps him across the face. Calogero begins to tear up, and Lorenzo hugs him and apologizes, picking him up and carrying him home past the bar's front window, through which Sonny can be seen watching.
Eight years later, Calogero (now played by Lillo Brancato, Jr.) has grown into a young man and has secretly been visiting Sonny regularly without his father's knowledge (Calogero's mother is not seen again during his adulthood, leaving it ambiguous as to what happened to her). Calogero is also part of a gang of local Italian boys he grew up around, even though Sonny tries to persuade Calogero to keep away from them and focus more on his schoolwork. Some time later, Calogero meets an African-American girl, Jane Williams (Taral Hicks
Taral Hicks
Taral Hicks is an actress and musician.-Career:Hicks graduated in 1993 from Grace Dodge Vocational High School in Bronx, New York....
), and is smitten with her. The two arrange a date, despite the high level of tension and dislike between Italians and Blacks, particularly amongst Calogero's friends. He asks advice from both Lorenzo and Sonny, the latter who agrees to lend Calogero his car and tells him of a test to determine whether or not the date is a worthwhile prospect. Around the same time, Calogero's friends beat up black cyclists passing through their neighborhood; Calogero is powerless to stop them but does his best to defend a young man, who turns out to be Jane's brother, Willie. Willie, however, mistakes Calogero for one of the assailants and accuses him of beating him when Calogero and Jane meet for their date. In the ensuing argument, Calogero loses his temper at Willie's lack of gratitude and responds with calling him, "Fuckin' nigger," although he instantly regrets it. Heartbroken, Jane leaves Calogero.
At home, Calogero is confronted by Lorenzo, who saw him driving Sonny's car from the window. An argument ensues, and Calogero storms out. Suddenly, he is confronted by a furious Sonny and his crew, who found a bomb in Sonny's car and suspected Calogero of planning to assassinate him. Calogero swears his innocence again and again as Sonny treats him roughly and accuses him of lying even about the existence of Jane. Calogero breaks down, proclaiming his love and dedication to Sonny, whereupon Sonny recognizes Calogero's innocence and allows him to leave. Lorenzo, who saw the mobsters roughing Calogero, emerges to defend his son, but is held back and assaulted by Sonny's men, and goes home. The African-Americans egg
Egging
Egging refers to the act of throwing eggs at houses, cars, or people. Egging is a criminal offence in most areas. The eggs are usually raw, but are sometimes hard-boiled or expired. This can be considered vandalism....
the Italian boys' usual spot in retaliation for the previous beating, and in revenge, Calogero's friends make a plan to strike back using molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s. They take Calogero with them, but along the journey, Sonny intervenes and orders Calogero out of the car. Calogero catches up with Jane, who tells him that Willie had since admitted that the boy who beat him up wasn't Calogero, but that Willie was angry and tried to hurt Calogero (simply because of his affiliation with the Italians) by lying about him. Jane and Calogero make amends, but Calogero suddenly remembers his friends' plans to assault Jane's neighborhood, and the two rush to stop them. However, upon arriving, Calogero and Jane see the boys' car destroyed and the boys themselves burned to death; during the assault, a shopkeeper had thrown one of the boys' cocktails back into their car through the window, igniting the remaining bottles and causing a crash and an explosion.
Calogero rushes to the bar to thank Sonny for saving his life, but the bar is crowded, and an unnamed assassin (the son of the man who Sonny killed in the beginning of the film) shoots Sonny in the back of the head before Calogero can warn him. A funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
is then held for Sonny, where countless people come to pay their respects. Once they are all gone, a lone man named Carmine (Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
) visits, claiming that Sonny once saved his life as well. Calogero does not appear to know Carmine, but remembers him when he sees a scar on his forehead: the day Sonny had committed that murder outside Calogero's home when Calogero was little, it had been in defense of Carmine, who was being beaten by the assailant with a baseball bat. Carmine tells Calogero that he will be taking care of the neighborhood for the time being and promises him help should he ever need anything, and leaves just as Lorenzo arrives, surprisingly, to pay his respects to Sonny, and thank him for saving his son: he says that he had never hated Sonny, but merely resented him for making Calogero grow up so quickly.
Calogero makes peace with his father, and the two walk home as Calogero says, "I learned something from these two men. I learned to give love and get love unconditionally. You just have to accept people for what they are. And I learned the greatest gift of all: the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. The choices that you make will shape your life forever. You can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they'll just tell you, 'This is just another Bronx tale'".
Settings and filming locations
A Bronx Tale was filmed in three New York City neighborhoods. Though set entirely in the Bronx, only one of these locations was actually in that borough. The Fordham neighborhood in which Calogero lives was actually filmed in Astoria, QueensQueens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
; the black neighborhood
African American neighborhood
African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American. Some of the earliest African American...
said to be on and around Webster Avenue was actually filmed at East 15th Street and Gravesend Neck Road in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
; finally, the scene set on the Bronx's City Island
City Island, Bronx
City Island is a small island approximately 1.5 mi long by .5 mi wide. At one time attached to the town of Pelham, Westchester County, it is now part of the New York City borough of the Bronx. As of the 2000 census the island had a population of 4,520. Its land area is 1.023 km²...
was actually filmed in that location.
Shops craftsman, Salvatore Sirico, helped build the infamous bathroom in the basement scene where two mobsters were outcasted to. He was also featured on Hall and Oats' music video, "Out of Touch".
Music
The movie features a lot of music from the '50s and '60s era including Donald ByrdDonald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
, John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
("Come Together
Come Together
"Come Together" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on The Beatles' September 1969 album Abbey Road....
"), Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
("All Along The Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...
"), James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
("It's a Man's Man's Man's World
It's a Man's Man's Man's World
"It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966 in a New York studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles charts and #8 in the Billboard Hot 100...
"), Cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, Dion and the Belmonts
Dion and the Belmonts
Dion and the Belmonts was a leading American vocal group of the late 1950s. The group formed when Dion DiMucci, lead singer , joined The Belmonts - Carlo Mastrangelo, baritone , Freddie Milano, second tenor , and Angelo D'Aleo, first tenor , in late 1957.-History:After an unsuccessful first single,...
("I Wonder Why
I Wonder Why
"I Wonder Why" is a doo-wop song, written by Melvin Anderson and Ricardo Weeks, and first recorded by Dion and the Belmonts in 1958. It is sung from the point of view of a man telling to his girlfriend that he neither knows nor ultimately cares to know the reasons for his love for said other...
"), The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
("Nights in White Satin
Nights in White Satin
"Nights in White Satin" is a 1967 single by The Moody Blues, written by Justin Hayward and first featured on the album Days of Future Passed.It is in the key of E minor Aeolian.-Single releases:...
"), Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
among others.
Sources
Palminteri adapted the screenplay from his one-man show of the same nameA Bronx Tale (play)
A Bronx Tale is an autobiographical one-man show written and performed by Chazz Palminteri. A Bronx Tale tells the story of Calogero Anello, a young boy from a working class family who gets involved in the world of organized crime. Calogero's father is a bus driver who tries to instill working...
. The show had successful runs in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
. Palminteri would not sell the rights to his story unless he could write the screenplay and was guaranteed the role of Sonny. At one point he was offered one million dollars, but refused because his conditions were not met. Later, De Niro saw the show and approached Palminteri. He said he knew about Palminteri's refusing to sell the rights. For the rights, he told Palminteri he would act in the movie and meet Palminteri's conditions if De Niro could direct. De Niro said he was good to his word with only a handshake
Gentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...
from Palminteri.
Palminteri based several characters' names on himself: his real name is Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri. A scene was written wherein the Don
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
(to be played by Frank Vincent
Frank Vincent
Frank Vincent is an American actor, musician, author and entrepreneur. He is a favorite performer of director Martin Scorsese, having played important roles in three of Scorsese's most acclaimed films: Raging Bull , Goodfellas and Casino . He often plays a gangster and works both in features and...
) would visit Sonny and meet Calogero; the idea was eventually scrapped, but Vincent still got paid.
Critical reception
The film was a critical success, holding a current "Fresh" rating of 96% from Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, and an average score of 80/100 from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film four stars, calling it "a very funny movie sometimes, and very touching at other times. It is filled with life and colorful characters and great lines of dialogue, and De Niro, in his debut as a director, finds the right notes as he moves from laughter to anger to tears. What's important about the film is that it's about values."
A Bronx Tale was nominated for AFI's Top 10 Gangster Films list.
Release
Sometime after the film's theatrical run, HBO released the movie on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and in 1998 on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
is now out of print, but in January 2010, Focus Features released an Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
exclusive DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
copy of the film.