Monday, February 08, 2016

The Moment I Fell For... Robert De Niro

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Today is the 40th anniversary of Taxi Driver, so let's side aside De Niro's most recent cash-grab and look back to what was, and oh what was. I don't recall what was the first thing I ever saw him in -- he was just a part of the movie landscape as I grew up, but most of his movies were pretty mature for me then; if I had to guess I probably first saw him in either The Untouchables, Backdraft, or Awakenings. (Do recall, and sneer accordingly, that I only just saw the Godfather movies a few years ago for the first time.) From those inauspicious (although not as nearly inauspicious as the poor kids of today who are being introduced to De Niro via Dirty Grandpa) beginnings, it probably took me a few years to see (while still being too young to see) Taxi Driver and Cape Fear, but whichever one of those that I saw first, that's when I got it. 

Do you remember your introduction to De Niro?
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7 comments:

Peggy Sue said...

I would say Falling in Love.

Petey said...

He was fantastic in Awakenings with Robin Williams--both of them were great in that film, actually; I highly recommend watching it, that movie still makes me teary-eyed every time I watch it.

Anonymous said...

Have you seen him in the 1970 film by Roger Corman, "Bloody Mama"? It's "inspired" (and it so is) by the real-life story of the Ma Barker gang. Besides DeNiro, its cast includes Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, and - wait for it - Shelley Winters as the great lady.

Ana Maria said...

I don't remember exactly what movie I saw him in first; must've been "GodfatherII", but the movie I became aware of his hotness is "The Deer Hunter"...

dre said...

"Mean Streets" *sigh*

Unknown said...

The deer hunter! The scene with meryl streep when he returns home and she's made him a sweater....

Anonymous said...

Midnight Run. After that, I started watching all of his earlier films.