Gangster Movies: (ca. 1993) Calogero Anello is a 9-year old child living in the Bronx in the early 60′s, a hotbed of gangster bars, racist people and aggressive attitudes. Calogero witnesses a shooting in the street involving local big shot gangster, Sonny (Chazz Palimentri), but refuses to identify him to the police. Sonny grows fond of the child and begins to teach him how things are conducted on streets. Calogero’s father (Robert DeNiro) is a honest, hard working city bus driver man who struggles to keep his young son away from the wrong elements.
Despite his father’s disapproval, Calogero continues to maintain a relationship with Sonny. Through the years, Sonny educates Calogero about whats it is to be a gangster, both the triumphs and travails. Sonny’s ultimate lesson is that ‘the life’ has far to many pitfalls, namely prison and an early grave. Yet, Calogero still can’t help but find himself falling in with the wrong crowd feeding on criminal mischief and racial tensions. To complicate matters, Calogero falls in love with a black girl.
In the end, life’s lesson is hard won: Things end badly for Sonny, and Calogero realizes that all things are not as they appear.
Although it was “A Bronx Tale”, virtually all of it was filmed in Astoria and Jackson Heights, Queens. It was easier to capture the period in those locations where many buildings from the 1950s still stood.
Some scenes were filmed at William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City.
The story, written by Chazz Palminteri, is adapted from his autobiographical one-man play. His real name is Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri. When Robert De Niro offered to purchase the film rights, Palminteri refused to sell them unless he could write the screenplay and play the role of Sonny.
Dedicated to Robert De Niro’s father, Robert De Niro Sr., who died in 1993.
Robert De Niro’s directorial debut.
When Robert De Niro had trouble finding a suitable actor to portray Eddie Mush, he asked Chazz Palminteri if they could find the real Eddie Mush to play himself. They found Eddie Montanaro in the same neighborhood still losing bets. After casting him, they became worried that Eddie Mush would “jinx” the film. On Montanaro’s first day of filming, it rained.
De Niro wanted Palminteri to be involved in every aspect of production. Palminteri was involved in casting, scouting locations, editing and sound mixing.
Casting scouts searched around New York City and Long Island for a teenager to play the role of Calogero. A scout noticed Lillo Brancato on Jones Beach. For most of his childhood, Brancato had done impersonations of Robert De Niro and was often told that he resembled De Niro. When he performed an impersonation for the scout, she immediately cast him.
When Lorenzo and Calogero clean out the bus at City Island, a Wonderland advertisement can be seen on the bus.
The Street in front of the Chez Bippy bar is 30th Avenue in Astoria Queens, New York.
The alternative band The Ataris, use lines from this movie in the background of their song “Your Boyfriend Sucks”
At one point in the film, Sonny tells Calogero that he read ‘Niccolo Machiavelli’ during his time in prison. He later tells Calogero how he runs his gang – that he’d rather be feared than loved, because fear is something that he can control, while love is not. Sonny then goes on to stress it’s important not to give his people so little that fear crosses over into hate. This concept of leadership stems directly from Machiavelli’s most famous book, “The Prince.”
Kathrine Narducci brought her 9-year-old son to the open casting call to audition for the role of young Calogero. When she saw that the role of Calogero’s mother was available she asked if she could also audition and got the part.
Frank Vincent was to appear in a scene as the boss of the Mafia family but the scene was not filmed.
Robert De Niro had to get a CDL-B to drive the buses in the movie. Boston, MA MBTA turned him down for training for his CDL, citing he was not an “employee”. NYCTA happily instructed him and he received his CDL-B w/Airbrakes for the movie.
