Mean Streets
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Produced by	Martin Scorsese Jonathan T. Taplin
Written by	Martin Scorsese Mardik Martin
Starring	Robert De Niro Harvey Keitel David Proval Amy Robertson Richard Romanus Cesare Danova
Cinematography	Kent L. Wakefield
Editing by	Sidney Levin
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	October 2, 1973
Running time	110 min.
Country	USA
Language	English, Italian
Budget	US$500,000 (est.)
IMDb profile

Mean Streets (1973) is an early Martin Scorsese film starring Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. Mean Streets may refer to: Mean Streets, a 1973 Martin Scorsese film starring Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (503x701, 102 KB) Summary Mean Streets film poster Licensing This image is of a movie poster or title card, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the movie or the studio which produced the... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, writer and producer and founder of the World Cinema Foundation. ... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, writer and producer and founder of the World Cinema Foundation. ... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, writer and producer and founder of the World Cinema Foundation. ... Robert De Niro in 1988 Robert De Niro (born August 17, 1943) is a two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American film actor, director, and producer. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... David Proval (born May 20, 1942 as David Aaron Proval) is an American actor, known for his role as Richie Aprile on the HBO television series The Sopranos. ... Richard Romanus (b. ... Cesare Danova (March 1, 1926 - March 19, 1992) Born Cesare Deitinger in Bergamo, Italy, Danova is a television and screen actor. ... “WB” redirects here. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, writer and producer and founder of the World Cinema Foundation. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Robert De Niro in 1988 Robert De Niro (born August 17, 1943) is a two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American film actor, director, and producer. ...

Plot

Charlie (Keitel) is an Italian-American man who is trying to move up in the local mafia and who is hampered by his feeling of responsibility towards his childish and destructive friend Johnny Boy (De Niro). Charlie works for his uncle Giovanni (who is the local mafia caporegime), mostly collecting debts. He is also having a hidden affair with Johnny Boy's cousin, Teresa, who has epilepsy and is ostracized because of her condition - especially by Charlie's uncle. A major figure in the plot is the conflict between Charlie's devout Catholicism and his Mafia ambitions. As the film progresses, Johnny becomes increasingly self-destructive and disrespects his creditors more and more. Unable to feel redeemed by his actions in church, Charlie finds redemption through self-sacrifice on Johnny's behalf, long after it ceases to be reasonable or deserved. Language(s) American English, Italian, Sicilian, Neapolitan, other (predominantly southern) Italian dialects and languages of Italian historical minorities Religion(s) Roman Catholic An Italian American is an American of Italian descent. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... A caporegime (sometimes shortened to capo) is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking member of a crime family who heads a crew (or group) of soldiers. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... This article is about the criminal society. ...

Production

Aside from his student film project Who's That Knocking at My Door and Boxcar Bertha, a directing project given him by early independent maverick Roger Corman, this was Scorsese's first feature film of his own design. Director John Cassavetes told him after he completed Boxcar Bertha, to make films he wanted to make, about things he knew. Mean Streets was based on actual events Scorsese saw almost regularly while growing up in Little Italy. Whos That Knocking at My Door (1967), originally entitled I Call First, is legendary director Martin Scorseses first feature film. ... Boxcar Bertha (1972), one of acclaimed director Martin Scorseses earliest films, is an extremely loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by physician Dr. Ben L. Reitman (Ben Reitman). ... Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926), sometimes nicknamed King of the Bs for his output of B-movies (though he himself rejects this appelation as inaccurate), is a prolific American producer and director of low-budget exploitation movies. ... John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929–February 3, 1989) was a Greek American actor, screenwriter, and director. ... Boxcar Bertha (1972), one of acclaimed director Martin Scorseses earliest films, is an extremely loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by physician Dr. Ben L. Reitman (Ben Reitman). ... Food vendors line the streets of Little Italy. ...

The screenplay for the movie initially began as a continuation of the characters in Who's That Knocking. Scorsese changed the title from Season of the Witch to Mean Streets, a reference to Raymond Chandler's essay "The Simple Art of Murder," where he writes, "But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid." Scorsese sent the script to Corman, who agreed to back the film if all the characters were black. Scorsese was anxious to make the film so he considered this option, but actress Verna Bloom arranged a meeting with potential financial backer, Jonathan Taplin, who was the road manager for the musical group, The Band. Taplin liked the script and was willing to raise the $300,000 budget that Scorsese wanted if Corman promised, in writing, to distribute the film. For other persons named Raymond Chandler, see Raymond Chandler (disambiguation). ... Raymond Chandler The Simple Art of Murder refers to both a critical essay and a collection of short stories written by hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler. ... Verna Bloom (born August 7, 1939), is an American actress. ... For other uses, see Band. ...

De Niro and Keitel: Mean Streets.

According to Scorsese, the first draft of Mean Streets focused on the religious conflict within Charlie and how it affected his worldview. Along with fellow writer Mardik Martin, Scorsese wrote the whole script while driving around "Little Italy" in Martin's car. They would find a spot in the neighborhood to park and begin writing, all the while immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of what would eventually appear on-screen. Image File history File links Mean1. ... Image File history File links Mean1. ...

Once the financing was in place, Scorsese began to recruit his cast. De Niro had met the director in 1972 and liked what he had seen in Who's That Knocking. De Niro was impressed with how the film had so accurately captured life in "Little Italy" where he had also grown up. Scorsese offered the actor four different roles, but he could not decide which one he wanted to portray. After another actor dropped out of the project, Scorsese cast Keitel in the pivotal role of Charlie. Keitel was also responsible for convincing De Niro to play Johnny Boy.

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The movie features a memorable 60s soundtrack including two songs by The Rolling Stones but complemented, as in many of his subsequent films, by operatic arias and music from varying genre.
• De Niro won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as John "Johnny Boy" Civello.
• The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
• Both David Carradine and his brother Robert Carradine appear in this film as Drunk and Drunks Killer.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... The National Society of Film Critics or NSFC is an American film critic organization. ... The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine on December 8, 1936 in Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... Robert Carradine as Lewis Skolnick Robert Carradine (born March 24, 1954) is an American actor. ...

See also

• John Jovino Gun Shop

John Jovino Gun Shop is a firearms dealer located in Little Italy in New york City. ...

External links

• Mean Streets at the Internet Movie Database