Robert De Niro and Women
Between 1980 to mid-1990s, the climate surrounding the discussion of violence against women was rapidly changing in the United States. With the emergence of various organizations across the country, a series of movements for women’s rights, and the enactment of new legislation, these issues were attaining increased interest in the media and thus the society as a whole. The maturation of social attitudes towards domestic violence becomes echoed in the shifting persona of Robert De Niro’s characters throughout his career. As the problem of spouse abuse was evoking increased recognition as a serious epidemic, and as De Niro became better situated in the dynamic world of filmmaking, his choices in the temperaments of the male figures he portrayed were also evolving. These changes are manifested in his progressive departure from the violent, dominating, and chauvinistic type, with which he was often associated in the first half of his career. This becomes evident in his portrayal of the characters of Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, produced in 1980, and Sam Ace Rothstein in Casino, of 1995, both of which were directed by Martin Scorsese. The parallels and differences between De Niro’s treatment of the two protagonists, in relation to their approach to women, will be traced through a close analysis of two scenes from each film. These scenes demonstrate two distinctive phases in the relationship between his characters and their spouses: the first illustrates their initial encounter, and the second demonstrates the chaotic climax from which there could be no return.
Deep Throat
The May 1973 issue of Esquire magazine featured a seven-page article entitled, “Proof that the Seventies Have Finally Begun.” Its introduction reflects the ideological state of the 70s as it proposes the notion that,
Man does not live by the calendar alone. We are three years into this decade, but where is our sense of the times we live in, our awareness of the new things happening all about us, our response to where we are going and who our leaders are? Who, or what supplies in our sensibilities the awareness of direction we used to get by reading headlines about Jackie Kennedy and the Beatles? Never fear! Try this exercise: shape slowly in your mind the words: “Linda Lovelace” (Miller, 159).
The film Deep Throat, directed by Gerard Damiano, and starring his most popular performer Linda Lovelace, was a product of a rapidly evolving approach to sexuality that created a demand for new developments in the production of erotic cinema. As this caption suggests, in an attempt to gain a “sense of the times” and to acknowledge the “new things happening”, those living in the early seventies could not ignore the sociological phenomenon that this film was becoming (Miller, 159). It was responsible for the conception of the “Porn Chic” craze, as it attracted new audiences and demanded constant attention. In the realm of pornographic films, Deep Throat was revolutionary in its explicit content, superior cinematography, imaginative use of sound, construction of a plot line, and its attempt to incorporate humor within the dialog.