Robert De Niro on Satellite TV

Of all the iconic figures who have graced the silver screen in the past forty years, few are as accomplished as Robert De Niro. His beginnings in films like Bang the Drum Slowly and The Godfather brought fame and an Oscar, but it was his brilliant work with Martin Scorsese that ranks among the best in American film. Over the past ten or fifteen years, there has been a marked depreciation in his status and reputation. Maybe it's just hard to grow old in Hollywood. Maybe after reaching the heights of his craft, the only way to go was down. Either way, seeing a variety of his work on satellite TV, you'll realize why he was on top for so long.

You needn't look far. Starting with The Godfather, shown every month on channels like Showtime HD or A&E, you can watch the total immersion De Niro practiced in his roles. Spending three months in Sicily to prepare for his performance as the young Don Corleone, De Niro was more than up for the challenge. From his trademark Italian gestures to his lines in Sicilian dialect, De Niro proved he was a force to be reckoned with and nabbed the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

But that was only a warm-up for De Niro, whose roles were rarely "supporting" ever again. His turn in Mean Streets, his first collaboration with Martin Scorsese, showed a savage De Niro as a Little Italy punk looking to tear the world apart. A few years later the director and his star made Taxi Driver, one of the truly haunting American films. As Travis Bickle, an introspective and deranged cabbie, De Niro took his famous Method acting to new heights. Among the legendary sequences, his improvised "You talkin' to me?" has become among the most famous clips in film lore. Even the crew can start getting scared, as De Niro has been known to stay in character for days at a time.

He will even literally become his characters, a commitment difficult to expect from actors before and after. Take Raging Bull, for example, shown in HD on the Turner Classic Movie channel. Fighting his way through the early part of the film, De Niro seemed well-suited to play a fit young boxer like Jake La Motta. However, to portray La Motta in his obese decline, De Niro decided a "fat suit" just wouldn't do and proceeded to put on the extra sixty pounds. Oscar took notice, awarding him with Best Actor of 1980. In these days of celebrity trainers and image-obsessed leading men, it's refreshing to see a master at work.

With his collaborations spanning decades alongside directors like Brian De Palma and Francis Ford Coppola, seeing De Niro on the big screen is the way to go. If you are set up in HD and don't have time for a retrospective, a satellite TV package will let you access a good chunk of his work. Don't like the heady dramas or intimidating New York crime tales? Take a look at his work in King of Comedy, another Scorsese classic. As Rupert Pupkin, a freaky wannabe comic living in his mother's basement, De Niro will show you what versatility really means.



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