The worlds of a delusional comedian, a famous talk show host and a psychotic stalker come together in Martin Scorsese’s New York centered black comedy, THE KING OF COMEDY. 

Tom Shone, author of Martin Scorsese: A Retrospective by Abrams Books, will introduce the film. Copies of the book will be for sale after the screening!

…it’s a Hobbesian vision of a New York filled with passive aggressors who backbite and snipe at each other. – Tom Shone

The bottom is the perfect place to start. Aspiring comedian Rupert Pupkin lives in a fantasy world where he dreams of fame as the world’s top comedian and talk show host. Unfortunately for the man who actually is a top comedian and talk show host, Rupert’s delusions come crashing into his very real world. Scorsese really nails black comedy in this often strangely overlooked film featuring stunning performances by Robert De Niro as Pupkin, Jerry Lewis as the straight-man, and Sandra Bernhard as the obsessive stalker fan.

From his debut feature to The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese: A Retrospective charts the director’s glittering 50-year career at the helm of filmmaking. Movie by movie, this stunning monograph provides the definitive celebration of one of cinema’s most enduring talents. Tom Shone is the film critic for the Guardian US and the Economist‘s Intelligent Life magazine. He has written for Slate, the New Yorker, and the Sunday Times. He is the author of Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer. He lives in New York.