Robert De Niro Gifted Key to the City of New York, New York
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The 22nd Annual Tribeca Festival kicked off this week in New York City
In tribute to actor and festival co-founder Robert De Niro's commitment to NYC, Mayor Eric Adams presented him with the key to the city
De Niro's longtime friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese was also on hand to congratulate the star
For over twenty years, the mean streets of New York, New York have beat the summer heat by falling in love with films old and new at the Tribeca Festival. Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, the mission of the festival was to help get the Lower Manhattan neighborhood on the comeback trail after the 9/11 attacks proved economically and culturally detrimental to the area.
It did so by showcasing films of all kinds, from major blockbusters like Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones in the type of cinema usually seen in a midnight run down at the old Waverly Theater on 3rd Street. The festival offered a chance to see everything from the latest offerings of new talents to film footage dating back to 1900.
Of course, Robert De Niro himself typically makes an appearance each year to let folks know it's"showtime"on the annual festival. What just happened this past Wednesday was more than simple greetings from the two-time Academy Award winner, though; instead, Mayor Eric Adams presented De Niro with the key to the city, making the King of Comedy star more like the King of New York (not to be confused with Abel Ferrara's King of New York, a movie De Niro is not actually in, but it totally feels like he is in it, right?)
"There were those who decided to flee but we had someone that was clear, we had a raging bull," Adams said per MSN.com, referring to the decision De Niro and co. made to found the festival after 9/11. "We cannot thank you enough, brother De Niro. You and Jane [Rosenthal] decided clearly that you were going to stay."
De Niro's frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese also spoke at the event. "He’s actually very much a visionary because he saw the potential of a massive resurrection of this part of the city. And he saw that he was able to make a new city within the city," said the Goodfellas director, who recently debuted his latest film with De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon, at Cannes earlier this year. "Within two months, we did it. We did it and it became international."
De Niro, ever the comedian, kicked off his speech with a joke: "John Lindsay, Abe Beam, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio. This is just a partial list of New York City mayors who did not give me the Key to the City," he said, before expressing sincere joy for the Mayor for attending, and for the presentation.
The ceremony concluded with Jane Rosenthal announcing "De Niro Con," described as "a three-day celebration from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 that will feature film screenings, talks, movie set recreations, and an appearance by the actor himself." No specific titles have been announced for the event yet, but we will assume the usuals: Jacknife, The War With Grandpa, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. You know, the untouchables of his filmography.
Now, look, we don't want to analyze this ceremony too obnoxiously. It's a good gesture on behalf of Mayor Adams. And we get the impulse to be a bit of a joker when it comes to talking about De Niro's career. After all, we're no angels either. But Mayor Adams, with such a rich body of work as the filmography of Robert De Niro, you go for the low-hanging fruit of a Raging Bull reference? Come on, man. Sure, it's a flawless film, but there are so many other De Niro titles to pull. We did, like, 25 of them in this piece alone. Go back and check!
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