Bloodbrothers (1978)

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Richard Price (based on the novel by)
Walter Newman (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 October 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

How do you tell people you love, you love to do it on your own?

Plot:

A young man is torn between following in his brothers' footsteps or striking out on his own. |

Plot Keywords:

Muscle Shirt | Gay Son | Woman Crying | Bar | Briefs

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Paul Sorvino	...	Chubby De Coco
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Tommy De Coco
Richard Gere	...	Stony De Coco
Lelia Goldoni	...	Maria
Yvonne Wilder	...	Phyllis
Kenneth McMillan	...	Banion
Floyd Levine	...	Dr. Harris
Marilu Henner	...	Annette
Michael Hershewe	...	Albert
Kristine DeBell	...	Cheri
Paulene Myers	...	Mrs. Pitt
Gloria LeRoy	...	Sylvia
Bruce French	...	Paulie
Peter Iacangelo	...	Malfie
Kim Milford	...	Butler
Robert Englund	...	Mott
Raymond Singer	...	Jackie
Lila Teigh	...	Jackie's Mother
Eddie Jones	...	Blackie
Danny Aiello	...	Artie
E. Brian Dean	...	Brian (as Brian Dean)
Randy Jurgensen	...	Randy
Ron McLarty	...	Mac
David Berman	...	Dave
Robert Costanzo	...	Vic (as Bob Costanzo)
Edwin Owens	...	Stan (as Ed Owens)
Tom Signorelli	...	Sig
Rockwell	...	Tyrone (as Kennedy Gordy)
Jeffrey Jacquet	...	Derek
Damu King	...	Chili Mac
Jon Cutler	...	Mott's Buddy #1
James Lashly	...	Mott's Buddy #2
Donald Schettino	...	Constrution Man #1
Vaughn Dimoff	...	Construction Man #2
Koko Tani	...	Chick
Frank Bongiorno	...	Guy in Men's Room
Carl Dubliclay	...	Taxi Driver
Karen Ciral	...	Teen Chick #1
Tamara Barkley	...	Teen Chick #2
Pamela Bebermeyer	...	Teen Chick #3 (as Pam Bebermeyer)
Janet Coleman	...	Motel Clerk
John Finnegan	...	Bartender (as J.P. Finnegan)
Bob Harcum	...	Cop
David Dozer	...	Banion's Bar Man #1
Charles Guardino	...	Banion's Bar Man #2
John Furlong	...	Banion's Bar Man #3
Chuck Bergansky	...	Banion's Bar Man #4
Shay Duffin	...	Banion's Bar Man #5
Edward Levy	...	Banion's Bar Man #6

Directed by
Robert Mulligan

Writing credits
Richard Price		(based on the novel by)
Walter Newman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Stephen J. Friedman	....	producer (as Stephen Friedman)

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees

Film Editing by
Sheldon Kahn

Production Design by
Gene Callahan

Set Decoration by
Lee Poll

Makeup Department
Ruby Ford	....	hair stylist
Ben Nye Jr.	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Tony Cerbone	....	unit production manager: New York
John R. Coonan	....	unit production manager (as John Coonan)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Hargrove	....	second assistant director
Howard Roessel	....	assistant director

Art Department
Robert Boettcher	....	assistant property master (as Bob Boettcher)
Peter Landsdown Smith	....	assistant art director (as Peter John Smith)
John Zemansky	....	property master

Sound Department
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gordon Davidson	....	sound editor
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles T. Knight	....	sound mixer (as Charles Knight)
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	sound editor (as Marvin Kosberg)
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert R. Rutledge	....	sound editor
Josef von Stroheim	....	sound editor (as Joe von Stroheim)
Roy Bean	....	sound (uncredited)
Jerry Jacobson	....	adr editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Barth	....	first assistant camera (as Dick Barth)
Thomas Laughridge	....	camera operator (as Tom Laughridge)
David L. Quaid	....	special photographer (as David Quaid)
Vinnie Gerardo	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanne Haas	....	costumer: women
Robert Harris Jr.	....	costumer: men

Editorial Department
Marilyn Madderom	....	assistant editor
Saul Saladow	....	assistant editor (as Saul R. Saladow)

Music Department
Donald Harris	....	music editor
David Spear	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Julie Pitkanen	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Kings Road Entertainment
• Warner Bros

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1985) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (198?) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"A Father's Love" - USA (TV title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Netherlands:16 | France:-12

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Kings Road Entertainment

Trivia:

Although he is only 12 years older than Richard Gere, Tony Lo Bianco plays his father.

Movie Connections:

Features Enter the Dragon (1973)

Blood Sweat & Tears

******SPOILERS****** Hard hitting yet sensitive story about a blue collar family living in a working class neighborhood in the Bronx NY and the ups and downs that they go through in the movie. The movie has to do with an Italian/American family, the De Coco's. The De Coco's have a son that's torn between being a construction worker and working as a recreational assistant at a local hospital. In hospital Stony want's to work with and help young children who have severe emotional problems like his little brother Albert, Michael Hershewe.

Powerhouse performances by Tony Lo Bianco, Tommy De Coco, Paul Sorvino, Chubby De Coco and a very young and electrifying Richard Gere as Stony De Coco in one of his first major movie roles that showed the great talent that he had long before he became a top Hollywood super-star. Stony at first trying to live and work like his father Tommy and uncle Chubby wanted him to he then begins to slowly lose his interest. Being the sensitive type Stony finds it hard to live up to his father Tommy macho image and how that mindset effects his little brother Albert who's suffering from emotional problems due to having sever eating disorders.

There's also Tommy's womanizing that leads his wife Marie, Lelia Goldoni, to try to have an affair with that weirdo Jackie, Raymond Singer, who lives in her apartment building who always had eyes for her. When Tommy finds out about this supposed affair ,from a phone call from Jackie's mother, he goes haywire and almost kills Marie and ends up himself in the hospital with what seemed like an emotional breakdown. Stony seeing what this type of lifestyle was doing to his parents leaves his job as a construction worker, that his father Tommy broke his back to get him, and decides to leave with his younger brother Albert for good. Stony in an attempt to say goodbye has an emotionally packed confrontation with his father, Tommy, and uncle, Chubby, that was the best of so many great scenes in the movie.

Simple yet powerful movies about people that Hollywood doesn't make too many movies about these days. Another great scene in "Bloodbrothers" was a talk between Chubby and his friend and bar owner Banion, Kenneth McMillan, on how he threw his son Paulie, Bruce French, out of the house when he found out that he was gay. Chubby tried to get both father and son back together later by going to Buccellati jewelry on Fifth Avenue where Paulie worked to get him to attend his fathers birthday party. Chubby loses it when Paulie not only refused to show up at the party but didn't even want to sign a birthday card for his father that Chubby gave him. You could see the two different worlds that both Chubby and Paulie lived in and how they just couldn't come to any common ground on just a simple matter like that.

And there was also a moving story by Chubby that he told Banion in regard to his son Paulie, that Banion felt he lost because of his gay lifestyle, about his own son ,the son that Chubby lost who tragically died in infancy. Almost in tears Chubby tells how he loved and looked after his nephew Stony as that son who he lost and never lived to see grow up. Also very good in the movie are Stony's two girlfriends Cherie and Annette, Kristine De Bell & Marilu Henner, who more then anything exemplified the two worlds that Stony was torn between.

"Bloodbrothers" is a forgotten movie until you see it and realize that it was one of the most underrated motion pictures of the 1970's. A touching moving and tragic film with a great and stirring musical score that shows that there is nothing uninteresting about working people when it's a movie about working people as good as "Bloodbrothers".