Casino (film) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008) Casino Theatrical movie poster Directed by Martin Scorsese Produced by Barbara De Fina Written by Book: Nicholas Pileggi Screenplay: Nicholas Pileggi Martin Scorsese Narrated by Robert De Niro Joe Pesci Frank Vincent Starring Robert De Niro Joe Pesci Sharon Stone Frank Vincent Don Rickles Pasquale Cajano James Woods Kevin Pollak Alan King Cinematography Robert Richardson Editing by Thelma Schoonmaker Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date(s) November 22, 1995 Running time 178 min. Country USA Language English French Budget $52,000,000 Casino is an Academy Award nominated 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese. Robert De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a Jewish chain-smoking top gambling handicapper who is called by the Mob to oversee the day-to-day operations at the fictional Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. The story is based on the late Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who ran the Stardust, Fremont and the Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from the 1970s until the early 1980s. Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, based on the real-life Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, an intimidating enforcer and psychopath. Nicky is sent by the Chicago Outfit to Vegas to make sure that money from the Tangiers is skimmed off the top and that the casinos and mobsters in Vegas are kept in line. Sharon Stone plays Ace's wife, the self-obsessed, spoiled, devious and sly Ginger, a role that earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. When released, Casino had the most uses of the word "fuck" (422) in a feature length film[1], but was outdone two years later by the film Nil by Mouth [2] although it remains the highest number of uses of the word in an American film excluding documentaries. Casino has been considered a companion piece to Scorsese's earlier film, Goodfellas (1990), which also starred De Niro and Pesci. Contents [hide] 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Development 3.1 Screenplay 3.2 Principal Photography 4 Differences between fact and fiction 5 Reception 6 Awards 6.1 Academy Awards 6.1.1 Nominated 6.2 Golden Globes 6.2.1 Won 6.2.2 Nominated 7 Soundtrack 7.1 Track listing 7.1.1 Disc 1 7.1.2 Disc 2 7.2 Additional songs in the film 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Bibliography 9 External links [edit] Plot In the opening sequence, Sam "Ace" Rothstein's (Robert Deniro) narration explains: "When you love someone, you've got to trust them, there's no other way. You've got to give them the key to everything that's yours. Otherwise what's the point? And for a while I believed that's the kind of love I had." His car then explodes into a ball of fire. The story then cuts back in time, showing Sam to be a talented sports handicapper for the mob. Sam is entrusted by four Midwest mob bosses in Kansas City, Missouri to oversee the management of the Tangiers Hotel's casino in Las Vegas while they illegally skim the casino profits (by taking a "cut" before the Tangiers' income is reported to the authorities). Sam's experience in gambling and "hands-on" management style allow him to quickly double the profits of the Tangiers. The bosses send his boyhood friend, Nicholas "Nicky" Santoro (Joe Pesci), who is famous for his violent temper, to "protect" Sam and their interests. Sam falls in love with an attractive hustler named Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone). Although he is not sure if marriage is a good idea for the both of them, and she shows much reluctance, he finally decides that married life will cure her many addictions. Meanwhile, Nicky's recklessness and cheating in various casinos causes him to be banned from all Las Vegas gambling establishments, causing a significant blow to his working relationship with Sam. Nicky decides to start his own Vegas operation, organizing his own crew, Jack Hardy (Jed Mills), Sal Fusco (Clem Caserta), and Bernie Blue (Bret McCormick), in addition to owning a jewelry business,the Gold Rush, and a restaurant with his brother Dominick (Philip Suriano) and his right-hand man Frankie Marino (Frank Vincent). He and his crew rob other jewelery stores, as well as hotels, apartments, and private homes. However, all of Nicky's actions eventually have the FBI always questioning him and media always on him, eavesdropping and putting secret microphones inside the Gold Rush. When Marino goes home to the bosses, they remark that Nicky isn't doing his job well, which Nicky scoffs at. Tensions rise when an up-and-coming hood, Tony Dogs (Carl Ciarfalio), along with two other men, shoot a dining establishment owned by Mob boss Remo Gaggi, killing two of Gaggi's men and a young waitress. An enraged Gaggi sends Nicky and his crew to get information out of Dogs. Nicky and his men beat and torture Dogs, who finally gives up his partners after his head is put in a vise. Meanwhile, Sam is interviewed by a reporter concerning the running of the Tangiers' hotel. After hinting he runs the casino, which is technically under the cover of the legal chairman, Phillip Green (Kevin Pollak), Sam is forced to apply for a gaming license. Sam also finds out that Ginger is financially aiding her former pimp, Lester (James Woods). After Sam gets Nicky and his crew the go-ahead to beat Lester, Ginger seeks comfort from Nicky telling him that she is disgusted with Sam's behavior. Nicky is also upset with Sam after he mentions his disdain for Nicky's 'bringing heat down' on the midwest bosses. The two then have a heated argument in the desert. Later, while on vacation with her daughter, Ginger decides to flee to Europe with Lester. Concerned for the safety of his daughter, Ginger is forced to return home frightened that Sam could threaten them. With their marriage crumbling, Sam and Ginger split for good, despite continuing to live in the same house. Following a heated argument with Sam, Ginger begins an affair with Nicky, going against the bosses' serious policy of having one of their own sleep with an associate's wife. Eventually their affair is revealed, nearly jeopardizing the trust of the Kansas City mob bosses. Ginger's drug and drinking problems begin to escalate. One night after coming home, Sam finds that Ginger has tied up their daughter to her bed and gone out. Finding Ginger at a restaurant with Nicky, Sam threatens to kill her if she treats their daughter like that again, and Sam and Nicky's friendship presumably ends. Nicky angrily leaves Ginger as well after a violent argument. Meanwhile, Sam has his trusted friend and casino manager Billy Sherbert (Don Rickles) come over with a shotgun in case Ginger returns with Nicky or any other mob hitmen, and has his valuables placed in the hotel safe. The next morning, Ginger turns up at their family home to collect her possessions, but Sam calls the police,. Getting access into the house, she steals the key to their safety deposit box (which was put in both their names). Sam and Billy head for the bank to try to stop her. They are too late, and see her leave the bank with the cash, but she is arrested by the FBI about a block away for aiding the mob (she is later released when they decide that she knows nothing). The FBI and media, most of whom were already onto Nicky, gain enough information to track down all the players of the skimming operation, getting even more information when they find detailed records of how the skimming actually worked along with dates, names and addresses from mobster Artie Piscano's expense reports. Piscano dies of a heart attack right in front of his wife as the police invade their home. The Tangiers temporarily shuts down, and Nicky takes off after his restaurant and jewelery store gets closed down, allowing Dominic, Frankie, and the rest of Nicky's crew to get arrested. The bosses are also arrested and taken into court. While together in the courthouse, the bosses hold a meeting during a recess and decide which witnesses should be eliminated. The executed include Andy Stone (head of the Teamsters Union and Pension Fund), three casino executives, and John Nance (the money courier, whose son was in trouble with the FBI for drug-related charges). Sam is almost killed in an anonymous car explosion, which he and the bosses suspect was prepared by Nicky, which is probably true, as earlier in the film Nicky talks to Marino about the possibility of having Sam whacked before he "starts a war back home", due to Ginger's affair with him. Months later, the bosses bail Nicky's crew out, and Nicky himself holds a meeting with them in an Indiana cornfield, apparently to send Dominic out to Vegas. His crew turns on him, with Frankie clubbing him in the leg. Nicky is forced to watch as Frankie and the crew savagely beat Dominic to a pulp. Nicky is gruesomely beaten by Frankie as well, and the men bury the Santoro brothers alive. Sam narrates that the bosses have had enough of Nicky's actions, and ordered Marino and his crew to "make an example" of him and his brother. Ginger leaves, and dies of a drug overdose in an L.A. hotel (from a voiceover by Sam implying a mob-administered "hot dose") after falling in with a bad crowd. The cash she has taken is almost all but spent, with only valuable coins left from the thousands she took. The Tangiers gets demolished. Big corporations begin to take over Vegas and begin to create the familiar 'family-friendly' resorts that have become the staple of the modern-day city. Sam remarks that "today it looks like Disneyland," and that "in the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played, and that today, it's like checking into an airport." As Nicky's narration from the beginning of the film puts it, "It turned out to be the last time street guys like us were given anything that fucking valuable." The final scene shows Sam being reduced to what he started from, making bets for the mob and watching sporting events on multiple televisions from his home in San Diego. The film slowly fades out as the audience see his aging face looking straight at the camera as he takes his glasses off. As he proclaims in the last line of the film, "why mess up a good thing?" [edit] Cast Actor Role Based on Robert De Niro Sam "Ace" Rothstein Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal Joe Pesci Nicky Santoro Tony "The Ant" Spilotro Sharon Stone Ginger McKenna Rothstein Geraldine McGee Rosenthal Frank Vincent Frankie Marino Frank Cullotta Don Rickles Billy Sherbert Murray Ehrenberg Pasquale Cajano Remo Gaggi Joseph Aiuppa James Woods Lester Diamond Leonard Marmor John Bloom Donald "Don" Ward - L. Q. Jones Pat Webb - Kevin Pollak Philip Green Allen Glick Alan King Andy Stone Allen Dorfman Bill Allison John Nance George Vandermark Philip Suriano Dominick Santoro Michael Spilotro Carl Ciarfalio Tony Dogs Billy McCarthy Vinny Vella Artie Piscano Carl "Tuffy" DeLuna Nobu Matsuhisa K. K. Ichikawa Akio Kashiwagi Ffiolliott Le Coque Anna Scott Tamara Rand Bret McCormick Bernie Blue Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein Richard Riehle Charlie "Clean Face" Clark Morris Shenker Dick Smothers Nevada State Senator Harrison Roberts US Senator Harry Reid[3] (D-NV) Oscar Goodman Himself Himself Frank Cullotta Curly - Steve Vignari Beeper Frank Schweihs [edit] Development The research for Casino began when Pileggi read a report from the Las Vegas Sun in 1980 about a domestic argument between Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, a casino figure and his wife, Geri McGee, a former topless dancer. [4] This gave him an idea to focus on a new book about the true story of mob infringement in Las Vegas during the 1970s, when filming of Goodfellas (the screenplay which he co-wrote with Scorsese) was coming to an end. [5] Pileggi decided to contact Scorsese about taking the helm of the project which would become known as Casino. [4] Scorsese expressed interest in the project calling this an "idea of success, no limits". [6] Although, he was keen to release the book and then concentrate on a film adaption, Scorsese encouraged him to "reverse the order". [7] [edit] Screenplay Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated on the script lasting for a total of five months, towards the end of 1994. [5] Real-life characters such as Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Geri, Anthony Spilotro and his brother were reshaped. Some characters were combined as well as parts of the story being set in Las Vegas instead of Chicago. A problem emerged when they were forced to refer Chicago as "back home" and use the words "adapted from a true story" instead of "based on a true story". [6] They also decided to change the script, so that the character of Sam "Ace" Rosenstein only worked at the Tangiers Casino as a glimpse to highlight how far we went on the casino floor to the kitchen and the food. [6] According to Scorsese, the initial opening sequence was to feature the main character, Sam "Ace" Rosenstein fighting with his estranged wife, Ginger, on the lawn on their house. Since the scene was too detailed, they changed the sequence to show the explosion of Sam's car and see him fly into the air before hovering over the flames in slow motion - like a soul about to go straight down in hell. [6] [edit] Principal Photography Filming took place in The Riveria Casino in Las Vegas to replicate the fictional Tangiers Casino, during the night - which was once as late as 4:00 in the morning. According to the producer Barbara De Fina, there was no point building a set if the same cost was to use a real-life one. [6] The opening scene - Sam's car explosion - was shot three times with the latter one being used for the film from the real life account of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal of the way he managed to escape. [6] The precise details of the explosion were seen to suggest that you never forget these moments if you know how close you can come to being killed. [6] According to Martin Scorsese, "we (with Nicholas Pileggi) wanted to show the end of the old way". [6] [edit] Differences between fact and fiction The scenes where Nicky stabs a man in the neck with a pen for insulting Sam and where Nicky gets drunk in the casino and hits Billy Sherbert in the face with a telephone are entirely fictional. On an interesting note, Nicky says to Sherbert, "What are you staring at, you bald-headed Jew prick?": this is one of Don Rickles' (Sherbert) trademark insults, although in this case, Joe Pesci (Nicky) says it to him rather than Rickles saying it to somebody else. The majority of the actual events took place in Kansas City, Missouri, even more so than Las Vegas. In the 1970s, the Kansas City mob was involved in a gangland war over control of the River Quay entertainment district, in which three buildings were bombed and several gangsters were killed. Police investigations into the mob took hold after Kansas City Boss Nick Civella was recorded discussing gambling bets on Super Bowl IV (where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings). The gang war and investigation would lead to the end of mob control of the Stardust Casino, which was the basis for the film (although the Kansas City connections are minimized in the movie). The character of Frank Marino (played by Frank Vincent and based on Frank Cullotta) participates in the killing of the Santoro brothers. In reality, Frank Cullotta was not present and played no part in the beating of the Spilotro brothers (on whom the Santoro brothers were based), and only betrayed them by testifying against them about the M & M murders (as the 1962 murders of James Miraglia and Billy McCarthy in Chicago were called) when Anthony Spilotro ordered him killed over the phone, although Cullotta's testimony was not enough to convict Spilotro. Cullotta also has a cameo as Curly, one of Gaggi's hitmen near the end of the film. The character of John Nance, based on George Vandermark, is murdered in the film with two gunshots to the stomach and one to the head and left in open view. The real George Vandermark was murdered along with his drug addict son, Jeffrey, but his body was never found. Furthermore, Bill Allison (Nance's actor), is a former casino owner and served as a technical advisor for the film, along with Frank Cullotta (who plays Curly, Nance's killer). In the film Artie Piscano, based on Kansas City Underboss Carl "Tuffy" DeLuna, dies of a heart attack during an FBI raid on his home. In reality, DeLuna was arrested, tried and sentenced to 30 years. He did in fact keep extensive cryptic notes hidden in his basement which, together with wiretaps, connected all the dots the FBI needed. He was released from prison in 1998 and died in Kansas City in 2008, the penultimate surviving defendant. The last defendant was Rosenthal himself, who died of a heart attack in October 2008. The Tangiers Casino, based on the Stardust Resort & Casino, is shown to be demolished at the end of the movie, whereas in real life, the Stardust Casino was not demolished until March 2007. On an interesting note, bars from the Hoagy Carmichael song Stardust can be heard in the soundtrack. In the movie, Robert De Niro's character, Sam "Ace" Rothstein, juggles on television. However, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, the real-life counterpart of Ace, says on his official website that he never did such a thing. The Spilotro Brothers were said to be brutally beaten with aluminum bats until they were unconscious in a basement in Bensenville, Illinois, and buried in a cornfield in Indiana according to testimony of Nick Calabrese in the Chicago Family Secrets Mob Trial. The place in the film where the bosses of the Chicago mob met to pick up and distribute their Las Vegas money was in a boarded up, out-of-business ARCO gas station on the southeast corner of Harlem Ave. and Division St. in Oak Park, IL. The "head in the vise" scene happens while Nicky is helping Sam in Vegas. In reality, the incident took place about 10 years before the setting of the film, and was the real reason why Spilotro became a 'made' man. [edit] Reception While the movie was heavily criticized for its excessive violence and sometimes-superfluous blood, it garnered a mostly-positive critical response. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 83% "fresh" rating.[8] On Metacritic, the rating is 73(Generally favourable reviews) out of 100 based on 17 reviews. [edit] Awards [edit] Academy Awards [edit] Nominated Best Actress in a Leading Role - Sharon Stone [edit] Golden Globes [edit] Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama - Sharon Stone [edit] Nominated Best Director - Motion Picture - Martin Scorsese [edit] Soundtrack Casino: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Soundtrack by Various Artists Released November 20, 1995 Genre Soundtrack Label MCA [edit] Track listing [edit] Disc 1 "Contempt - Theme De Camille" - Georges Delerue "Angelina/Zooma, Zooma Medley" - Louis Prima "Hoochie Coochie Man" - Muddy Waters "Nights in White Satin" - The Moody Blues "How High The Moon" - Les Paul & Mary Ford "Hurt" - Timi Yuro "Ain't Got No Home" - Clarence 'Frogman' Henry "Without You" - Nilsson "Love Is the Drug" - Roxy Music "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King "Love Is Strange" - Mickey & Sylvia "The 'In' Crowd" - Ramsey Lewis "Stardust" - Hoagy Carmichael [edit] Disc 2 "Walk on the Wild Side" - Jimmy Smith "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" - Otis Redding "I Ain't Superstitious" - Jeff Beck Group "The Glory of Love" - The Velvetones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - Devo "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" - Dinah Washington "Working in the Coal Mine" - Lee Dorsey "House of the Rising Sun" - The Animals "Those Were the Days" - Cream "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" - Tony Bennett "Slippin' and Slidin'" - Little Richard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" - Dean Martin "Compared to What" - Les McCann & Eddie Harris "Basin Street Blues/When It's Sleepy Time Down South" - Louis Prima "St. Matthew Passion (Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder)" - Johann Sebastian Bach (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) [edit] Additional songs in the film "Moonglow/Love theme from Picnic" - Eddie Delarge/Irving Mills "Sing Sing Sing" - Louis Prima "7-11 (Mambo #5)" - The Gone All Stars "Long Long While" - The Rolling Stones "Heart of Stone" - The Rolling Stones "Nel blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" - Domenico Modugno "Takes Two to Tango" - Ray Charles & Betty Carter "Unforgettable" - Dinah Washington "I'll Take You There" - The Staple Singers "Love Me the Way I Love You" - Jerry Vale "Let's Start All Over" - The Paragons "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - Devo "Sweet Virginia" - The Rolling Stones "Stella by Starlight" - Ray Charles "Sweet Dreams" - Emmylou Harris "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" - The Rolling Stones "Toad" - Cream "Gimme Shelter" - The Rolling Stones "EEE-O Eleven" - Sammy Davis Jr. "I'll Walk Alone" - Don Cornell "Whip It" - Devo "Contempt-Theme de Camille" - Georges Delerue "I'm Confessing That I Love You" - Louis Prima & Keely Smith "Harbor Lights" - The Platters [edit] References [edit] Notes ^ [1] ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119792/trivia ^ Harry Reid is not boring. - By Chris Suellentrop - Slate Magazine ^ a b Baxter, John DeNiro: A Biography p.336. ^ a b Thompson, David and Christie, Ian Scorsese on Scorsese p.198. ^ a b c d e f g h Thompson, David and Christie, Ian Scorsese on Scorsese pp.200-204. ^ Baxter, John DeNiro: A Biography p.337. ^ Casino Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes. [edit] Bibliography Scorsese on Scorsese. Faber and Faber. 1996. ISBN 978-0571220021. Evans, David (2006). DeNiro: A Biography. [edit] External links Casino at the Internet Movie Database Casino at Rotten Tomatoes Casino at Metacritic Casino at Allmovie Casino at the TCM Movie Database Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal Official Website DeLuna released from prison after serving 14 years - April 22, 1998. [hide]v • d • eFilms by Martin Scorsese 1960s Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967) 1970s Boxcar Bertha (1972) • Mean Streets (1973) • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) • Taxi Driver (1976) • New York, New York (1977) 1980s Raging Bull (1980) • The King of Comedy (1982) • After Hours (1985) • The Color of Money (1986) • The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) 1990s Goodfellas (1990) • Cape Fear (1991) • The Age of Innocence (1993) • Casino (1995) • Kundun (1997) • Bringing Out the Dead (1999) 2000s Gangs of New York (2002) • The Aviator (2004) • The Departed (2006) • Ashecliffe (2009) Shorts What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1963) • It's Not Just You, Murray! (1964) • The Big Shave (1967) • Life Lessons (1989) • The Key To Reserva (2007) Documentaries Street Scenes (1970) • Italianamerican (1974) • American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince (1978) • The Last Waltz (1978) • A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) • My Voyage to Italy (1999) • The Blues (2003) • No Direction Home (2005) • Shine a Light (2008) Produced You Can Count on Me (2000) • Nyfes (2004) • The Young Victoria (2009) • Where Love Reigns (TBA) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_(film)" Categories: 1995 films | American drama films | Chicago Outfit | Mafia films | Crime drama films | 1990s crime films | 1990s drama films | Gangster films | Drug-related films | English-language films | French-language films | Fiction narrated by a dead person | Films based on actual events | Films directed by Martin Scorsese | Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe winning performance | Films set in California | Films set in Las Vegas | Films set in Missouri | Films set in the 1970s | Films set in the 1980s | Films shot in San Diego | Films shot in Super 35 | Gambling films | Heist films | True crime films | Universal Pictures films