New York, New York (1977)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Earl Mac Rauch (screenplay) and
Mardik Martin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 June 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The war was over and the world was falling in love again.

Plot:

An egotistical saxophone player and a young singer meet on V-J Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb.

Plot Keywords:

Musician | City Name In Title | Race Relations | Hospital Scene | Black White Relations

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Liza Minnelli	...	Francine Evans
Robert De Niro	...	Jimmy Doyle
Lionel Stander	...	Tony Harwell
Barry Primus	...	Paul Wilson
Mary Kay Place	...	Bernice Bennett
Georgie Auld	...	Frankie Harte
George Memmoli	...	Nicky
Dick Miller	...	Palm Club owner
Murray Moston	...	Horace Morris
Lenny Gaines	...	Artie Kirks
Clarence Clemons	...	Cecil Powell
Kathi McGinnis	...	Ellen Flannery
Norman Palmer	...	Hotel Desk Clerk
Adam David Winkler	...	Jimmy Doyle Jr
Dimitri Logothetis	...	Hotel Desk Clerk

Runtime:

155 min | USA:163 min (1981 re-issue)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:AL | Brazil:10 | USA:PG (certificate #24960) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | West Germany:6 (w) | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

Originally four and a half hours long. Director Martin Scorsese cut it to 153 minutes, then to 136 minutes. In 1981 some material (mainly the 'Happy Endings' sequence) was restored and the film became 163 minutes long.

Quotes:

Francine: That was it! That was you proposal, get your coat on, put your shoes on, lets go, lets go, lets go, that was it!
Jimmy: Whats wrong with that?

Movie Connections:

References On the Town (1949)

Soundtrack:

You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

Tinseltown

New York, New York is Scorcese's most underrated film. Ahead of its time, out of the mainstream of mundane tastes, and both a tribute and a criticism of the musicals of the 40s and 50s, New York, New York is constantly misunderstood - especially by a culture weened on Rambos and Die Hards. DeNiro is a misogynist; Minnelli, a codependent. The characters are not necessarily supposed to be likeable or easily understood. They are consciously not written to be cozy, comfey typical boy-meets-girl characters. Like any couple caught in the disease of romantic addiction and career obsession, Jimmy Doyle (DeNiro) and Francine Evans (Minnelli) depict flaws that approach hyper-visibility within the context of fake scenery, big brassy musical numbers, a slow pace, and sparse dialogue. It's not that there isn't any normative plot; there just doesn't NEED to be one. Through its minimalism, NY, NY breaks boundaries for musicals in the way that Ingmar Berman films broke ground for European movies. In the 70s, people were tired of musicals and Star Wars had been released. Out with the "old," in with the new. NY, NY only LOOKED like the old movies that modern culture was trying to get away from. Had people looked at it as parody (a trend that was to consume 80s cinema), NYNY would have been seen through a truer lens. DeNiro is tempermental, insensitive, and bombastic. Minnelli is shy and patient. DeNiro is jealous and insecure. Minnelli is focused and self-assured. Minnelli, in fact, not only evokes the period, she IS the period. Her doe-shaped eyes are not lost behind her extravagant custumes, and Minnelli's voice is the best of her career, displaying everything from subtlety (in songs like "You are my Lucky Star," and "There Goes the Ball Game") to power and emotion (in "But the World Goes 'Round," and "The Man I Love"). Minnelli's classic rendition of the title song is a show stopper, coming on the heals of a 15-minute production number entitled "Happy Endings" that takes the film into a three-dimensional surreality, for within "Happy Endings" (the movie within the movie) is a ANOTHER movie called "Aces High," where a sequined Liza combines the personas of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel into a single glamorous diva. The film's downbeat ending is actually a sign of strength for the Minnelli character, and DeNiro's Doyle is left alone to ponder the love he left behind.