The Cotton Club (1984)

The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem. The story follows the people that visited the club, those that ran it, and is peppered with the Jazz music that made it so famous.

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

William Kennedy (screenplay), Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Dixie Dwyer
Gregory Hines	...	Sandman Williams
Diane Lane	...	Vera Cicero
Lonette McKee	...	Lila Rose Oliver
Bob Hoskins	...	Owney Madden
James Remar	...	Dutch Schultz
Nicolas Cage	...	Vincent Dwyer
Allen Garfield	...	Abbadabba Berman
Fred Gwynne	...	Frenchy Demange
Gwen Verdon	...	Tish Dwyer
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Frances Flegenheimer
Maurice Hines	...	Clay Williams
Julian Beck	...	Sol Weinstein
Novella Nelson	...	Madame St. Clair
Laurence Fishburne	...	Bumpy Rhodes (as Larry Fishburne)

Storyline

The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem. The story follows the people that visited the club, those that ran it, and is peppered with the Jazz music that made it so famous.

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Plot Keywords:

jazz | orchestra | ethnic hatred | flapper | drive by shooting | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to The Cotton Club. Where Crime Lords rub elbows with the rich and famous. Where deals are made, lives are traded. And the legends of jazz light up the night.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

14 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cotton Club

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$58,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$25,900,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zoetrope Studios, PSO International, Totally Independent

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 123 min (video)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to producer Robert Evans, Richard Pryor originally cast as Sandman Williams but the budget could not accommodate his salary.

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Goofs

When Dixie goes to ransom Frenchy there is a different amount of shaving cream on Mad Dog's face in every shot.

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Quotes

Dixie: What do they call you?
Sol Weinstein: Nobody calls me nothin'.
Dixie: Not even your mother?
Sol Weinstein: I didn't have a mother. They found me in a garbage pail.

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Connections

Referenced in The Great Gatsby (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Daybreak Express Medley"
Includes selections from:
"Wall Street Wail"
"Slippery Horn"
"High Life"
Music by Duke Ellington
Drums: Brian Brake
Clarinet and Alto Sax Solos: Bob Wilber
Trumpet Solos: Lew Soloff
Chimes: Danny Druckman

User Reviews

Fascinating picturesque and passionate drama

This is one of THE BEST movies ever!!!! I've seen it again tonight for the....teenth time andjust can't stop the shivers it sends down my spine every time I watch it.... It is so saturated with PASSION and tragedy, and yet comes to a happy end! The characters in it are somewhat schematic, but that's just what the director needed to do to depict the 20s-30s ERA.... Pure magic created by great actors Diane Lane and Richard Gere, and others won't leave anybody indifferent! What a great show!