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The Cotton Club (1984)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
14 December 1984 (USA)
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Tagline:
It was the jazz age. It was an era of elegance and violence. The action was gambling. The stakes were life and death. more
Plot:
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem. The story follows the people that visited the club...
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Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 1 win
&
6 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(21 articles)
Nicolas Cage: The Hollywood Interview
(From The Hollywood Interview. 19 November 2009, 11:43 PM, PST)
D.Esposito Named Marvel Studios Co-President
(From CinemaSpy. 12 November 2009, 9:30 PM, PST)
(From The Hollywood Interview. 19 November 2009, 11:43 PM, PST)
D.Esposito Named Marvel Studios Co-President
(From CinemaSpy. 12 November 2009, 9:30 PM, PST)
User Comments:
All That Jazz
more (66 total)
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) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
127 min | Germany:123 min (video version)
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) |
Dolby (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
Hungary:16 |
Australia:M |
Argentina:18 |
Chile:18 |
Finland:K-16 |
France:U |
Norway:16 (1985) |
Sweden:15 |
UK:15 |
USA:R |
West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Goofs:
Continuity: 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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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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Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Dream Studio (2004) (V)
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Soundtrack:
Drop Me Off In Harlem
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (66 total)
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Part fictional and part non-fictional, this lavish two-hour Francis Ford Coppola film spotlights the Cotton Club, the legendary, real-life Harlem jazz nightclub that flourished in the Prohibition era of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Richard Gere plays Dixie Dwyer, a young musician who works for mobsters, in an effort to advance his career. Dwyer falls in love with Vera Cicero (Diane Lane), the girlfriend of gangster Dutch Schultz (James Remar). The Dwyer character is based loosely on real-life jazz trumpet player Bix Beiderbecke.
Throughout the film, various gangsters and bootleggers interact, sometimes violently, but much of the action centers around the Cotton Club, an establishment owned in real-life by Owney Madden, played in the film by actor Bob Hoskins. Madden would bring in Black performers to entertain a Whites-only clientèle, a truly racist policy, and a major plot point in the film's story.
The film's plot is somewhat muddled, the result of a less than stellar screenplay. And, as you would expect, the gangster characters are not terribly likable. But the film overcomes these script weaknesses with a captivating visual and musical style that is both tawdry and elegant. The corruption, the violence, and the implied sleaze are garish and tawdry to be sure. Yet, the Club's ambiance gushes with a certain elegance and glamour. It's a strange mix, but one that is entirely consistent with that era in U.S. history.
The film gets points from me for its lush, period piece costumes and production design, and adroit lighting, as well as all those jazz numbers, both sultry and flashy. Gregory Hines together with brother Maurice Hines provide some snappy tap dancing, some of which is improvised. Interestingly, their grandmother really did perform at the Cotton Club during its heyday. Also of interest in the film, viewers get to watch towering Fred Gwynne, who plays Frenchy, the oh-so-serious assistant to Owney Madden; the two of them engage in some interesting dialogue.
Although the script's story and characters are less than ideal, I enjoyed the film a lot, mostly as a result of the tawdry and elegant visual style combined with the lavish jazz numbers. If you're interested in gangster movies or the Prohibition era of American history, this film is a must-see.