New York, New York (Scorsese) 1977
2 x Disc Blu Ray set and Book Imprint.
To begin at the beginning.
It’s 1945 and VJ Day in New York City. From an apartment window Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) throws down his army uniform. Cut to a newspaper on the street announcing the defeat of Japan. Cut to Doyle dressed in a Hawaiian short sleeve shirt, white trousers and brogues. Cut to Doyle moving with a crowd through a studio re-created Broadway street. The camera tracks with them to halt at a theatre revealing a show called New York, New York and a red neon-sign arrow pointing at De Niro. Cut to another studio interior, a night club. A big band jazz outfit is performing. Doyle weaves through dancing couples to approach two women to chat them up. His style is determined and playfully predatory. Then Doyle moves on to a woman in an army uniform Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) seated alone at a table. Doyle’s chatting up now has a sledge hammer crudity. Francine says NO to him fifteen times. Minnelli’s only dialogue until, when she thinks she’s got rid of him, Doyle returns to sit down by her side, she says “That seat’s taken”. End of attempted and persistent seduction- scene 1. Would-be Seduction scene – 2 commences. Francine stands up to leave. We want her to hit Doyle with her bag. But she doesn’t. Perhaps she forgives his rudeness because of the celebration party atmosphere, she’s too well mannered to stoop to his brazen level and belt him or maybe she’s just possibly felt the stirrings of attraction?
For almost twenty minutes Scorsese has signalled up so much for the viewer. A musical drama; a homage to Hollywood’s studio set empire of the forties; a paean of praise for the big band jazz scene; the beginnings of an obsessive / abusive relationship; De Niro’s semi improvisational style versus Minnelli’s classical cool acting front; all hard edged realism contrasted with softer romantic artifice. All achieved with a technical brilliance, confidence, even audacity, akin to a musical rift intro, to what New York, New York will unfold.
Scorsese’s editing, staging and choreography, and this is more of a fraught domestic drama with music than a straight musical, reminded me of the rift-like structure of Clint Eastwood’s Charley Parker film Bird (1988). If only Scorsese had maintained the jazzy exhilaration of the film’s opening scenes and developed them up to incorporate a more coherent story, then New York, New York might have been a masterpiece instead of the fascinating mess it is. The best and the worst of Scorsese is here. You unravel what works and tolerate what stumbles.
Visual references are made to Cuckor’s A Star is Born, Minnelli’s An American in Paris, Donen’s On the Town and his Singin’ in the Rain.
All fine and cineaste pleasing bar the 20 minute musical fantasy number, modelled on An American in Paris, and called “Happy Endings”, occurring just before the climax of the film. I found that unmemorable and didn’t add anything to the film’s thin story of marital conflict between two creative people. It’s on the extended director’s cut of this two disc set, and is clunky; neither successful as a parody or homage.
More a cheesy pastiche.
What’s musically most captivating about New York, New York are the jazz big band moments and the staging of Liza Minelli’s big numbers “New York, New York”, “The Man I Love” and “The World Goes Round.” Here Minneli is on top form. She avoids aping her mother Judy’s version of “The Man I Love.” and in “The World Goes Round” powerfully communicates her pain and frustration over her marriage. This anger and bitterness is comparable to the scorching back in the car argument between Francine and Jimmy. Her patience with him has been a slow burning fuse. After two hours of screen time she lets it rip and deservedly so for Doyle has been a manipulative, ego-centric pain in the arse.
Of course De Niro acts very well but always in the same relentless, aggressive pitch that becomes tiring to watch. Admittedly he’s briefly subdued and reflective in the hospital maternity scene and near the end when Jimmy and Francine are now divorced, but it’s a relief arriving late in the day for them and the viewer. Apart from their emotional battles we mainly see these competitive musicians in scenes involving an agent and recording executive or fellow jazz musician. Nothing’s shown of friends or family. I wanted more development here, more story, tighter integration of music and drama and less of its celebration of the golden age of the Hollywood musical.
The bad bits of New York, New York make you cringe. The good bits have you cheering out loud in praise. It’s flawed, meandering, joyful and downbeat and never quite the sum of all its parts. A film that even Martin Scorsese, who I believe was going through a real life divorce at the time of its making, declared later in 1989 “I still don’t really like it but in a way I love it” I’ve seen it three times now, Marty. And I’m still not sure too!
Alan Price©2025.
New York, New York (Scorsese) 1977
2 x Disc Blu Ray set and Book Imprint.
To begin at the beginning.
It’s 1945 and VJ Day in New York City. From an apartment window Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) throws down his army uniform. Cut to a newspaper on the street announcing the defeat of Japan. Cut to Doyle dressed in a Hawaiian short sleeve shirt, white trousers and brogues. Cut to Doyle moving with a crowd through a studio re-created Broadway street. The camera tracks with them to halt at a theatre revealing a show called New York, New York and a red neon-sign arrow pointing at De Niro. Cut to another studio interior, a night club. A big band jazz outfit is performing. Doyle weaves through dancing couples to approach two women to chat them up. His style is determined and playfully predatory. Then Doyle moves on to a woman in an army uniform Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) seated alone at a table. Doyle’s chatting up now has a sledge hammer crudity. Francine says NO to him fifteen times. Minnelli’s only dialogue until, when she thinks she’s got rid of him, Doyle returns to sit down by her side, she says “That seat’s taken”. End of attempted and persistent seduction- scene 1. Would-be Seduction scene – 2 commences. Francine stands up to leave. We want her to hit Doyle with her bag. But she doesn’t. Perhaps she forgives his rudeness because of the celebration party atmosphere, she’s too well mannered to stoop to his brazen level and belt him or maybe she’s just possibly felt the stirrings of attraction?
For almost twenty minutes Scorsese has signalled up so much for the viewer. A musical drama; a homage to Hollywood’s studio set empire of the forties; a paean of praise for the big band jazz scene; the beginnings of an obsessive / abusive relationship; De Niro’s semi improvisational style versus Minnelli’s classical cool acting front; all hard edged realism contrasted with softer romantic artifice. All achieved with a technical brilliance, confidence, even audacity, akin to a musical rift intro, to what New York, New York will unfold.
Scorsese’s editing, staging and choreography, and this is more of a fraught domestic drama with music than a straight musical, reminded me of the rift-like structure of Clint Eastwood’s Charley Parker film Bird (1988). If only Scorsese had maintained the jazzy exhilaration of the film’s opening scenes and developed them up to incorporate a more coherent story, then New York, New York might have been a masterpiece instead of the fascinating mess it is. The best and the worst of Scorsese is here. You unravel what works and tolerate what stumbles.
Visual references are made to Cuckor’s A Star is Born, Minnelli’s An American in Paris, Donen’s On the Town and his Singin’ in the Rain.
All fine and cineaste pleasing bar the 20 minute musical fantasy number, modelled on An American in Paris, and called “Happy Endings”, occurring just before the climax of the film. I found that unmemorable and didn’t add anything to the film’s thin story of marital conflict between two creative people. It’s on the extended director’s cut of this two disc set, and is clunky; neither successful as a parody or homage.
More a cheesy pastiche.
What’s musically most captivating about New York, New York are the jazz big band moments and the staging of Liza Minelli’s big numbers “New York, New York”, “The Man I Love” and “The World Goes Round.” Here Minneli is on top form. She avoids aping her mother Judy’s version of “The Man I Love.” and in “The World Goes Round” powerfully communicates her pain and frustration over her marriage. This anger and bitterness is comparable to the scorching back in the car argument between Francine and Jimmy. Her patience with him has been a slow burning fuse. After two hours of screen time she lets it rip and deservedly so for Doyle has been a manipulative, ego-centric pain in the arse.
Of course De Niro acts very well but always in the same relentless, aggressive pitch that becomes tiring to watch. Admittedly he’s briefly subdued and reflective in the hospital maternity scene and near the end when Jimmy and Francine are now divorced, but it’s a relief arriving late in the day for them and the viewer. Apart from their emotional battles we mainly see these competitive musicians in scenes involving an agent and recording executive or fellow jazz musician. Nothing’s shown of friends or family. I wanted more development here, more story, tighter integration of music and drama and less of its celebration of the golden age of the Hollywood musical.
The bad bits of New York, New York make you cringe. The good bits have you cheering out loud in praise. It’s flawed, meandering, joyful and downbeat and never quite the sum of all its parts. A film that even Martin Scorsese, who I believe was going through a real life divorce at the time of its making, declared later in 1989 “I still don’t really like it but in a way I love it” I’ve seen it three times now, Marty. And I’m still not sure too!
Alan Price©2025.
By Alan Price • film, year 2025 • Tags: Alan Price, film