Themes: Musician's Life, Ladder to the Top, Crumbling Marriages
Main Cast: Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Lionel Stander, Barry Primus, Mary Kay Place
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 153 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Martin Scorsese combined the splashy atmosphere of the old studio musical with an unromanticized marriage story in his valentine to Hollywood and the Big Band era. On V-J Day 1945, newly minted civilian saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) meets USO singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) at a dance, but she rebuffs every advance that he makes. A day and a hotel lobby meeting later, Jimmy finally wins Francine over after she uses her pop instincts to save his too-jazzy audition at a nightclub. When she goes on tour with Frankie Harte (Georgie Auld) and his Orchestra, Jimmy tracks her down, taking a job with the orchestra to be with her. Together on stage, they make beautiful music; off stage they marry, but the struggle between two artists begins to take its toll. Unable to understand that Francine's needs and talents are just as important as his, and unwilling to compromise his music for security, Jimmy abandons Francine after their baby is born. Separately, the two succeed even more, as Francine becomes a music and movie star, while Jimmy has a top hit and opens a jazz club. When they are reunited several years later, the pair must decide if their relationship is worth another try. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Review
Shot on studio sets designed by Boris Leven with non-naturalistic lighting by cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, New York, New York's expressionist look recalls both classical musicals and film noir, casting a shadow over even the most exuberant musical interludes. The myths of Hollywood romance are laid bare as Scorsese celebrates the style of such musical directors as Minnelli's father, Vincente Minnelli, and the vocal power of such stars as Minnelli's mother, Judy Garland. Originally released without its elaborate "Happy Endings" number, the 153-minute film was greeted with ambivalence on all sides; the release of Star Wars shortly after showed that audiences preferred their nostalgia trips to be positive rather than darkly complex. Considered a failure in 1977 (the famed Kander-Ebb title song was never even nominated for an Oscar), New York, New York was re-released in 1981, with "Happy Endings" restored, to great acclaim. Surrounding a troubled relationship with high style and great music numbers, New York, New York fondly yet ironically evokes a past whose innocence is no longer tenable. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Georgie Auld - Frankie Hatie; George Memmoli - Nicky; Diahnne Abbott - Harlem club singer; Selma Archerd - Wife of Justice of the Peace; Bill Baldwin - Announcer in Moonlit Terrace; Nicky Blair - Cab Driver; Timothy Blake - Nurse; Robert Buckingham; Don Calfa - Gilbert; Gene Castle - Dancing Sailor; Betty Cole - Charwoman; DeForest Covan - Porter; Jon Cutler - Musician in Frankie Harte's Band; Shera Danese - Doyle's Girl in Major Chord; Peter Fain - Greeter in Up Club; Joey Forman - Argumentative Man; Leonard Gaines - Artie Kirks; Louis Guss - Fowler; Casey Kasem - D.J.; Bernie Kuby - Justice of the Peace; Mary Lindsay - Hat Check Girl in Meadows; Dimitri Logothetis - Desk Clerk; Mardik Martin - Well-wisher in Moonlit Terrace; Kathi McGinnis - Ellen Flannery; Dick Miller - Palm Club Owner; Murray Moston - Horace Morris; Harry Northrup - Alabama; Norman Palmer - Desk Clerk; Steven Prince - Record Producer; Richard Raymond - Railroad Conductor; Hank Robinson - Francine's Bodyguard; Jay Salerno - Bus Driver; Roosevelt Smith - Bouncer in Major Chord; Leslie Summers - Woman in Black in Moonlit Terrace; Charles Tamburro; William Tole - Tommy Dorsey; Adam David Winkler - Jimmy Doyle, Jr.; Margo Winkler - Argumentative Woman; Clarence Clemons - Cecil Powell; Eddie Smith - Man in Bathroom in Harlem Club; Marty Zagon - South Bend Ballroom Manager; Sydney Guilaroff - Hairdresser; Peter Savage - Horace Morris' Assistant; Allison Caine; Dave Nichols - Arnold Trench; Frank Sivero - Eddie di Muzio
Credit
Harry R. Kemm - Art Director, Ron Field - Choreography, Ralph Burns - Conductor, Theadora Van Runkle - Costume Designer, Martin Scorsese - Director, Bert Lovitt - Editor, Marcia Lucas - Editor, David Ramirez - Editor, Tom Rolf - Editor, Ralph Burns - Composer (Music Score), Fred Ebb - Composer (Music Score), John Kander - Composer (Music Score), Ralph Burns - Musical Direction/Supervision, Fred Ebb - Songwriter, John Kander - Songwriter, Christina Smith - Makeup, Michael Westmore - Makeup, Sydney Guilaroff - Makeup, Mary Keats - Makeup, June Miggins - Makeup, Boris Leven - Production Designer, Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer, Robert Chartoff - Producer, Gene Kirkwood - Producer, Irwin Winkler - Producer, Robert de Vestel - Set Designer, Robert R. Levitt - Set Designer, Richard Albain - Special Effects, Lawrence O. Jost - Sound/Sound Designer, Earl Mac Rauch - Screen Story, Mardik Martin - Screenwriter, Earl Mac Rauch - Screenwriter, Irving Lerner - Supervising Editor, Paul Kimatian - Still Photographer, Kay Rose - Supervising Sound Editor
