New York, New York (1977 film)

Last updated

New York, New York
New York New York poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by
Story byEarl Mac Rauch
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography László Kovács
Edited by
Music by Ralph Burns
Production
company
Chartoff-Winkler Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • June 21, 1977 (1977-06-21)
Running time
163 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14 million
Box office$16.4 million [2]

New York, New York is a 1977 American romantic musical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Earl Mac Rauch and Mardik Martin, based on a story by Rauch. It is a musical tribute, featuring songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as jazz standards, to Scorsese's home town of New York City, and stars Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro as a pair of musicians and lovers. The story is "about a jazz saxophonist (De Niro) and a pop singer (Minnelli) who fall madly in love and marry;" however, the "saxophonist's outrageously volatile personality places a continual strain on their relationship, and after they have a baby, their marriage crumbles," even as their careers develop on separate paths. [3] The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack Haley.

Contents

Plot

On V-J Day in 1945, a massive celebration in a New York City nightclub is underway, music provided by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. While there, selfish and smooth-talking saxophone player Jimmy Doyle (De Niro) meets small-time USO singer Francine Evans (Minnelli), who, although lonely, still wants nothing to do with Jimmy, who keeps pestering her for her phone number.

The next morning, they end up sharing a cab, and, against her will, Francine accompanies Jimmy to an audition. There he gets into an argument with the club owner. Francine, to get the audition back on track, begins to sing the old standard, "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me"; Jimmy joins in on his sax. The club owner is impressed and, to Francine's astonishment, they are both offered a job—as a traveling boy-girl act. From that moment on, Jimmy and Francine's relationship deepens into a mix of obsession and love. But there are problems—mainly, Jimmy's tendency to fight with his co-workers, overly dramatic behavior, and his increasingly violent arguments with Francine, who becomes pregnant with his child. An especially bad shouting match between them results in Francine going into labor. Jimmy rushes her to the hospital, where she delivers a baby boy. But Jimmy is not ready to be a father, or a good husband, and he abandons his wife, declining even to see his newborn son as he leaves the hospital.

Several years later, in a recording studio, Francine records "But the World Goes Round," a powerful anthem which makes the charts and turns her into a popular entertainment figure. In the years that follow, Jimmy and Francine both find success in the music industry; he becomes a renowned jazz musician and club owner, while she becomes a successful singer and film actress.

Jimmy records a song of his on his saxophone which tops the jazz charts, and Francine cements her stardom after singing that same song, "New York, New York," for which she has provided the lyrics. Her performance, received by a wildly appreciative audience, takes place in the same nightclub where, years earlier, she and Jimmy had met. After the show, Jimmy telephones his ex-wife, suggesting they get together for dinner. Francine is tempted, heads toward the stage door exit, but at the last moment changes her mind. Jimmy, waiting on the sidewalk, realizes he has been stood up and heads off down the street, accompanied by the song he has written—the "Theme from New York, New York".

Cast

Music

  1. "Main Title" (Theme / You Are My Lucky Star / Just You, Just Me / The Man I Love - Medley) - Ralph Burns (1:53)
  2. "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" - Liza Minnelli (1:47)
  3. "Flip the Dip" - orchestra (2:13)
  4. "V.J. Stomp" - orchestra (1:08)
  5. "Opus Number One" - orchestra (8:49)
  6. "Once in a While" - Liza Minnelli (2:17)
  7. "You Are My Lucky Star" - Liza Minnelli (1:18)
  8. "Game Over" - orchestra (2:25)
  9. "It's a Wonderful World" - orchestra (2:08)
  10. "The Man I Love" - Liza Minnelli (3:20)
  11. "Hazoy" - orchestra (2:38)
  12. "Just You, Just Me" - Liza Minnelli (2:29)
  13. "There Goes the Ball Game" - Liza Minnelli (1:27)
  14. "Blue Moon" - Robert De Niro / Mary Kay Place (3:28)
  15. "Don't Be That Way" - orchestra (0:44)
  16. "Happy Endings" - Liza Minnelli / Larry Kert (11:39)
  17. "But the World Goes 'Round" - Liza Minnelli (3:58)
  18. "Theme from New York, New York" - orchestra (2:49)
  19. "Honeysuckle Rose" - Diahnne Abbott (2:16)
  20. "Once Again Right Away" - orchestra (2:04)
  21. "Bobby's Dream" - orchestra (3:58)
  22. "Theme from New York, New York" - Liza Minnelli (3:16)
  23. "Theme from New York, New York (Reprise)" - Orchestra (1:13)

The theme song of the film, "Theme from New York, New York ", found its own success when Frank Sinatra recorded a cover version of it in 1979. The song became a hit, and both Sinatra's and Minnelli's versions have become closely associated with Manhattan in New York City. Minnelli continues to perform the number at nearly all of her concerts.

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] 92
United States (Billboard 200) [5] 50

Reception

Box office

Made after Scorsese's successful Taxi Driver , the film was a box-office failure. Its budget was $14 million, a large figure at the time, and it grossed only $16.4 million at the box office. The disappointing reception drove Scorsese into depression and drugs. [6] In Peter Biskind's book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls it is reported that Scorsese's addiction to cocaine and complete lack of control over the improvisation of dialogue on the set were major factors that contributed to the failure of the film. United Artists ultimately recouped its loss on the film as a result of an agreement wherein they would share the profits with Rocky , which the executives had expected to be a flop. [7]

In his introduction to the film's DVD, released in 2005, Scorsese explains that he intended the film as a break from the gritty realism for which he had become famous, and sees it as an homage to the musical films of Classical Hollywood. For this reason, he designed the film's sets and storyline to be deliberately artificial-looking. He acknowledges that it is an experiment that did not please everyone.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 58% based on 50 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Martin Scorsese's technical virtuosity and Liza Minnelli's magnetic presence are on full display in New York, New York, although this ambitious musical's blend of swooning style and hard-bitten realism makes for a queasy mixture." [8] Time reviewer Christopher Porterfield stated that "If this movie were a big-band arrangement, it would be a duet for a sax man and a girl singer, but with the soloists in a different key from the band." [9] Critic Dave Kehr from the Chicago Reader wrote that "Scorsese created a very handsome and dynamic film, but the spectacular set pieces don't add up to much." [10] Variety's uncredited reviewer stated that in "a final burst from Old Hollywood, Minnelli tears into the title song and it's a wowser." [11] Reviewer Geoff Andrew from Time Out states that "Scorsese's tribute/parody/critique of the MGM musical is a razor-sharp dissection of the conventions of both meeting-cute romances and rags-to-riches biopics."[ citation needed ] Reviewer Vincent Canby from The New York Times questioned, "Why should a man of Mr. Scorsese's talent be giving us what amounts to no more than a film buff's essay on a pop-film form that was never, at any point in film history, of the first freshness?" [12] Critic Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times writes that "Scorsese's New York, New York never pulls itself together into a coherent whole, but if we forgive the movie its confusions we're left with a good time." [13]

Accolades

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
British Academy Film Awards Best Costume Design Theadora Van Runkle Nominated [14]
Best Soundtrack Kay Rose, Michael Colgan, James Fritch,
Larry Jost, and Richard Portman 		Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated [15]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Robert De Niro Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Liza Minnelli Nominated
Best Original Song – Motion Picture "New York, New York"
Music by John Kander;
Lyrics by Fred Ebb 		Nominated

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Re-releases

When the film was originally released, it had a running time of 155 minutes. The box-office failure of the film prompted United Artists to cut the film down to 136 minutes. It was then re-released in 1981 with the deleted scenes restored, including the lengthy musical number "Happy Endings", only a small portion of which had appeared in the original release. The total running time of the DVD edition is 163 minutes.

Stage musicals

Brazilian musical

The film was adapted into a stage musical in Brazil. It premiered on April 14, 2011, in Teatro Bradesco in São Paulo, with direction by José Possi Neto. The songs were not translated, instead featuring subtitles projected on a digital panel. [18]

American musical

The film was adapted into a stage musical in the United States. It opened on Broadway on April 26, 2023 in St. James Theater, following previews that began on March 24. [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Mean Streets</i> 1973 film by Martin Scorsese

Mean Streets is a 1973 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, co-written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin, and starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. It was produced by Warner Bros. The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 2, 1973, and was released on October 14. De Niro won the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Johnny Boy" Civello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liza Minnelli</span> American actress, singer, dancer (born 1946)

Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is one of the very few performers awarded a non-competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.

<i>Goodfellas</i> 1990 American film by Martin Scorsese

Goodfellas is a 1990 American biographical crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

<i>Arthur</i> (1981 film) 1981 film by Steve Gordon

Arthur is a 1981 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress but ends up falling for a common working-class young woman from Queens. It was the sole film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44.

Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include Cabaret and Chicago, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies, including Martin Scorsese's New York, New York. Their most famous song is the theme song of that movie. Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for Frank Sinatra. The team also became associated with two actresses, Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, for whom they wrote a considerable amount of material for the stage, concerts and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kander</span> American musical theatre composer

John Harold Kander is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb, Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including Cabaret (1966) and Chicago (1975), both of which were later adapted into acclaimed films. He and Ebb also wrote the standard "New York, New York".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Ebb</span> Musical artist

Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera.

<i>Cabaret</i> (1972 film) 1972 American musical film by Bob Fosse

Cabaret is a 1972 American musical period drama film directed by Bob Fosse from a screenplay by Jay Allen, based on the stage musical of the same name by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff, which in turn was based on the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten and the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. It stars Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Marisa Berenson, and Joel Grey. Multiple numbers from the stage score were used for the film, which also featured three other songs by Kander and Ebb, including two written for the adaptation.

<i>Flora the Red Menace</i>

Flora the Red Menace is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The original 1965 production starred Liza Minnelli in the title role in her Broadway debut, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. This was the first collaboration between Kander and Ebb, who later wrote Broadway and Hollywood hits such as Cabaret and Chicago.

Theme from <i>New York, New York</i> 1977 single by Liza Minnelli

"Theme from New York, New York", often abbreviated to just "New York, New York", is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli and was nominated for the year's Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City, and in 2004, it ranked #31 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

<i>The Act</i> (musical)

The Act is a musical with a book by George Furth, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.

<i>Stepping Out</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Lewis Gilbert

Stepping Out is a 1991 American musical comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert, written by Richard Harris and starring Liza Minnelli.

<i>On a Clear Day You Can See Forever</i> (film) 1970 musical/romantic fantasy film directed by Vincente Minnelli

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is a 1970 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film starring Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand and directed by Vincente Minnelli. The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner is adapted from his book for the 1965 stage production of the same name. The songs feature lyrics by Lerner and music by Burton Lane. Yves portrays a hypnotherapist who discovers that his meek patient (Streisand) has an enigmatic past life as a 19th century aristocrat and begins to fall in love with her.

<i>Lizas at The Palace....</i>

Liza's at the Palace.... was a concert presented by Liza Minnelli at the Palace Theatre on Broadway from December 3, 2008 through January 4, 2009. It was produced by John Scher and Metropolitan Talent Presents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert De Niro</span> American actor (born 1943)

Robert Anthony De Niro is an American actor and film producer. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2009, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro</span> Collaborations between the American director and the American actor

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are an American director-actor collaborative duo who have made ten feature films and one short film together since 1973. Many of them are often ranked among the greatest films of all time.

<i>Live at the Olympia in Paris</i> 1972 live album by Liza Minnelli

Live at the Olympia in Paris is the second live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1972. It marks her fourth and final release of original material for the A&M Records label and her second live album in her discography, following the release of Live at the London Palladium in 1965.

<i>Liza! Liza!</i> 1964 studio album by Liza Minnelli

Liza! Liza! is the debut studio album by American singer Liza Minnelli. It was released on October 12, 1964, by Capitol Records. The album contains her interpretations of twelve pop standards. It was recorded in June 1964 at Capitol Records' New York studio at 151 West 46th Street.

<i>Live at the Winter Garden</i> 1974 live album by Liza Minnelli

Live at the Winter Garden is the second live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1974. It is her second release under the Columbia Records label.

"Maybe This Time" is a song written by John Kander and Fred Ebb for actress Kaye Ballard. It was later included in the 1972 film Cabaret, where it is sung by the character Sally Bowles, played by Liza Minnelli. It had already been recorded and released twice, in similar arrangements, on Minnelli's debut studio album Liza! Liza! (1964), and subsequently New Feelin' (1970), but it turned into a traditional pop standard after its 1972 inclusion in Cabaret.

References

  1. ↑ "New York, New York (A)". British Board of Film Classification . July 21, 1977. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  2. ↑ "New York, New York (1977)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ "New York, New York". Rotten Tomatoes .
  4. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 282. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  5. ↑ "Billboard 200: Week of August 20, 1977". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Liza Minelli on New York New York". July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on July 10, 2006.
  7. ↑ Nashawaty, Chris (February 19, 2002). "EW: The Right Hook: How Rocky Nabbed Best Picture". Entertainment Weekly .
  8. ↑ New York, New York at Rotten Tomatoes
  9. ↑ Porterfield, Christopher (June 27, 1977). "Cinema: Dissonant Duet". Time.(subscription required)
  10. ↑ "New York, New York". September 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ Variety Staff (January 1, 1977). "New York New York". Variety.
  12. ↑ Vincent Canby (June 23, 1977). "Film: 'New York' In a Tuneful Era". New York Times .
  13. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1977). "New York, New York Movie Review (1977)". Chicago Sun-Times .
  14. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1978". British Academy Film Awards . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  15. ↑ "New York, New York – Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  16. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs" (PDF). American Film Institute . Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  17. ↑ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  18. ↑ Lima, Paulo Afonso De. "Scorsese's NEW YORK NEW YORK among the shows opening in Brazil in 2011!". BroadwayWorld.com.
  19. ↑ Bamigboye, Baz (August 25, 2022). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Teams With John Kander On New Broadway Musical Loosely Based On Martin Scorsese's 'New York, New York'; Susan Stroman Directing".
  20. ↑ Evans, Greg (October 26, 2022). "New Kander & Ebb Musical 'New York, New York' Sets Spring Broadway Opening, Venue".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.