New York, New York | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Martin Scorsese |
Screenplay by | |
Story by | Earl Mac Rauch |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | László Kovács |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Ralph Burns |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Chartoff-Winkler Productions |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 155 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $9 million |
Box office | $16.4 million [1] |
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. John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote several songs for the film, including "New York, New York" which became a global phenomenon. A tribute to Scorsese's home town of New York City, the film stars Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro as a pair of musicians and lovers.
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".
Irwin Winkler's purchase of the screenplay for New York, New York caught Martin Scorsese's attention before he began filming Taxi Driver . [2] Winkler and Robert Chartoff had agreed to a four-year contract with United Artists where they would release a minimum of 12 films, and New York, New York was the first film produced under the deal. They announced Scorsese as the director in April 1975 with a budget of $3.5 million. [3] Lynn Stalmaster was the casting director. [4] Filming began on June 14, 1976. [5]
Scorsese wanted to marry the movie musical of his parents' generation with a documentary style. He hoped the juxtaposition would emphasize the continuity between human relationships through history. [6] The actors would improvise on the script in front of the massive, unrealistic sets that fit the musical style. Having just won the Palme d'Or, he arrogantly felt he could improve the script during filming, but his excesses led to mistakes like the opening V-J Day sequence being an hour long. The initial cut of the film was four and a half hours. [2]
Scorsese's cocaine addiction made matters worse, and according to Peter Biskind, the director was also taking lithium to control his anger. Scorsese lamented, "I was just too drugged out to resolve the structure". [7] He even cut press interviews short one day because he explained he had run out of cocaine. [8] He concluded, "it's a miracle that the film makes any kind of sense." [2]
The director had an affair with Liza Minnelli during filming, and his second wife Julia Cameron was often on set trying to catch them. The improvisation of dialogue was an additional strain on Minnelli who was not used to method acting. The stress is sometimes visible in her scenes with De Niro. [8] Before their relationship ended, Scorsese directed Minnelli in The Act , a Kander & Ebb musical that some saw as a spin-off of the film. [9]
Robert De Niro studied the saxophone with Georgie Auld, a veteran of swing giants Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman's bands. Auld also played bandleader Frankie Hart in the film. De Niro was so demanding of Auld's time that the musician felt like a "slave", and his wife worried the actor would be joining them in bed with the instrument. [10] Auld recorded the saxophone parts in the film, and De Niro mimed to them on set. Auld stood off-camera and would make a slashing motion if De Niro made a fingering or breathing mistake. [11]
The film cost $9 million, which was $2 million over budget. George Lucas predicted that the gross would improve by $10 million if Scorsese would change the ending to a happy one. [2]
The film was released on June 21, 1977 with a running time of 155 minutes. The box-office failure of the film prompted United Artists to cut the film down to 136 minutes for Europe.
In 1981, the film was re-released with a runtime of 163 minutes. Scorsese had spent $350,000 of the budget on filming a musical-within-a-musical called "Happy Endings" which depicts Francine Evans as a movie star. The twelve-minute sequence was choreographed by Ron Field. [12] The scene was restored in the 1981 version, and the expanded film earned praise for its ironic look at Hollywood musicals. [2]
Fred Ebb and John Kander's initial submission for the theme song was so bad that Robert De Niro rejected it outright. The lyrics began, "They always say it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here," and the melody is completely different. [13] : 310–1 The eventual song, "Theme from New York, New York, begins with one of Kander's famous vamps, this one derived from the ragtime practice of putting the melody underneath a repeated note. [13] : 25–6
The song was released as a single from the soundtrack album and peaked at #104 on the Billboard chart. [14] Two years later, Frank Sinatra recorded a cover version for his triple album Trilogy: Past Present Future . On June 14, 1980, the single reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Sinatra's last Top 40 hit. [15] Both Sinatra's and Minnelli's versions have become closely associated with Manhattan in New York City. Sinatra performed the number at nearly all of his concerts until his retirement in 1995 and Minnelli continues to perform it at nearly all of hers.
The soundtrack for New York, New York was a double album. It was produced, conducted, and arranged by Ralph Burns.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performers | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Main Title" | Fred Ebb and John Kander | 1:53 | |
2. | "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" | Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal, and Pierre Norman | Liza Minnelli | 1:47 |
3. | "Flip the Dip" | Georgie Auld | Georgie Auld | 2:13 |
4. | "V.J. Stomp" | Ralph Burns | 1:08 | |
5. | "Opus Number One" | Sy Oliver | 8:49 | |
6. | "Once in a While" | Michael Edwards and Bud Green | Liza Minnelli | 2:17 |
Total length: | 18:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performers | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "You Are My Lucky Star" | Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed | Liza Minnelli | 1:15 |
2. | "Game Over" | Georgie Auld | 2:22 | |
3. | "It's a Wonderful World" | Jan Savitt, Johnny Watson, Harold Adamson | 2:06 | |
4. | "The Man I Love" | George and Ira Gershwin | Liza Minnelli | 3:17 |
5. | "Hazoy" | Ralph Burns | 2:36 | |
6. | "Just You, Just Me" | Jesse Greer and Raymond Klages | Liza Minnelli | 2:25 |
Total length: | 14:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performers | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "There Goes the Ball Game" | Kander and Ebb | Liza Minnelli | 1:30 |
2. | "Blue Moon" | Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart | Robert De Niro & Mary Kay Place | 3:26 |
3. | "Don't Be That Way" | Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, and Mitchell Parish | 0:42 | |
4. | "Happy Endings" | Kander and Ebb | Liza Minnelli & Larry Kert | 11:35 |
Total length: | 17:13 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performers | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "But the World Goes 'Round" | Kander and Ebb | Liza Minnelli | 3:55 |
2. | "Theme from New York, New York" | Kander and Ebb | Georgie Auld | 3:42 |
3. | "Honeysuckle Rose" | Fats Waller and Andy Razaf | Diahnne Abbott | 2:14 |
4. | "Theme from New York, New York" | Kander and Ebb | Liza Minnelli | 3:15 |
5. | "Theme from New York, New York (Orchestral Reprise)" | Kander and Ebb | 1:13 | |
Total length: | 14:19 |
"Happy Endings" was recorded for the film but edited out of the theatrical release. [16]
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [17] | 92 |
United States (Billboard 200) [18] | 50 |
The film underperformed at the box-office. Its budget ballooned to $9 million, much larger than Scorsese's previous work. It grossed only $16.4 million at the box office. The disappointment depressed Scorsese and worsened his drug addiction. [19] United Artists was sure that New York, New York was going to be a hit. The studio structured the film's box office as a bulwark against the flop they expected in Rocky . The two productions pooled their profits, but it was Rocky that ended up covering the losses of Scorsese's movie. [20]
In his introduction to the film's DVD, Scorsese explains that he intended the film as a break from the gritty realism for which he had become famous. He saw it as an homage to musicals of Classical Hollywood cinema. That's why the sets and storyline are deliberately artificial. He acknowledges the experiment did not please everyone. [21]
Christopher Porterfield wrote in Time , "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." [22] Vincent Canby wondered, "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?" [23] Roger Ebert lamented, "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." [24] In the Chicago Reader Dave Kehr concluded, "Scorsese created a very handsome and dynamic film, but the spectacular set pieces don't add up to much." [25]
Variety raved, "a final burst from Old Hollywood, Minnelli tears into the title song and it's a wowser." [26] Time Out's Geoff Andrew enthused, "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. [27] Gene Shalit said that the argument between Francine and Jimmy in the parked car was the most realistic he had ever seen on film. [28]
In Cinéaste , Leonard & Barbara Quart called the film "an interesting and at sometimes exciting failure..." They pointed out the self-conscious parallels with the work of Liza's mother in A Star Is Born and praised Scorsese's "stylized settings (gold tinsel snowfalls, claustrophobic reddish interiors, and spotlit, dream-like musical solos)" but felt they were "too calculated and without purpose". [29] William Harding heaped blame on De Niro's performance, "[He] zooms in on the role as if he were playing Hamlet. His hard work backfires...The character of Jimmy Doyle is completely obscured by the spectacle of DeNiro attempting to come to grips with an impossibly one-note role." [30]
The film scored 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. [31]
Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
British Academy Film Awards | Best Costume Design | Theadora Van Runkle | Nominated | [32] |
Best Soundtrack | Kay Rose, Michael Colgan, James Fritch, Larry Jost, and Richard Portman | Nominated | ||
Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | [33] | |
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:
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. [36]
The film was adapted into a stage musical in the United States. It opened on Broadway on April 26, 2023 at the St. James Theater, following previews that began on March 24. [37] [38] The production received mixed reviews with Entertainment Weekly saying the musical was "...deeply flawed, but deeply entertaining..." and Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times saying the show was "The Big Apple, Without Bite" [39] [40] The Los Angeles Times said "the film is not good. The new Broadway musical is worse." [41] Due to the poor reviews, lack of Tony Award wins, and high production costs, producers posted a hasty announcement on July 23, 2023 stating that the musical would close on July 30. [42]
Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent, and Nicholas Colasanto in his final film role. The film is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. It follows the career of LaMotta, played by De Niro, his rise and fall in the boxing scene, and his turbulent personal life beset by rage and jealousy.
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades, and is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour and subject of the 2024 documentary, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.
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.
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".
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.
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.
New York, New York refers to New York City, in the state of New York.
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 New York, New York", often abbreviated to just "New York, New York", is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese musical film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. Liza Minnelli performs the song in the climax of the film. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
The Act is a musical with a book by George Furth, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.
Liza's Back is the ninth live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released by J Records in 2002.
Stepping Out is a 1991 American musical comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert, written by Richard Harris and starring Liza Minnelli.
Liza with a "Z" is a 1972 concert film made for television, starring Liza Minnelli, produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing partner John Kander. All four had recently completed the successful film adaptation of Cabaret. According to Minnelli, Liza with a "Z" was "the first filmed concert on television". Singer sponsored the production, even though producers did their best to prevent the sponsors from seeing rehearsals, fearing they would back out due to Minnelli's short skirts.
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.
Liza Minnelli is a self-titled studio album by Liza Minnelli. Released on February 26, 1968, by A&M Records in the United States, it contains her interpretations of pop/rock and singer/songwriters' songs.
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.
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.
Tropical Nights is the eighth studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released by Columbia Records in 1977.
"Maybe This Time" is a song written by John Kander and Fred Ebb, popularized by Liza Minnelli in the 1972 film Cabaret.
At Carnegie Hall is the fifth live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Released in 1987, it marks the singer's first work released under the independent label Telarc Distribution.
Theme From New York, New York" introduced in the movie musical New York, New York by Liza Minnelli (her version "Bubbled Under" at #104 in 1977).
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)