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New York, New York (1977 film)

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New York, New York
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMartin Scorsese
Screenplay by
Story byEarl Mac Rauch
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLászló Kovács
Edited by
Music byRalph Burns
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Chartoff-Winkler Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • June 21, 1977 (1977-06-21)
Running time
155 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million
Box office$16.4 million[1]

New York, New York is a 1977 American romantic musical 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.

Plot

[edit]

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

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Production

[edit]

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]

Releases

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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]

Music

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Theme Song

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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.

Soundtrack

[edit]

The soundtrack for New York, New York was a double album. It was produced, conducted, and arranged by Ralph Burns.

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformersLength
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 NormanLiza Minnelli1:47
3."Flip the Dip"Georgie AuldGeorgie Auld2:13
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 GreenLiza Minnelli2:17
Total length:18:07
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformersLength
1."You Are My Lucky Star"Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur FreedLiza Minnelli1:15
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 GershwinLiza Minnelli3:17
5."Hazoy"Ralph Burns 2:36
6."Just You, Just Me"Jesse Greer and Raymond KlagesLiza Minnelli2:25
Total length:14:01
Side 3
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformersLength
1."There Goes the Ball Game"Kander and EbbLiza Minnelli1:30
2."Blue Moon"Richard Rodgers and Lorenz HartRobert De Niro & Mary Kay Place3:26
3."Don't Be That Way"Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, and Mitchell Parish 0:42
4."Happy Endings"Kander and EbbLiza Minnelli & Larry Kert11:35
Total length:17:13
Side 4
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformersLength
1."But the World Goes 'Round"Kander and EbbLiza Minnelli3:55
2."Theme from New York, New York"Kander and EbbGeorgie Auld3:42
3."Honeysuckle Rose"Fats Waller and Andy RazafDiahnne Abbott2:14
4."Theme from New York, New York"Kander and EbbLiza Minnelli3:15
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]

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] 92
United States (Billboard 200)[18] 50

Reception

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Box office

[edit]

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]

Critical response

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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]

Accolades

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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:

Stage musicals

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Brazilian musical

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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]

American musical

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Main article: New York, New York (musical)

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]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "New York, New York (1977)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Scorses, Martin. Scorsese on Scorsese. Faber, 1996. 68–73.
  3. ^ Tusher, Will. "Exclusive UA Contract Lands Chartoff, Winkler", The Hollywood Reporter. April 23, 1975. 1.
  4. ^ "Stallmaster Casting On 'New York' Film", The Hollywood Reporter. April 30, 1976. 23.
  5. ^ "Film Production." The Hollywood Reporter vol. 243, no. 40. October 29, 1976. 10.
  6. ^ Flatley, Guy. "At the Movies", New York Times. June 24, 1977.
  7. ^ Biskind, Peter. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. Bloomsbury, 1999. 339.
  8. ^ a b Power, Ed. "A Cocaine-Fuelled Folly: Why New York, New York almost Killed Martin Scorsese." Telegraph.co.uk. May 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Kroll, Jack. "At Long Last, Liza", Newsweek. November 14, 1977. 99.
  10. ^ Kroll, Jack. "De Niro: A Star for the '70s", Newsweek. May 16, 1977. 80–6.
  11. ^ Tait, R. Colin. “Robert De Niro’s ‘Raging Bull’: The History Of A Performance And A Performance Of History.” Revue Canadienne d’Études Cinématographiques/Canadian Journal of Film Studies, vol. 20, no. 1, 2011. 38.
  12. ^ Rathbun, Keith. "'New York, New York' See it! See it!", Scene. July 26-August 3, 1977. 11.
  13. ^ a b Leve, James. Kander and Ebb. Yale University Press, 2009.
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2000). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. United States: Billboard Books. p. 576. ISBN 9780823076901. Retrieved August 18, 2012. 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).
  15. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. June 14, 1980. Retrieved June 6, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ New York, New York, Original Motion Picture Score. United Artists Records, 1977.
  17. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-6461-1917-5.
  18. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of August 20, 1977". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  19. ^ "Liza Minelli on New York New York". Scorsese Films. July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on July 10, 2006.
  20. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (February 19, 2002). "EW: The Right Hook: How Rocky Nabbed Best Picture". Entertainment Weekly.
  21. ^ Chartoff, Robert, Irwin Winkler, Martin Scorsese, Earl Mac Rauch, Mardik Martin, Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, et al., dirs. 2007. New York, New York. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  22. ^ Porterfield, Christopher (June 27, 1977). "Cinema: Dissonant Duet". Time.
  23. ^ Canby, Vincent (June 23, 1977). "Film: 'New York' In a Tuneful Era". New York Times.
  24. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1977). "New York, New York Movie Review (1977)". Chicago Sun-Times – via RogerEbert.com.
  25. ^ Kehr, Dave. "New York, New York", Chicago Reader. July 5, 1985.
  26. ^ "New York New York". Variety. January 1, 1977.
  27. ^ "New York, New York". Time Out. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.
  28. ^ Connelly, Marie K. The Films of Martin Scorsese: A Critical Study. Case Western Reserve University. 1991. 103.
  29. ^ Quart, Leonard, and Barbara Quart. Cinéaste, vol. 8, no. 2, 1977, pp. 44–45.
  30. ^ Harding, William. "Screenings" New Gay Life 1, no. 5 (August 1, 1977).
  31. ^ New York, New York at Rotten Tomatoes
  32. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1978". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  33. ^ "New York, New York – Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  34. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  35. ^ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  36. ^ DeLima, Paulo Afonso. "Scorsese's NEW YORK NEW YORK among the shows opening in Brazil in 2011!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  37. ^ 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".
  38. ^ Evans, Greg (October 26, 2022). "New Kander & Ebb Musical 'New York, New York' Sets Spring Broadway Opening, Venue".
  39. ^ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (April 26, 2023). "New York, New York review: Start spreadin' the news... there's a new Phantom on Broadway". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  40. ^ Vincintelli, Elisabeth (April 26, 2023). "'New York, New York Review: The Big Apple Without Bite". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  41. ^ McNulty, Charles (April 26, 2023). "'New York, New York' the film is not good. The new Broadway musical is worse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  42. ^ Tran, Diep (July 23, 2023). "New York, New York to Close on Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
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