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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
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.

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[edit]

Music[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. Georgie Auld performed the saxophone parts for Robert De Niro.[4]

Personnel[edit]

Theme Song[edit]

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. 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.

Charts[edit]

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 92
United States (Billboard 200)[6] 50

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

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.[7] 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.[8]

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[edit]

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 of 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.[12] Reviewer Vincent Canby of 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?"[13] 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."[14] 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".[15]

The film scored 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.[16]

Accolades[edit]

Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
British Academy Film Awards Best Costume Design Theadora Van Runkle Nominated [17]
Best Soundtrack Kay Rose, Michael Colgan, James Fritch,
Larry Jost, and Richard Portman 		Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated [18]
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[edit]

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[edit]

Brazilian musical[edit]

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.[21]

American musical[edit]

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.[22][23] 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"[24][25] The Los Angeles Times said "the film is not good. The new Broadway musical is worse."[26] 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.[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  4. ^ New York, New York, Original Motion Picture Score. United Artists Records, 1977.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of August 20, 1977". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "Liza Minelli on New York New York". Scorsese Films. July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on July 10, 2006.
  8. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (February 19, 2002). "EW: The Right Hook: How Rocky Nabbed Best Picture". Entertainment Weekly.
  9. ^ Porterfield, Christopher (June 27, 1977). "Cinema: Dissonant Duet". Time.
  10. ^ Kehr, Dave. "New York, New York", Chicago Reader. July 5, 1985.
  11. ^ "New York New York". Variety. January 1, 1977.
  12. ^ "New York, New York". Time Out. September 10, 2012.
  13. ^ Canby, Vincent (June 23, 1977). "Film: 'New York' In a Tuneful Era". New York Times.
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1977). "New York, New York Movie Review (1977)". Chicago Sun-Times – via RogerEbert.com.
  15. ^ Quart, Leonard, and Barbara Quart. Cinéaste, vol. 8, no. 2, 1977, pp. 44–45.
  16. ^ New York, New York at Rotten Tomatoes
  17. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1978". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "New York, New York – Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  19. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  20. ^ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  21. ^ DeLima, Paulo Afonso. "Scorsese's NEW YORK NEW YORK among the shows opening in Brazil in 2011!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  22. ^ 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".
  23. ^ Evans, Greg (October 26, 2022). "New Kander & Ebb Musical 'New York, New York' Sets Spring Broadway Opening, Venue".
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Vincintelli, Elisabeth (April 26, 2023). "'New York, New York Review: The Big Apple Without Bite". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Tran, Diep (July 23, 2023). "New York, New York to Close on Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

External links[edit]

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