New York, New York [Blu-ray]

I am suprised every time I talk to someone about New York, New York, they tell me they havent seen it! I know I come from a different generation being the young age of twentythree, but I am a devoted fan of Martin Scorcese and Robert DeNiro. Being another collaboration from these two cinematic greats should lead you to believe more of the younger movie buffs should have seen it by now. We all talk about the usual Scorcese pics and gawk over how amazing Taxi Driver or Goodfellas is. On that note I just want to brag about the beautiful and touching picture about two creative people and their struggle to love each other and at the same time be creatively successful. Liza Minnelli is brilliant as Francine Evans and does nothing to bring the picture down. In fact after Caberet, this is the only other role I've seen her in. In any case she doesnt disappoint and actually comes off very sexy! Her eyes glow throughout he entire picture and especially in the opening ballroom scene. Robert DeNiro is always great as we all know but he really suprised me here with the character Jimmy Doyle. His razor-sharp toungue spits out the mostly improved dialogue with such fury that it sets the screen on fire. He is also very, very funny. Its also a very personal film obviously to Scorcese considering that it practically mirrored his personal life at the time of filming. Im not going to go into details but if you are a Scorcese admirerer, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. All in all, this is a movie that every movie lover, young or old, should get aquianted with. Scorcese's deft direction, along with the trancendant art direction and performances and with all the music including the title track, this is one gem you shouldnt miss!

Great movie

Released in 1977, Martin Scorsese's NEW YORK, NEW YORK instantly divided critical response--and, facing box office competition from no less than STAR WARS, proved a major financial failure. A significantly edited re-release followed not long afterward but proved even less well received and even less profitable. Although a double VHS release eventually brought the film to the home market, the film remained unpopular and made barely a ripple in public consciousness. In 2005, however, NEW YORK, NEW YORK received an unexpected release to DVD. At long last it may begin to reach a significant audience. As a story, NEW YORK, NEW YORK draws from a number of oddly "Noir-ish" musicals made at Warner Bros. in the late 1940s. Most particularly, according to Scorsese's commentary, it drew from MY DREAM IS YOURS, a film that not only starred Doris Day but actually reflected her life in its tale of a talented big band "girl singer" trapped in an abusive marriage with a musician. Although the film force-fed the audience a happy ending, later films would not. In the mid-1950s, Doris Day's LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME and Judy Garland's A STAR IS BORN offered stories of a gifted female vocalists locked into disastrous romances that played out to a very distinctly unhappy ending, and NEW YORK, NEW YORK draws from them as well. Scorsese not only repeats the basic stories and themes of these films, he also repeats the artificially heightened visual style typical of Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s--it is no accident that Liza Minnelli looks and sings remarkably like mother Judy Garland in this film--but he does so to an entirely unexpected end. The bravado performing style of such films is completely snatched away, and the characters are presented in an almost documentary-like realism. In theory, each aspect of the film would emphasize the other; in fact, however, this was precisely what critics and audiences disliked about the film when it debuted. They considered it extremely grating. But perhaps the passage of time has opened our eyes on the point. I saw NEW YORK, NEW YORK in its 1977 release and, music aside, I disliked it a great deal. I expected to retain that opinion when I approached the DVD release, but I was greatly surprised. It holds up remarkably well, and most of the time the balance of artifice and reality works very well. But there are significant flaws. In a general sense, the film has a cold feel to it that occasionally becomes so downright chilly you begin to detach from it. But even more difficult is the character of Jimmy Doyle, the abusive husband of the piece. In his commentary, Scorsese notes that both he and actor Robert De Niro sought to push the character far beyond the extremes of MY DREAM IS YOURS, LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME, or A STAR IS BORN. They were perhaps more successful than they expected. The result is a character you actively do not want to watch or hear, and although we are eventually allowed to see beyond his annoying qualities that moment comes much too late in the film to make him acceptable in any significant way. It makes for more than one bout of uphill viewing. Even those who didn't like the film in 1977 agreed that it looked good and the music was great, and although it isn't entirely ideal the DVD presentation is quite fine. Scorsese's introduction and commentary are excellent; he is, however, augmented by film critic Carrie Rickey, and while her remarks are often interesting they are a shade to academic in tone for consistent interest. The film has received a director's cut that restores the edits made for the second release as well as the "Happy Ending" number cut before the debut release, so the deleted scenes hold no great treasure; even so, they are interesting to watch. Overall, I recommend the film--but it is very much a "Hollywood Insider" film that is probably best left to those who know a great deal about film history and who can recognize the numerous antecedents from which it draws. GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I'm a sucker for the flashbacks of Busby Berkeley, and this was definitely a tip of the hat to those fabulous days of music! DeNiro was so much this character, and this guy was no easy character to become. I loved seeing Liza getting to really be in those days and singing her heart out (I think) as tribute to her dear mother. It's a wild quirky weird movie, that no one who cannot sit and just enjoy a flick should see...but if you can - try this one;)

Ralph Burns wrote the musical score, and Georgie Auld played the tenor sax solos. They are both deceased now, but along with the talents of Robert DeNiro and Liza Minnelli, through the music, the stormy relationship of a saxophone player and girl singer making a living on the road with the big bands, and 1940's supper club scenes, this film really captures the feel of the post-war 40s and the slow decline of the big band era. My wife and I watched it the other night and couldn't get over how much it captured the entertainment culture of that era. I'm sure that was't the intent when they made the film many years ago, but in my opinion this film is ripe for a comeback/remake. As I recall the original reviews weren't that great, maybe because the story line sort of stalls and moves fairly slowly, especially towards the end, and then jumps to a fairly abrupt final ending. But, even if the script isn't ideal, the acting, singing, musical arrangements, etc. are wonderful. Take a chance on it...it won't disappoint!

Very pleased with the product!

It is unfortunate that this film did not have a wide audience in 1977 when it came out. The style of this film is similar to the style long gone from the movie studios: a very engaging story, combined with great musical pieces, wonderful singing of Liza Minnelli and the joy of seeing DeNiro himself playing the saxophone pieces (he learned to play it, for this movie). The second DVD is filled with interviews, anecdotes, and little-known trivia about the making of this movie. In my opinion the Minnelli version of "New York, New York" is superior to the better known Sinatra version.

Scorsese y De Niro

j'adore les deux acteurs - Liza Minelli & Robert De Niro prodigieux, sans parler de la réalisation de Martin Scorsese. Excellente qualité du produit.

Scorsese, Minnelli y De Niro, juntos... ¿Hace falta decir más? Un clásico. Y la versión de New York New York de Minnelli, debería haber abochornado a Sinatra y la suya. Tenía que decirlo.

À ajouter à ma collection de comédies musicales!

Love this film. The narcissistic De Niro character finally comes to the realisation that you can't keep a good woman down. The climax of the film being the fantastic song New York, New York ( as it SHOULD be sung - take note Sinatra!) sung by Liza Minnelli.