New York, New York (1977)

Featured Audience Ratings

• William D

  
  Did you know that the song "New York, New York," which Frank Sinatra made so famous, was originally written for the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name and first performed in that film? I can't believe it, but I didn't know that. I thought it was a song from… More
  Did you know that the song "New York, New York," which Frank Sinatra made so famous, was originally written for the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name and first performed in that film? I can't believe it, but I didn't know that. I thought it was a song from the 1940s originally recorded by Sinatra. The song was written by the legendary Broadway team of John Kander and Fred Ebb specifically for Scorsese's film and first sung by Liza Minnelli, who starred in the film opposite Robert de Niro. It's good to get that history finally straight. Now for the movie. It's known as Scorsese's only bomb, with the famous theme song its only redeeming quality. I wouldn't go quite that far. There are things about the film that I find wonderful. But overall, it is a failure. I love what Scorsese tried to do. Fresh from his triumph with "Taxi Driver" (1975), Scorsese could easily have gone on auto-pilot, churning out another gritty, masculine, urban neo-noir. Instead he did the complete opposite. He follows "Taxi Driver" up with a musical! My God, that is gutsy. I admire the cojones but not the final product. Scorsese stumbled awkwardly through the whole film; almost every scene has a false tone. The editing is atrocious, with every scene twice as long as it should be. The sets are so cheap and fake that at one point Minnelli virtually rips a railing apart with her bare hands. And they didn't cut out that scene! Scorsese surely chose the cheesy sets intentionally. I think he was trying to pay homage to the movies of the 1940s, particularly the female-driven melodramas (so-called "women's pictures"), which were always filmed on cheap Hollywood backlots. I absolutely love this idea. But it just does not come off well. The only way this could have worked is if the melodrama had been so captivating that it transported you back to the first time you saw "Mildred Pierce." (I can still remember seeing it for the first time on television as a teenager. Unforgettable.) But Scorsese really fell down on the job when it comes to story development -- always a disaster when you're trying to do melodrama. I really never cared about either of the two main characters. So rather than getting swept up by emotion, I found myself limply watching actors pretend to have feelings. It's actually hard to get through this movie. Its running time is also particularly long. It was a courageously un-hip and un-masculine tribute to old movies, but it just doesn't come together. Save for the title song, which is an old-fashioned masterpiece, "New York, New York" is a misfire.

• Chris W

  
  This is a Scorsese film that typically gets overlooked, and, while I can see why (to a degree), I think it's actually pretty good, and probably one of his most underrated- and that last little bit is something that needs to change. The film was a departure and an experiment for… More
  This is a Scorsese film that typically gets overlooked, and, while I can see why (to a degree), I think it's actually pretty good, and probably one of his most underrated- and that last little bit is something that needs to change. The film was a departure and an experiment for Marty. It was his follow-up to Taxi Driver, and needless to say, this didn't make the impression left by that one. For this, Scorsese decided to abandon the gritty realism of his previous works and craft a loveletter to his city, big band (and some jazz) music, and the lavishly produced movie musicals of Old Hollywood. It was a noble effort, and no one can deny the fact that this is made with tons of love, care, and respect. The film follows a go-getter sax player named Jimmy Doyle who's got talent, but can also be overwhelmingly obnoxious, stubborn, and hard to deal with. He meets a low level club singer with big hopes and the two form a perfonal and professional relationship with one another. Over time though, the pressure of show biz see the fall of their love as their careers rise. In order to bring his vision to life, Scorsese and his director of photography Laszlo Kovacs and production designer Boris Levin used intentionally artificial looking sets and specific lighting to recall the old days of studio musicals, with a touch of film noirish qualities thrown in for good measure. The result is gorgeous and one of the best made homages out there. (I'd say it's up there with Ed Wood and Black Dynamite in this regard). Like most Scorsese efforts, it's more of a character driven piece than a plot driven one, and that's fine, but even then, I really noticed just how light this film is on substance, and, for that matter, characters who truly come to life that you can care about. All other aspects of the film help to cover this up, but there's no denying that most of the film feels like it's on auto pilot. Still though, I can't hate this one too much. The performances are absolutely terrific, and this made me actually be interested in Liza Minnelli and the talent she has. De Niro of course not surprisingly delivers another solid performance. In fact, the first oh, 40 mins or so, were absolutely 100% brilliant. I was beginning to think that this was a great overlooked true masterpiece. Seeing De Niro slink around trying to pick up women is simultaneously hilarious, awkward, and annoying, but totally excellent. If only the rest of the movie maintained that same level of energy, fun, and focus throughout its 163 minute run time instead of gradually falling back and becoming a rambling drawn out procedure could it be called a great piece of work. I didn't quite get bored, but I started to get antsy and wonder what the point was. All in all, this is a pretty good movie. It is flawed yes, but in the context of when it came out and what the intentions were, it's wrong to ignore this. Come to it with an open mind, and give it a chance.

• Emile T

  
  A Scorsese masterpiece that happens to be forgotten, unfortunately. If this film had been released in the '50s and hadn't that usual Scorsese brutality to it, it would have been considered among the greatest classics. But then again, I loved the gritty yet beautiful touch… More
  A Scorsese masterpiece that happens to be forgotten, unfortunately. If this film had been released in the '50s and hadn't that usual Scorsese brutality to it, it would have been considered among the greatest classics. But then again, I loved the gritty yet beautiful touch from master Martin Scorsese he brought to this classy musical and I don't mind the time this was released for I watched it more than thirty years later. So for me, this is a masterpiece.

• Sajin P

  
  Not just that the film is boring enough, but the fact that you've got to endure almost a smidge under 3 hrs. to finally get through to the ending, simply makes this one of the most painful movie experience I've ever had. Even De Niro's energy and his trademark manic… More
  Not just that the film is boring enough, but the fact that you've got to endure almost a smidge under 3 hrs. to finally get through to the ending, simply makes this one of the most painful movie experience I've ever had. Even De Niro's energy and his trademark manic intensity cant help to push the film forward any faster.

• danny d

  
  not a bad film, but a surprisingly average film considering that it was scorsese's follow up to taxi driver. the music was pretty solid but at 2 hrs and 45 min i was surprised at how hollow and underdeveloped the story was. the old hollywood feel was accomplished through… More
  not a bad film, but a surprisingly average film considering that it was scorsese's follow up to taxi driver. the music was pretty solid but at 2 hrs and 45 min i was surprised at how hollow and underdeveloped the story was. the old hollywood feel was accomplished through painted backdrops, but the dialogue was a bit too current to the 70's and i think minnelli was a poor choice for her role.

• Ken S

  
  This unappreciated gem from Scorsese's early period if a fascinating blend of Cassevetes like improvisational realism and MGM style musicals. A little long in places but the music and performances more than make up it.

• Curtis L

  
  Blah.

• Mister C

  
  Martin Scorsese's only attempt at doing a movie musical with the teaming of Robert De Niro and the legendary Liza Minnelli.

• Tim S

  
  I really like the last half of this movie.

• Alec B

  
  A great musical from Martin Scorsese. I like how the film looks and feels like a 1940s musical but what happens to the characters and their love story is completely realistic, unlike the 1940s musicals.

• Mike T

  
  Pure Scorsese-style direction from start to finish. New York, New York is a sprawled-out, unevenly paced masterpiece. It is more about the presentation of the content than the content itself in this swingin', jazzy flick with fantastic music and fantastic performances.

• Brian R

  
  A little artificial in it's production design and drawn out in story. Robert DeNiro and Liza Minnelli is a good pair, both struggling artists, both fight and carry on a lot. The ending is a disappointment though and the film's length is way too long. Sometimes I wonder if… More
  A little artificial in it's production design and drawn out in story. Robert DeNiro and Liza Minnelli is a good pair, both struggling artists, both fight and carry on a lot. The ending is a disappointment though and the film's length is way too long. Sometimes I wonder if Scorsese was trying to make this his David Lean epic musical. What I do like is the music, the performances and yes...Scorsese's camera movements.

• Donna D

  
  This was something different to see being a Martin Scorsese film in the late 70's. He does capture the magic of both drama combined with the musical performances by the ever talented Liza Minelli. Robert DeNiro was never better in this amazing movie! I loved it! :)

• Sunil J

  
  Really well done. Liza Minnelli is really great and Robert DeNiro is very likeable.

• Christopher B

  
  I gotta say, I love what Scorsese attempted to make here. A great mixture of the musical and a downbeat character drama. When I saw this years ago I would've easily given it 5 stars, but I'll give it 4 for now since it never really compelled me to give it a second watch… More
  I gotta say, I love what Scorsese attempted to make here. A great mixture of the musical and a downbeat character drama. When I saw this years ago I would've easily given it 5 stars, but I'll give it 4 for now since it never really compelled me to give it a second watch (even though rewatchability doesn't make or break a film contrary to the modern spectator... I mean filmgoer's opinion).

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