New York, New York

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Movie
German title New York, New York
Original title New York, New York
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1977
length 155 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Martin Scorsese
script Earl Mac Rauch ,
Mardik Martin
production Irwin Winkler ,
Robert Chartoff
music John Kander , Fred Ebb
camera László Kovács
cut Bert Lovitt , David Ramirez , Tom Rolf
occupation

New York, New York is an American musical film from 1977. Directed by Martin Scorsese . The film is set in New York City of the 1940s and is, according to director a " film noir - Musical ". The leading roles are played by Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro . The film was nominated for four Golden Globes in 1978 .

action

The film opens in New York City in August 1945 . The megacity is celebrating the surrender of Japan frenetically . Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Doyle , who has just been discharged from the army, approaches the young Francine Evans in a dance palace . During the war, she played with the troops and is now hoping for a career as a singer. Francine is brittle, but Jimmy does not give up. Both find a place in Frankie Harte's band, which Jimmy later takes over.

One night he drags Francine to the justice of the peace, they get married. However, it soon becomes apparent that the two career ideas are incompatible. Francine makes records that Jimmy doesn't like; he plays aggressive bebop in Harlem with his black teachers . One separates; first on the stage, then from the table and bed. Francine becomes a celebrated Hollywood star and Jimmy becomes a successful nightclub owner. When they finally meet again, they arrange a rendezvous, but both of them know that it will not take place.

background

New York, New York was Liza Minnelli's first and only film that she shot directly in Hollywood at MGM Studios. Scorsese saw it as an homage to the heyday of the film musical and therefore staged it with decorations and engineering structures in the style of the 1940s. When writing the script, he attached great importance to Minnelli's and De Niro's talent for improvisation; De Niro took saxophone lessons for the film . The commercial failure of Minnelli's previous films, Adventurers on the Lucky Lady and Just a Matter of Time , put pressure on New York, New York . Minnelli stated her hope for a hit movie with the words: “You can't allow yourself three flops in a row in Hollywood.” Despite almost unanimous enthusiastic reviews in advance - the Philadelphia Daily News called the film an “outstanding achievement” - New York, New could York doesn't bring in its production costs. The audience had expected a good mood musical and also found the film to be too long. As Scott Schechter points out, this third flop in a row brought Minnelli's career as a movie star to a standstill.

reception

The acting performances of Minnelli and De Niro as well as the costumes and equipment were largely praised by the critics; the Philadelphia Daily News raved about the "Movie of the Year".

  • Hans-Christoph Blumenberg on September 9, 1977 in Die Zeit : Martin Scorsese called a black musical "New York, New York": on the one hand, an opulent homage to the genre of " Singin 'in the Rain " in all its larger-than-life artificiality, on the other the oppressively realistic portrait of a life and marriage crisis. But Scorsese did not quite succeed in synthesizing these elements: especially in the last third, the film developed into a clichéd, languorous show business tragedy.

Theme from New York, New York

The theme song written by Fred Ebb and John Kander (exact song title: Theme from New York, New York ), which is interpreted by Liza Minnelli towards the end of the film, achieved international fame primarily through Frank Sinatra , who wrote it from October 1978 up to his last appearances in December 1994 consistently in his concert repertoire . In September 1979 Sinatra played the song with an arrangement by Don Costa for his reprise album Trilogy: Past-Present-Future in the studio and released it as a single after the album was released in March 1980. This recording has since been regarded as the unofficial anthem of the city of New York.

In 1993 Sinatra brought out a re-recording of the piece as a duet with Tony Bennett on his album Duets at Capitol ; Sinatra sang the piece on the concert stage with Liza Minnelli on several occasions in the 1980s and 1990s. Minnelli has released several of her own live versions, including on her New York albums Liza Minnelli: At Carnegie Hall (1987) and Liza Live from Radio City Music Hall (1992), and continues to perform in her concert repertoire.

Theme from New York, New York should not be confused with the song New York, New York by Leonard Bernstein , Betty Comden and Adolph Green from the musical On the Town , which Sinatra sang when it was screened in 1949 and which Minnelli later interpreted. At some concerts in the early 1980s, Sinatra combined both songs by first singing the first lines from New York, New York and then moving on to Theme from New York, New York .

To distinguish: The song from On The Town begins with the words "New York, New York, it's a helluva town / The Bronx is up and the Battery 's down ...", whereas the first words of the Kander / Ebb title read: "Start spreadin 'the news, I'm leaving today / I want to be a part of it: New York, New York."

The song has been played by Lufthansa on its approach to New York City since the 1980s .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schechter: The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook. 2004, p. 21 and pp. 83–84.
  2. ↑ Schechter: The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook. 2004, pp. 83-84.
  3. ↑ Schechter: The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook. 2004, p. 21.
  4. ↑ Schechter: The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook. 2004, p. 84.
  5. ^ New York, New York. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 10, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. ↑ Time (9 September 1977)