Verdict
Summary
Scorsese clearly put a lot of his soul into this one, but it’s such an off-putting piece of work, especially since it tries to rekindle the glory days of post-war cinema.
Plot:
A saxophone player and a singer go on tour together, igniting sparks, in a post WWII New York.
Review:
World War II ends, and America enters into what is essentially the Baby Boomer era, and on the very day the war ends, a cocky, unlikable saxophone player named Jimmy (Robert DeNiro, wildly miscast) is looking to get laid ASAP with literally any woman who will buy his BS about this, that, or the other: His spiel is always the same and he could care less who leaves with him to his hotel room. Somehow, despite being rejected a dozen times by the same woman in as many minutes, he mystifies and annoys Francine (Liza Minnelli) to the point where she can no longer ignore him, and he manages to all but drag her to his hotel, where he is humiliated by the concierge for racking up a massive bill and stiffing the hotel for his huge outstanding balance. He drags (again with the dragging) Francine with him to a cab where he forces her to go to an audition he has to play the sax for a nightly jazz gig at a dive bar, and instead of wowing the proprietor with his sax, the proprietor (played by Dick Miller) is wowed by Francine who steps up to the microphone and starts singing! He hires them both on the spot, but never intending to work with the pushy and inconsiderate Jimmy, she bails on the gig because she already has an agent who books her gigs all over the country. She’s well on her way to becoming famous all by herself, but annoyed that this woman he randomly picked up has better prospects than he does, Jimmy follows her across the country and makes her apologize to his face for bailing on him on the nightclub gig. By some stupefying miracle, Jimmy bedazzles Francine with his sheer force and more than borderline abusive possessiveness, and suddenly they’re a team. Her band hires him as the lead saxophonist, and they’re playing gigs all over the country, going on the road together. When he forces her to marry him (in an embarrassing and horrifying way) by proclaiming that the only reason why he demands she marry him is because he never wants any other man to have her, their union is cemented, and when she eventually becomes pregnant just as her star and popularity is starting to rise, Jimmy does the exact opposite thing a man should do at such a time, and he sends her back to New York, where she spends her pregnancy alone while his band flounders without her. She signs a record deal, and just as she’s about to have their child, he leaves her for good. Which is great timing because that’s exactly when she becomes a superstar, writing a song for herself that becomes a smash hit, “New York, New York,” and she becomes a major actress and singer, a stage and screen icon.
While at 163 minutes in its complete length (shorter versions exist and are included in this home video release), New York, New York from director Martin Scorsese is one of the most perplexing case studies of how not to subject your audience with an inherently and irredeemable protagonist who is unlikable from his first moments to his last on screen. DeNiro plays this guy as a nearly psychopathic creep, an abusive and abrasive loser whom I don’t think was intended that way for the screen. Minnelli is, however, completely lovable and you feel for her every single step of the way, from her humble beginning to her rise to stardom, and she does it completely without her husband’s help, which is great. We see them fight each other, yelling and screaming, and it’s a wonder that we never see him strike her out of anger because he always seems on the verge of doing so. The film is richly produced, shot on soundstages and with big musical numbers (some of which were removed for the shorter versions, including the original theatrical release), and while it’s been rated “R” for mature themes, I think the film should be re-rated a PG-13. Scorsese clearly put a lot of his soul into this one, but it’s such an off-putting piece of work, especially since it tries to rekindle the glory days of post-war cinema.
MVD Marquee has just released a two-disc 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray combo pack, with the 4K disc containing the longer version, while the Blu-ray has the shorter version. Special features include a video intro by Scorsese, a commentary, interviews, features, and lots of bonus content to keep you invested after watching the film.
Bonus Materials
- 2025 4K Scan and Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) of the Expanded Cut of film presented in 2160p in its original 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio in HDR
- Introduction by Martin Scorsese (5:36)
- Audio Commentary by Director Martin Scorsese and Film Critic Carrie Rickey
- Optional English Subtitles
- 5.1 DTS-HD Surround & LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- “New York, New York” International Version (HD, 136 minutes) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- The New York, New York Stories: Part One (25:31) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- The New York, New York Stories: Part Two (26:58) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- Liza on New York, New York (22:09) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- Alternate Takes / Deleted Scenes (19:14) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- Commentary on Selected Scenes by László Kovács, ASC (10:14) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- Photo Gallery [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- Theatrical Teaser (2:07) & Theatrical Trailer (3:27) [Blu-ray Bonus Features Disc]
- Reversible Artwork
