One can't review a dvd before it's released, and yet that's what people do here on Amazon all the time. While everyone may have their own opinion of the film, "New York, New York," (which I like despite its imperfections), I want to focus on the actual technical aspects of the dvd itself - the original release of NYNY on dvd featured one of the worst dvd transfers in the history of the format. In addition, the film wasn't presented in anamorphic widescreen, which made one feel like they were watching the movie through 20 pairs of panty house stuck over their T.V. MGM home video is not known for their high quality dvd technical specifications - in fact, they rank right up there with Paramount as the worst studio for dvd releases: their "talent" for botching up good movies with a lousy dvd transfer (and no extras) is legendary. (For the record, Universal isn't much better - but now both studios are being forced to go back and redo previous deficient dvds). Let's just pray to God that NYNY finally gets the glorious dvd treatment the film deserves - Because I don't trust MGM home video, I'll be reading the reviews of this new disc after it's released before purchasing it, and you should too.

In Martin Scorsese's much-maligned NEW YORK, NEW YORK, the hollow artifice of the 1940s Technicolor musical clashes with the brutal honesty of human emotion, in a story about a doomed relationship between two individuals whose mutual love for music draws them together and pulls them apart.

In post-war New York, brash saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) meets young singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli), and together they join forces to create a new jazz and big-band sound. In typical "Star is Born" fashion, Francine is signed to a major record label and later becomes a Hollywood movie star; Jimmy's callous attitude to her wanting to start a family becomes the key for their break-up. The tempestuous love affair of Francine and Jimmy is the backbone of NEW YORK, NEW YORK, almost two different movies rolled into one: affectionate tribute to the classic Hollywood musical, and dramatic backstage romance. That duality is the reason why NEW YORK, NEW YORK stands up well to repeat screenings; Scorsese's masterful touch is all over this masterpiece, which is only now beginning to be recognized as a classic of it's time.

While the story may seem to be channeling "A Star is Born" (which starrred Minnelli's mother Judy Garland as an unknown who outgrows her husband's moviestar success); the characters of Francine and Jimmy, and their violent relationship, share a closer kinship to the Doris Day/James Cagney musical drama "Love Me or Leave Me"; where Day's abusive real-life 1941 marriage to jazz musician Al Jordan was also paralleled.

Visually, the movie is a rare treat; Laszlo Kovacs' cinematography and the art direction of Boris Leven is flawless. In one memorable scene, Jimmy and Francine wander into a yellowed barren wood that looks like something from the opening titles of "Doctor Zhivago". Veteran M-G-M hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff took care of Ms Minnelli's many elaborate, period-perfect hair creations (and in another lovely twist, Minnelli got to use her mother Judy Garland's original M-G-M dressing room while making this movie).

NEW YORK, NEW YORK used many original songs of the period for it's soundtrack ("You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me", "You Are My Lucky Star", "The Man I Love", "Just You, Just Me"). Especially-written for the movie by her longtime collaborators John Kander and Freb Ebb were several new songs which became staples of Liza Minnelli's repertoire ("But the World Goes 'Round", "Happy Endings", and "New York, New York"). The extensive production number for "Happy Endings" was modeled after the "Born in a Trunk" sequence from Judy Garland's "A Star is Born".

Robert De Niro's saxophone solos were dubbed by Georgie Auld (De Niro does a very convincing job of handling the instrument). The supporting cast includes Mary Kay Place, Larry Kert, Lionel Stander and Barry Primus.

I can't recommend this movie highly enough. NEW YORK, NEW YORK, initially dismissed by audiences and critics upon it's release in 1977, is now slowly being discovered as a masterpiece for the ages, and I for one am thrilled.

In Martin Scorsese's much-maligned NEW YORK, NEW YORK, the hollow artifice of the 1940s Technicolor musical clashes with the brutal honesty of human emotion, in a story about a doomed relationship between two individuals whose mutual love for music draws them together and pulls them apart.

In post-war New York, brash saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) meets young singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli), and together they join forces to create a new jazz and big-band sound. In typical "Star is Born" fashion, Francine is signed to a major record label and later becomes a Hollywood movie star; Jimmy's callous attitude to her wanting to start a family becomes the key for their break-up. The tempestuous love affair of Francine and Jimmy is the backbone of NEW YORK, NEW YORK, almost two different movies rolled into one: affectionate tribute to the classic Hollywood musical, and dramatic backstage romance. That duality is the reason why NEW YORK, NEW YORK stands up well to repeat screenings; Scorsese's masterful touch is all over this masterpiece, which is only now beginning to be recognized as a classic of it's time.

While the story may seem to be channeling "A Star is Born" (which starrred Minnelli's mother Judy Garland as an unknown who outgrows her husband's moviestar success); the characters of Francine and Jimmy, and their violent relationship, share a closer kinship to the Doris Day/James Cagney musical drama "Love Me or Leave Me"; Day's abusive 1941 marriage to jazz musician Al Jordan was also paralleled.

Visually, the movie is a rare treat; Laszlo Kovacs' cinematography and the art direction of Boris Leven is flawless. In one memorable scene, Jimmy and Francine wander into a yellowed barren wood that looks like something from the opening titles of "Doctor Zhivago". Veteran M-G-M hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff took care of Ms Minnelli's many elaborate, period-perfect hair creations (and in another lovely twist, Minnelli got to use her mother Judy Garland's original M-G-M dressing room while making this movie).

NEW YORK, NEW YORK used many original songs of the period for it's soundtrack ("You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me", "You Are My Lucky Star", "The Man I Love", "Just You, Just Me"). Especially-written for the movie by her longtime collaborators John Kander and Freb Ebb were several new songs which became staples of Liza Minnelli's repertoire ("But the World Goes 'Round", "Happy Endings", and "New York, New York"). The extensive production number for "Happy Endings" was modeled after the "Born in a Trunk" sequence from Judy Garland's "A Star is Born".

Robert De Niro's saxophone solos were dubbed by Georgie Auld (De Niro does a very convincing job of handling the instrument). The supporting cast includes Mary Kay Place, Larry Kert, Lionel Stander and Barry Primus.

I can't recommend this movie highly enough. NEW YORK, NEW YORK, initially dismissed by audiences and critics upon it's release in 1977, is now slowly being discovered as a masterpiece for the ages, and I for one am thrilled.

I ENJOYED THE FIRST PART OF THE STORY, BUT IT BECAME MOROSE AND DOWNRIGHT DEPRESSING TOWARD THE END. OVERALL, IT WAS ABOUT AS ENTERTAINING AS A TRIP TO THE DENTIST.

MINNELLI AND DE NIRO WERE GOOD ACTORS, BUT THE STORY WAS SAD.

In "New York, New York, director Martin Scorcese recalled the Big Band era of the forties in a musical drama concerning the romance and shaky marriage of a musician (Robert De Niro) and a band singer (Liza Minnelli).

Much of the forties ambiance is accurately re-created, and Minnelli gives vibrant readings of some good songs, especially the title song, but De Niro's character is so harsh and unpleasant and his squabbles with Minnelli so long and depressing that the film is easily the gloomiest musical in some time...

"The Buddy Holly Story" (1977), dealing with the rock star who died in a plane crash in 1959, just as his fame had peaked, was much less pretentious and much better...

Nostalgic movie well acted (and well sung, too) in a gorgeous band era (40's) background, under a tactful Scorzese's direction.

Robert DeNiro plays a jazz musician, Jimmy Doyle. Liza Minnelli plays a singer, Francine Evans. WWII has ended. Doyle picks her up at a party. They fall in love. They start an act together. They have a baby and their marriage starts to fall apart. Evans goes on to star in fancy Hollywood musicals. Doyle can't, and doesn't really want to make the transition, but respects his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, since he can give her something he can't. In the end, Doyle has the opportunity to leave with Evans in the mothership, but decides to stay on the ground. That pretty much sums up all two and a half hours of this film. It's the execution that makes it great.

I found this movie sticking out from a shelf in the library. After I watched it, I figured it was Scorsese's way of saying goodbye to his first wife. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding what other people are going through. So, I said, "Thanks for sharing that with me." I'm not sure if he heard me.

Liza Minnelli does some great take-offs on Peggy Lee and her mother, Larry Kert gets a rare chance to show real Broadway talent and Robert DeNiro brilliantly improvs a jerk no one could care about. Trouble with this film is twofold: together in their scenes DeNiro treats Minnelli like she was a male boxer he was in the ring with and she doesn't have acting improv chops, so mostly she just withdraws (the one scene she fights back they both ended up in the hospital). Minnelli also looks terrible in the period wigs and costumes (and overweight in the second half), only looking comfortable at the very end. Second, Scorsese tries so hard to create a 50s artificial atmosphere that Minnelli's scenes in front of an audience, where she would be electric in a real concert, the faked reactions take the energy out of the performances. It's his botch. In a strange way, it's a vanity film but for the director. Most embarrassing, he emphatically proves he's no Vincent Minnelli. Good thing about the DVD, you can skip to the good bits and lose the poor chemistry. Like a lot of Hollywood product, a huge waste.

...but unfortunately it is a bit difficult to warm up this film to due to Robert DeNiro`s unlikeable character.

The interplay between Bobby and Liza are THE BEST. Unfortunately it echoes Mama`s A STAR IS BORN 1954 storylinewise. The "HAPPY ENDING" number is a blueprint of Judy`s "BORN IN A TRUNK"-number. The titlesong is good, but sadly it is clear that Liza mimes the number(as are the routine), but she doesn`t open her mouth wide enough for the last note.....

See it for the musical numbers if you are NOT in the mood of 3 hours of a male "hero" only a wolfmother would love hehehe

This is a combination of the old school and the new school of film making. This is definitely not your typical Martin Scorsese film. Scorsese has decided to pay tribute to the classic MGM musical but with a Scorsese touch.

This is a typical boy meets girl boy loses girl movie musical. He's a saxophonist and she is a singer but her talent is greater than his. Ala mama Judy's, A Star is Born, he cannot cope with wife's greater success and ala The Way We Were, they're truly in love but can't live together.

This is the Director's Cut with an extra 26 minutes of story and song than the original 1977 release. It has the fully restored Happy Endings musical number which was reduced to 3 minutes in the original release. Liza can thank mama for this, as this reconstruction was a direct result from the success of the restored A Star is Born (which had its Born in a Trunk sequence restored.)

This is Liza Minnelli's best film since Cabaret and her last great starring role. She is helped along with a great score by Fred Ebb and John Kander including the standard Theme from New York, New York. Liza's original make's Sinatra's version look limp.

Scorsese does well with this change of pace film. His vision of 50's New York City and 50's movie musicals is extremely well realized.

De Niro plays the typical De Niro but that's the character. Most of the other actors come and go and have no real parts but it is fun to see a pre Hart to Hart Lionel Stander as Minnelli's agent.

DVD EXTRAS:

There is a brief introduction to the film by Scorsese (Tip: Exit from the Special Features and it will ask you to if you want to see the introduction - This will put the into with the film. Otherwise, the into will run only.

Audio Commentaries by Scorsese and film critic Carrie Rickney. I did not listen to either of these.

There is a series of Alternate Takes, extended takes and Deleted Scenes. These are nice but there is no explanation of why they were chosen.

There is the usual Photo Gallery, Trailers and Teasers. None of which I watched.

The best is a documentary on the concept of the film with Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese has always put his demons on the screen and they are usually somewhat shallow and always brutes. New York, New York is no exception. In 1977 when the film was released I thought it was pretty great, however time has passed and we have see DeNiro's character in one form or another in just about every MS film since then. The nostalgia for the 1940's music and styles were at a peak in the late 70's. Musical groups like the Manhattan Transfer did their best to ride the nostalgia wave for example. NY, NY in 1977 seemed fresh, fashionable and brilliant for it's re-visionist approach to make a 40's 50;s style musical with characters and lives that had a 1970's realism. Unfortunately thirty years later this ambitious idea looks just that and instead NY,NY is dark in drama, dark in comedy and the musical "half" of the film which MS was I believe paying tribute to fights a losing battle against the abusive relationship played (very well) by Liza Minelli, and (very much over the top by) Robert Deniro. Strange how time weeds out the greats from the failures and NY, NY, is proof that director Martin Scorsese's obsession with violence (so well realized in Raging Bull) can rot a film from the inside out.

This film is certainly well done. Robert DeNiro gives a good performance, but not nearly as great as Liza Minnelli. Often when Minnelli plays, she gives an aura of competence on the screen that forces the viewer to think, "Nobody else could have done this," and as it were, truly nobody could. The sheer power of her performance alone is more than enough reason to watch this movie.

DeNiro plays as Jimmy, a tenacious and compulsive saxophone player that insists on getting what he wants, and what he wans is "1) Music, 2) Money, and 3) Women. But sometimes you find the right woman first, and then the numbers switch around." He meets Francine (Minnelli), a singer who counterparts his perservering behavior enough to get him what he wants but hold her own. The two then go off to make their name in the music business any way they can, meaning eventually the music and their relationship start to tug them in different ways, and with conflict we have drama. Two hours and forty minutes of it, in fact.

The character of Jimmy is such that I couldn't help but ask, "Are the viewers supposed to want him to succeed because he's the hero, or are they supposed to want him to succeed because he's going to keep trying anyways and we just want him to stop?" He tends to insist a bit too much, and watching his character is only worth the time when DeNiro's playing off of Minnelli. The audience sympathizes with Francine because they can't possibly imagine dealing with Jimmy, but since they can't imagine dealing with Jimmy, they also have to wonder what the heck she's doing with him. The two characters are constantly at edge, even when it seems they are going to reconcile.

Such a method of exposition is at least interesting to watch, but it's largely stretched out and filled with more big-band music than one can possibly hope to sit through comfortably. The first two hours of the movie kept a good pace, but somewhere after the two hour mark the movie does a sort of Singin' in the Rain-ish musical-in-a-musical that's packed with so many layers of stories that it becomes confusing and, most importantly, completely useless. All of it has Minnelli, and Minnelli continues to sing afterwards. By the end of a good half-an-hour of her reaching crescendo after crescendo, one's ears are in need of a rest... and it's not like the movie has ended yet.

It's a shame, in fact, that overall the movie feels displeasing to me, considering how strong the acting and directing are. Here is a movie that's deserving of praise but very difficult to watch. See it if you can, take from it what you can get, but don't expect to feel like watching it ever again.

--PolarisDiB

I have seen parts of this dvd and an anxious to watch it from the beginning to end.

A failed experiment can still have value! Scorsese attempted to contrast a highly realistic, improvised acting style with a highly stylized, artificial filmmaking style reminiscent of the great MGM musicals. It didn't quite work, but it did give us some fantastic moments, indluding:

1. DeNiro and Minnelli's first meeting (an incredibly well-played and funny scene)

2. DeNiro's marriage proposal (lots of fun)

3. Their fight in the car (one of the most frighteningly real arguments a couple has ever had onscreen)

Minelli is able to hold her own quite well against DeNiro in these scenes, and I think their chemistry is fascinating.

Add to this some fantastic musical numbers, and you have a film whose individual moments make up for its larger flaws. In other words, don't miss the trees for the forest.

The DVD contains some great goodies, the best being the additional versions of a number scenes. Since these were all improvised, every take was different and you get to see completely different dialogue, including the unused happy ending!

All in all, I'm glad I got it.

In this movie, Scorsese, Liza and Robert derserves the Oscars for the best film, best actress, best song, best actor award. I got the VHS/LD but this DVD version tops it especially the extra special features - director comentary, deleted scenes etc. If only the film was launched at the right time. [...]

THE STORY MAY NOT BE GREAT BUT HIS DVD VERSION HAS EXCELLENT VIDEO AND AUDIO. I RECOMMEND IT FOR SCORSESE FANS!

As you can see by the reviews, nobody is too sure what to rate this movie. I heard Liza Minnelli in an interview once refering to New York, New York as "dark". I think that is perfect. It's a story about musicians with music - It's not a musical. It's directed by probably one of the greatest american directors of our age - I think to enjoy it you need to clear your head of any preconceptions. After watching it - I couldn't make up my mind if I understood what the movie wanted to say... But then I thought! Gee - What happened to just appriciating a great story and some superb acting. There are very few movies like New York, New York for us to compare it to, I think that is the problem, people aren't sure what they got from the movie. I'm open minded enough not to need it to 'be' anything. The movie is dark and heavy, but then light and wishful. It's beautiful - and it's lead, Liza Minnelli looks very very beautiful. Thank god they released this on DVD. Wonderful.

This is one of the most underrated films in the history of cinema. The first time I saw it I didn't know what to think. I wondered, why the fake looking sets and unbelievable costumes? Why did Scorsese seemingly overproduce a film that has such a great and raw script? This dvd helped me see why. Scorsese says that he wanted to put a raw, dramatic script into an old, early 40's style setting. He wanted to contrast the new with the old. The script is real, raw, and dramatic. The sets, costumes, and musical numbers are very highly produced. There's so much detail put into it. The city curb is a just a little high. The collars are just a little big. It really does remind you of an early 40's musical. Liza is the real star of this movie. Although I like Cabaret better as a whole, I would say that Liza as a singer, dancer, and actress is at her best in New York, New York.

New York, New York hasn't aged well at all and it shows.

Robert De Niro -who made a great career of always playing Robert De Niro- is a pathetic joke as Jimmy Doyle. Talk about being an overrated actor... Liza Minnelli, on the other hand overacts to the point of exhausting the viewer. However, Liza never looked so beautiful and glamorous and one wishes she had been featured in one of those glamorous, glittering MGM musicals of the golden age of the Hollywood musical. Kander and Ebb did an outstanding job -as usual- and we are grateful to them for the little gem titled "Theme from New York, New York."

Did I like the DVD version? Nope. It ended up in the trash can, for I didn't have the heart to donate it to charity.

Robert DeNiro play a self-centered womanizing abusive husband to Liza Minelli, who plays a doormat until a (literally) last-second conversion which is completely unbelievable. The songs are great, the photography outstanding. But the pain of watching this couple battle it out is not pleasant.

The best way to describe this film is "The Way We Were" meets Martin Scorsese. First, take Barbara Streisand and replace her with Liza Minelli--similar talents, both great singers, ok actresses, no problem, thankyou! Now take Robert Redford and replace him with Robert DeNiro playing the character he played in "Goodfellas"--or better yet--playing the Joe Peschi character from "Goodfellas"--that might be closer. Just put a saxophone in his mouth and track over some nice tunes between the tough guy this, tough guy that and... What? And that's what it looks like we see Minelli's character thinking over and over again--"what?" Is somebody kidding? Is this a musical?

The first time I saw "New York, New York" was on television and I didn't know then, and was so surprised to see in the opening credits, that it was directed by Martin Scorsese. I had no idea that this glitzy musical which had been on the periphery of my consciousness for twenty years was directed by the moviemaster El Supremo. AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THAT IS IT'S BIGGEST PROBLEM--IT'S A SCORSESE FILM!

Basically, a schizophrenic movie. It could have been Barbara Streisand, or it could have been "Goodfellas," but what it ends up being instead is sadly bizarre. It's Scorsese doing his Scorsese standards, and Scorsese doing other things such as Scorsese the jazz enthusiast putting forward the music he loves and mixing it all up in motifs that are consciously derivative of the golden age of musicals. It's sometimes flashy, sometimes gritty, often tense, most often fabulously designed, and in unexpected ways, often floppy. First Scorsese will put Minelli on the stage to do some nicely projected wonderfuls. Then he'll add DeNiro to the stage with the typical Scorsese/DeNiro streetwise dialogue, gambled emotions, and looming catastrophes. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, depending on your expectations, these catastrophes get negotiated away from the usual Scorsese violence by Minnelli's clever and loving, but undiscovered character. Why these two people are together is never understandable, and we watch Francine (Minelli) many times just stop and stare at Jimmy (DeNiro), pause, and then resign herself to him. Why does she resign herself to him? Who knows? Because it's a Scorsese film, what else? That could be the only reason. There must be something intelligent about it. If it's because she loves him, then this woman has real problems--but perhaps that was the heart of the plot, along with her ability to see into him and work with him, in spite of his flaws and floating-point sincerity, but what she sees in him is lost to the viewer. We don't really know what's going on in her head--her character, even more than his, is never illuminated--and this dim-lit combination just doesn't sustain interest and doesn't ever go anywhere truly compelling. Just having a jerk for a mate doesn't make a movie. You could call this film, "The Sad Story of the Woman Who Falls for a Line." The conflict-resolution pattern in the relationship was barely interesting at the beginning--and it had a few fun moments--such as during the Justice of the Peace scene--but if this is romance, give me "Sid and Nancy" instead.

By the middle of the picture I basically no longer cared what happened with these two people, just so long as Minnelli sang. The plot flounders propped up next to the music and the pathos at the end was barely a tear, if that. What were the why's and wherefore's, and how did all this narrative amount to almost 3 hours of importance? I suspect it was mostly just a compilation of improvisations within formulas. Scorsese does his improvisation formula, DeNiro does his improvisation formula, the technicians work their wonders, and Minelli does the best she can and actually comes out the shining star.

The music is the saving grace and makes buying the DVD perhaps worthwhile. It was often a true delight to watch Minnelli sing, and the recreations of the big bands and the jazz culture were sometimes wonderful. Tommy Dorsey's band at the beginning of the movie felt like the real McCoy, or at least, how one would fantasize it would've been on VJ Day.

Thus, it's the music that makes the DVD--and in essence, it is a musical, or at least should be appreciated as such, and luckily, with the DVD format, you can easily jump over the other stuff and go straight to the musical moments. As for Scorsese's ambitions with the derivative motifs and the conflict-riddled, deadening plot, I found Steve Martin's film "Pennies from Heaven"--made around the same time with a similar plot and similar ambitions--ten times more successful and poignant--and it's an unusual day when you find comparisons between a Scorsese film and a Steve Martin film, and then find the latter so much more impressive--not to mention a persistent, very strange, and desperate longing while watching this film for a smiling Robert Redford, or perhaps better yet, some loud and bloody Mafioso rough stuff.

Martin Scorcese's NEW YORK, NEW YORK is a film that explores realism through a most unlikely medium--a homage to the movie musicals of the 1950s, particularly the more dark and dramatic musicals, such as Judy Garland's A STAR IS BORN and Doris Day's LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME.

To many people 1977 does not seem like so very long ago, but to younger viewers and film enthusiasts who were not around then to see the movies firsthand, it can be a very daunting experience trying to hunt down obscure films from that time. I searched for about five years to find a decent copy of NEW YORK, NEW YORK, but was unlucky until finally it was released on DVD this year. I must say, along with THE DAY OF THE LOCUST, it was a very welcome release!

I am intrigued by many of the films of the 1970s and early 1980s that sought to explore earlier, more glamorous decades. Along with THE DAY OF THE LOCUST and FRANCES (1982), NEW YORK, NEW YORK is especially important for, if nothing else, a rare glimpse of Liza Minnelli at the peak of her beauty and talent. The film is an astounding showcase for her to emote, sing, and display incredible star quality at every turn. By the the time the great finale rolls around, with the theme song "New York, New York" sung with such bravado, it's easy to see what made Liza so famous. For many younger viewers, such as myself, who weren't around at the time, what made Liza famous (besides CABARET) is not readily apparent.

Finally, I will discuss the quality of the film, which is one of the truly great musicals. NEW YORK, NEW YORK is misunderstood primarily because it is so ambitious. For the sensitive viewer, who has great attention to significant details, the film is not flawed. The first time I watched it I considered it incredibly flawed, but the second time everything clicked for me. The idea behind the film was the put real life situations (including acting improvisation, etc.) into an artificial setting--in this case, a glitzy New York City during the big band era of the 1940s. The production is astounding at all levels. Nightclubs and streets and locations are recreated as if you are walking into the past, except better--this is the glamorous past created by the movies that didn't necessarily exist, but fuelled so many dreams. New York City was certainly movie heaven. The glittering skyline alone could make you dream of something better, and that's really what this movie is about. It's about wanting a happy ending, when it doesn't really exist.

For the two main characters, played so brilliantly by Robert Deniro and Liza Minnelli, that happy ending can't exist. Thus the magnificent lyric from the "Happy Endings" musical number that sums it all up: "Happy endings are only for the stars, not in the stars for me." And so we know that NEW YORK, NEW YORK can't end happily like so many musicals that came before, because this is the 1970s, and real life doesn't always end happy.

And real people do not always possess sympathetic qualities that win us over, or make us love them in the end. Robert Deniro's character is like many people we may have known in life, who we didn't like, and the movie doesn't bother trying to make us love him. Again, in real life, some people we just can't love. The main problem many people have with the film is their dislike of Robert Deniro's character, but in certain scenes he is touching, such as when he meets Liza in the hospital and says he doesn't want to see his son, because he is so genuine. We may not like him, but he is a genuine character.

There are other examples that may not be so obvious, of the realism the producers were trying to achieve: characters regularly flub their lines, people trip over chairs and bump into each other, and wine glasses are lifted with napkins stuck to the bottom. It's all so carefully constructed, and ultimately masterful.

The colors are reminiscent of A STAR IS BORN, Liza Minnelli reminds one of Judy Garland, but NEW YORK, NEW YORK belongs to Martin Scorsese. It is a misunderstood, but enduring, triumph.

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

There is something to be said for Martin Scorsese's "New York/New York" (1977). I'm just not exactly sure what. A strange mix of seventies sensibilities and sexual mores, eclectic acting styles a la its two mismatched leads, and forties kitsch billed as tributary to the decade of returning war heroes and the big band sound, the film abounds with complications that make for a generally uneasy, often heavy narrative structure. Truthfully, the film neither emulates or celebrates the great musicals of the 1940s. Instead it somehow manages to impose a contemporary strain on vintage material, which from the vantage of 30 years removed today, seems ludicrous and tacky.

Robert DeNiro stars as Jimmy Doyle, a gregarious sax player who's all thumbs when it comes to impressing WAC officer, Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli). But, as many of the male machismo flicks of the seventies teach us, if at first you don't succeed with the fairer sex, simply badger her into submission. This tactic works for Jimmy, but only superficially and temporarily as the film charts Jimmy's rise to big band leader status, his explosive romance with Francine, their trials and tribulations, his spiral into professional oblivion and their ultimate break up and loose reconciliation after Francine has made it big on her own. Clearly uneasy with the musical as a genre, Scorsese lets the first twenty minutes of his film slip by without any music, and then junkets a string of stagy numbers that are not memorable or apt at recapturing the effervescence of the 40s. The one big production number, "Happy Endings" comes much too late to make a difference in the film's musical repository and draws a direct and scathing comparison between Liza and her mother, Judy Garland's performance from "A Star Is Born" (1954). "Happy Endings" is a sort of "Born in A Trunk" ballet that unfolds with Liza encountering a Broadway producer while working as an usherette in a movie house. But the juxtaposition of several musical snippets is clumsily staged. The mileau of bits comes to a head with Liza flouncing down a great glittering and mirror staircase in a costume that can only be described as over the top in its gaudy red and white texture.The most outstanding aspect of the musical program is undoubtedly the title number, sung against a backdrop that again, looks much too contemporary for 40s chic.

Again, about the leads; the banter and chemistry between DeNiro and Minnelli is, at times, quite good - but never more engaging or hilarious than during their initial meet in a posh New York nightclub. Hence, their burgeoning romance seems oddly off balance with the two growing less comfortable with one another on camera as the fictional relationship progresses. At times, Minnelli looks ill and withdrawn, her heavy make up and "Mildred Pierce" style hair pieces almost swallowing her face whole and often masking her inate ability to do comedy or drama as well as we all know she is capable of. As a direct result, only in her vocal abilities throughout the film does she truly excel; that rich Garland-esque bravado rocking the speakers with a powerful zest for the material she's been given.Ultimately the film did not find favor at the box office and, in hindsight, it seems little wonder.

MGM's DVD is not anamorphically enhanced but it is widescreen. Colors are rich, vibrant and, at times, gaudy. Blacks are deep, rich and solid. Whites are generally clean, although there are instances throughout the film where a definite grain structure is noticeable. Overall, the highly stylized visual characteristics of this musical stinker will not disappoint. The audio is 5.1 surround and engaging throughout - showing remarkable clarity for a film of this vintage everywhere, but especially during the musical sequences, if only the original songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb had had something more to offer. Extras include an intro by Scorsese as well as audio commentary that is not particularly engaging. There's also some deleted scenes that are pretty much a bust, but generally show a muted distemper on DeNiro's part for a film in which he clearly felt most out of his element. A theatrical trailer and photo gallery are also present for the asking.

I love this movie. I have owned the VHS version since the 70s when it came out, and saw the theatrical release at least 4 times. I was so excited to hear that it was being released on DVD that I pre-ordered it immediately from Amazon last year, with great expectations. The DVD finally arrived earlier this month. To my horror, the sound quality is AWFUL (muted, garbled), there are big green streaks/lines in the "But the World Goes Round" scene (where Liza is singing against a darkened studio with only a spotlight on her face). The title song scene is muted and of poor quality. C'mon, MGM!!! You need to re-release this. AND PLEASE RELEASE IT IN WIDESCREEN, NOT LETTERBOX!!!!! (To Amazon.com's credit, however, I have to say that with no questions asked, they have offered to send me a replacement immediately, without even having to return the original due to high cost of shipping from Canada to the US. Makes me happy to be an Amazon customer)

Even the non Special Edition of Boxcar Bertha from the Martin Scorsese Collection was presented in Widescreen , but alas New York, New York is only Letterboxed.

It only includes the so called restored version of the film which is in reality only one of three versions released.

If any film is more deserving than The Abyss for a "watch it the way you want to" DVD release it's New York, New York.

The deleated / alternate scenes included do not represent the differences between the first and third versions of the film, nor do they include the scenes deleted from the first release to shorten the running time for the second run release.

The Laserdisc Special Edition release had more bonus material than is included on this DVD.


Guess we'll have to wait for the Ultimate Edition Boxed set for a truely special edition .

In the meantime this one will due.

Sept 2007: Pre - order pages are appearing for New York, New York: 30th Anniversary Edition, Reportedly 2 discs. Hopefully it's a vast improvement on this one. Buy it instead.

I've always loved this film. Uncompromising, grandly experimental, and maybe ahead of its time. With the new DVD, time has now caught up to "New York, New York" and it reveals a remarkable achievement. Perfect? No. Rather, it's a grand gamble fusing improvisation and old time movie musicals together for a sometimes raw, but always emotional journey. The movie examines several things at once. It shows the evolution of the American movie musical from MGM's "Let's Put On a Show" entertainments to Warner's (and others) more personal, character driven musical showcases (e.g. A Star is Born). The movie also follows the evolution of jazz from communal Big Band to solo experimental forms such as Bebop. I love how the principal characters in "New York, New York" start out as familiar musical comedy archetypes, but soon evolve into flesh and blood people juxtaposed against the artificiality of the musical form. What a great idea. Other than her work in "Cabaret", Minnelli has never been better. DeNiro is great and Scorsese pulls off scenes and musical numbers that honor and stand alongside Hollywood's best. The first fifteen minutes of this movie are a knockout for anyone that loves cinema. Yes, the movie is long. A little slow. But it's great discovery for those who have never seen it, and a treasure for those few that know the movie well. One added bonus is seeing Clarence Clemmons of Springsteen's "E-Street" band in his first (and only?) movie.

By combining this hommage to, and critique of, stylized Hollywood musicals with 70's improvisational acting Scorsese achieves a near-ideal marriage of form and content. Those less comfortable with life's complexities may have trouble with this film, the rest of us can revel in its pitch-perfect performances and the treat of having our cake and eating it too. Godard's favorite Scorsese film, and mine.

Every major director seems to have some sort of misfire in their resume. "New York, New York" is director Martin Scorsese's. It's not even an interesting one, more like a tedious exercise in self-indulgence. Who in their right mind thought the thin story here warranted it's 2 hour, 43 minute length? This film lacks anything remotely resembling flair, which is a first for any Scorsese film I've seen. It's first portion is nearly deadly as Robert DeNiro's sax player awkwardly courts Liza Minnelli's big band singer. It doesn't help that DeNiro's Jimmy Doyle has less charm than Travis Bickle. Things get little better as the two main characters' career trajectories go in different directions and DeNiro's louse get's even more insufferable. Things perk up a bit when Minnelli gets to shine without DeNiro in sight with the "Happy Endings" production number and her rendition of the now-famous title song. Alas, the damage has already been done at this point. Who said that a swing-era musical had to be such a bummer? I watched the film's trailer prior to viewing the film and I didn't get good vibes. If you're putting all your best stuff in the trailer and it stinks what does that portend for the movie?

This phenomenal achievement of the Scorcese-Minnelli-DeNiro triumvirate has never received the praise and appreciation it so winningly deserved. "New York, New York" is one of Martin Scorcese's breeziest films and he displays a lightness of touch he's not typically known for. The production values are first rate and the film fairly shimmers with the gleam of Old Hollywood from start to finish. This rather glossy touch actually heightens the tension of the very human drama being played out on screen. Scorcese makes this long film move like a short one with a camera that knows when to move and when to be still, and he coaxes the best out of his talented cast. Liza Minnelli delivers her finest performance here and was wickedly robbed of an Oscar nomination because of the film's poor reception. She's simply terrific in the musical numbers but, more importantly, she nails the emotional center of her character dead on and her quieter moments resonate with truthfulness and authority. Minnelli is a much better actress than she's ever been given credit for. Perhaps her rather quaint public persona and the endless travails of her personal life have distorted her talents in the eyes of the public. However, she's nothing short of superb here and she shows in her musical numbers why she has always been such a riveting performer. She has show biz in her very bones. The rather unexpected pairing of Minnelli and Robert DeNiro is actually quite right, and their chemistry is unmistakeable. DeNiro's later career has been a series of mannerisms and walk-throughs, but here he was in his prime and he plays his snarling and rather unlikeable character without compromise. You can sense what he needs and readily throws away through misguided ego and unrelenting drive. The qualities of these two disparate actors compliment each other repeatedly. I especially like the scene in rehearsal where he spanks her and she slams down the microphone and walks out. Short and sweet, but you get right away how much these two need each other but will never really work for one another. Mary Kay Place does a brief, rather ditzy turn as a band singer, showing the comic elan that brought her attention, but this is really the two stars' show and they never falter. Scorcese should be proud of this work because it accomplishes everything he set out to do. It should be noted that his commentary is both insightful and entertaining, a quality often lacking in DVDs, and the other extras, while not plentiful, add to understanding this film's creation. It will always be up to you "New York, New York".

There *are* things to love in NYNY. But over and over again I kept coming back to this thought: does director Martin Scorsese (normally a genius storyteller) really love musicals, or is he, in fact, doing a satire of them here? I can't find any other expanation for the creation of a leading character (DeNiro) so self-absorbed, rude, brutish, and jealous of his future wife's (Minnelli) growing fame, while trying so hard to establish his own with a tenor sax. It's like there's a highly pitched voice of reason trying to remind the audience that in real life, people aren't so happy as they always seem to be in musicals. I know everyone doesn't love (many, in fact, proudly hate) musicals, but usually one can find something redeeming in the characters who populate the stories. For over 2 1/2 hours of film, we are presented with a love story which borders on spousal abuse, and somehow be expected to care about the husband. It doesn't work. And yet, Scorsese bends over backward to recreate the 1940's musical/big band atmosphere, from Hawaiian shirts and two-tone spectator shoes to sumptuous big band pieces, not to mention a charming pair of dancers spotted on a subway ledge (Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen?) or a sultry torch singer in a Harlem nightclub (Diahnne Abbott, whose 11th-hour performance of 'Honeysuckle Rose' seems to be tipping a hat to Billie Holiday). One critic seemed to personally resent the channeling of mother Garland through daughter Minnelli (particularly in the supper club where the title song is stunningly performed with all guns blazing), but I think that was very much on purpose. Even though she got much bigger acclaim for "Cabaret," I think Minnelli reached the peak of her musical talents in this film. I loved her. I just didn't love them together, and unfortunately, that kept me from loving the whole project. Release it on DVD, and skip to your favorite parts.

While many consider this one of Martin Scorsese's weakest films, it's one of my favorites. The musical performances, especially the Big Band songs, are very entertaining. Robert De Niro is my favorite actor of all time & I think he was perfect in this from beginning to end. Some hate this movie because at times De Niro's character isn't likable, but in comparison to his character in "Raging Bull" he's a kind gentleman in this film! De Niro plays Jimmy Doyle, a musician with great talent but no audience. That is, until he meets & teams up with Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli), a fabulous singer with great ambition. They're an overnight success, & they fall madly in love. "As time goes by", (pardon the pun) however their goals for success interfere with their relationship, leading to a split which may or may not be permanent (you'll have to see it to find out!). MGM's new special edition of "New York, New York" includes audio commentary, alternate takes, deleted scenes, a photo gallery, & theatrical trailers, & the film can be viewed in English Dolby Digital 5.1 or Mono. If you like Jazz & Big Band music, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, & Liza Minnelli, then you should add this underated gem to your collection.

This movie is a trully underated musical. The poor script and imprudent editing are its only flaws. But the performances, the direction, the story,the costuming, the art direction, cinematography and the music make those flaws virtually unoticable. Im sure if this had been the success it should have been back in 1977, Im sure the film, the art direction, the cinematography, the costuming, Scorcese, and above all else Minelli(who never looked or sounded better)and Deniro would all have gotten Oscar nods. The one that I truly cant beleive is that the title song didnt win the oscar. It has become such a standard it should have one. Overall a great film trully an underated classic.

Liza Minelli is great in this film that is a manifesto for New York jazz and Broadway musicals. She has a deep and mysterious voice and her songs are highly poetic. Robert de Niro is an aggressive lover and a very self-centered musician, music-doubled by Auld. In fact he looks like a remake of Fred Astaire in his courting techniques, but without the light humorous dimension of Fred and with a deeply egotistic and melo-dramatic dimension. But the film goes beyond this and shows how two artists could work together if they accepted to step beyond the small difficulties of life. Small is a way of speaking since it is a pregnancy that does not come at the right moment, breaking up a band and endangering a career. Robert de Niro just rejects the problem and saves his own career by dumping the wife he had had so much difficulty to conquer. Liza Minelli recaptures her own career after this event with her talent and also with her easy-going friendliness. The film becomes sad and has no Happy Ending because the two hesitate to recapture the past and meet again for reasons that are not really made explicit in the film, but that we can imagine to be the fear to go back to a cannibalistic relation on the side of Liza Minelli and the fear to get penned up into limitations on the side of Robert de Niro, in spite of the attraction his own son exerts on him. This shows how difficult it is for two great artists to live together and to work together, especially when one is tyrannical and the other diplomatic. Napoleon meets Queen Victoria in some way. But the film is too much centered on the music and not explicit enough on the love affair and sentimental experience if not experiment the two go through. It makes it a litle bit cold and unsensitive. We have to imagine too much about the relations between the two. So it makes the film slightly shallow and slow, in a word long.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Robert DeNiro's character of Jimmy Doyle is, without a doubt, the most unlikeable and downright despicable character in film history.

He (DeNiro's character) does absolutely nothing in the film's nearly three hour running time to in ANY way ingratiate the audience to himself. He's an absolutely horrendous human being in every single scene. (Honestly, Hannibal Lechter is more likeable than this guy...at least Hannibal had some charm and an occasional sense of humor.:)

Liza Minnelli is wonderful, however, as is the set design, cinematography and music. But you can't have a successful film when the audience despises one of the two main characters.