Scorsese's NEW YORK, NEW YORK out on DVD

[ghost of miles]

Re-posting this here, just in case it got lost in "Misc. Music."--or perhaps I'm the only one who's interested! Ah, well, "0 replies" threads keep ya humble:

Great coincidence... I was just checking on the DVD availability of Scorsese's NEW YORK, NEW YORK, because I'd like to show a clip or two from it in my forthcoming big-band class; and, lo and behold, it just came out a week or two ago!

New York, New York

I know this film has a rap for being too lengthy, having a flimsy storyline, etc.; but it really is in some ways a very good representation of the big-band era (and it had significant help from Georgie Auld and Ralph Burns). The DVD is midprice--if you're at all a Scorsese and/or big-band fan, I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

[neveronfriday]

Thanks for the heads up on this one. I was never such a big fan of the film, but my dad was. He saw its premiere performance I think in England - or wherever he was travelling around at the time - and really liked it. I remember he talked about it for quite a while. Since he doesn't buy much anymore, nor keeps up with recent (re-)releases, I think I'll buy him the DVD as a present. So, again ...

Thanks!

Now you are allowed to utter a big *phew* for getting at least one reply.

Cheers!

[patricia]

Another thumbs up for "New York, New York". Just put up with Liza Minelli. di Nero does his usual marvelous work and the big band soundtrack is worth the price of admission

Edited February 21, 2005 by patricia

[ghost of miles]

Now you are allowed to utter a big *phew* for getting at least one reply. 

PHEW!!!!!

Thanks, Deus and Patricia! I just ordered the DVD and the soundtrack--thinking about doing a program based around the movie. Did a check on the web--Georgie Auld plays an older bandleader (Frankie Harte) and Ralph Burns was indeed involved in arranging the score and writing some of the background music.

Edited February 22, 2005 by ghost of miles

[JSngry]

Auld played di Nero's sax parts too, iirc.

[ghost of miles]

Krin Gabbard has a 16-page essay on this movie in his book JAMMIN' AT THE MARGINS, a very good study of jazz in film. Evidently Scorsese was heavily influenced by a 40's noir flick The Man I Love, which was reissued on VHS in the early 1990s, but has yet to surface on DVD. (It involves a gangster's romantic pursuit of a torch singer.) Would be interesting to watch the films back-to-back.

Picture of DeNiro on the cover of Newsweek when NEW YORK, NEW YORK came out in '77:

[BERIGAN]

Auld played di Nero's sax parts too, iirc.

His sound sure changed through the years, didn't it???

[kinuta]

That's good news. I was so blown away with 'Taxi Driver' that I saw 'NYNY' on it's first day of release here in Tokyo. I couldn't understand the bad press it started getting.Maybe I benefited in seeing it on the big screen ( as was intended).

Another reason might be that in the old pre video, pre internet days, movies were something to look forward to and savour with re-viewing possible after a few months when they hit the rerun cinemas. Maybe they really were ' the good old days' Who knows.

[ghost of miles]

Auld played di Nero's sax parts too, iirc.

His sound sure changed through the years, didn't it???

That's interesting, Berigan... I haven't heard any later Auld, though I now have quite a bit of 1940-51 material (and am considering picking up the CC 1951-1953 comp). I'll be curious to hear him when the DVD & st arrive... I saw this film many years ago, when I didn't even much care for jazz (gasp!). Will be great to watch it again now that I'm such a fanatic...

[ghost of miles]

Just got the soundtrack to this in the mail--no chance to listen yet, but in addition to Auld, here's a list of guest soloists:

Trumpets: Snooky Young, Conte Candoli, Warren Luening

Trombones: Chauncey Welsch, Jim Cleveland (our man Jimmy!)

Saxes: Jerome Richardson, Bob Tricarico

Clarinet: Abe Most

Piano: Russ Freeman

Bass: Jim Hughart

Drums: Sol Gubin, Bill Lavornia

Some artists in there certainly well-known to this board.