New York, New York, September 1979

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (A)  (USA, 1977: director Martin Scorsese)

LIZA MINNELLI, ROBERT DE NIRO, LIONEL STANDER.  De Niro plays a tenor sax player, newly demobbed who hilariously picks up a Wac (Minnelli).  She turns out to be (what else?) a budding vocaliste whose style reminds you of every 40’s singer that ever was.  He’s a progressive in a world where Swing is still King, and it would seem that they were made for each other; but the film’s message, if I’ve got it right, is that they’re obviously not.  It takes 2 1/2 hours for the writers to tell us that this mismatched pair are really worlds apart – innovation versus rank commercialism, cool v. knock-’em-in-the aisles.  Although it’s not Scorsese’s best movie (one tends to lose patience with the screwy couple who miss and find each other, miss and find each other, miss and  . . . well!) it’s still well worth a view for the terrific musical content and a gem of a performance from Stander as Minnelli’s gravel-voiced agent.

(140 minutes)

Tickets for all performaces 70p and £1.00