NEW YORK, NEW YORK Blu-ray Review

Arguably the most maligned yet least seen of Martin Scorsese's collaborations with Robert De Niro, NEW NORK, NEW YORK is an experimental odyssey by a director at the peak of his artistic powers, with access to more money and freedom than ever before. As is often the case with such works, the film was deemed a failure at the time of its original release, both by critics and audiences (it opened a week after George Lucas' STAR WARS), but nearly 35 years on stands up surprisingly well to critical reappraisal.

At once an appreciation and criticism of big studio musicals from the 1940s and 50s, NEW YORK, NEW YORK is also a profound meditation on Art and the power it wields over its creators and audience. Many of Scorsese's own preoccupations are explored through the story of singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) and her tempestuous relationship with jazz saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (De Niro) during the Big Band era. They are both so committed to their music and their craft that they struggle to make any commitment to each other. Heavily influenced by works such as THE RED SHOES and A STAR IS BORN, Scorsese asks how much an artist must sacrifice for his or her work and also whether they should focus their efforts on achieving commercial success or creating something more honest and challenging.  

Scorsese originally wanted to film NEW YORK, NEW YORK in 3-strip Technicolor and use a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, but technical limitations prevented that. What the film does employ, however, is an artificial look reminiscent of old studio pictures - sets, processed shots, bold colour schemes, projected backdrops etc. while in the foreground the actors were giving the kind of hyper realistic, improvisational performances pioneered by John Cassavetes and for which Scorsese was already associated. And then, of course, there are the musical numbers, not least the now seminal title song, which too many people fail to realize was written specifically for the film, as it did not make an impact until Frank Sinatra re-recorded it a few years later when it was assumed to be an authentic Big Band era tune.

De Niro is as dazzling and volatile as ever, while Minnelli more than holds her own in one of the few Scorsese films centred around a female lead. The direction is as ambitious and innovative as anything Scorsese ever made (chronologically it falls between TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL) and while it may not quite capitalize on its wealth of ambition, NEW YORK, NEW YORK should not be dismissed for its lack of gangsters or criminal sociopaths.  The film is a love song to the music, movies and artistic struggle that Scorsese holds so dear and to which he has dedicated his life and career.

Transfer:

This new Bluray transfer does a great job of cleaning up the film and getting the at times almost lurid colour scheme to pop on the screen. The image does look a little soft on occasion and there are visible spots and scratches that remain, but this is a marked improvement on the previous DVD release, especially considering Scorsese's deliberate attempts to make the film appear older than it was.

Extras:

Audio commentary with Martin Scorsese and film critic Carrie Rickey

Selected scene commentary by cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs

The New York Stories Part 1

The New York Stories Part 2

Liza on NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Alternate/Deleted scenes

Theatrical trailer

Teaser trailer

Everything from the 2004 Special Edition has been carried over to this release, with the exception of a photo gallery. There is an informative audio commentary by Scorsese, assembled from interview audio in which he details numerous different aspects of the production process as well as talking at length about specific films that inspired the film, its distinctive look and style and how the film was re-edited following a disappointing first run. These clips are spliced together by commentary from critic Carrie Rickey, although there are gaps to accommodate more important sequences of the film. The two-part New York Stories documentary covers the film's entire production through to its release, while the alternate/deleted scenes are an interesting look at the improvisation process Scorsese used with his actors.

New features include a recent reminiscence by Liza Minnelli and a brief scene-specific commentary by cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs (totaling about 10 minutes) in which he talks about the challenges of creating the film's deliberately dated visual aesthetic.

In conclusion:

This release is a great opportunity to revisit one of Scorsese's lesser-known but most ambitious films. While the transfer is not always perfect, it's still the best the film has ever looked or sounded and the disc includes a healthy selection of extras that put the production in its historical context and help viewers understand Scorsese's grand intentions. As Pauline Kael said at the time of the film's release, NEW YORK NEW YORK is an "honest failure", but one that has certainly ripened with age.

Bluray disc kindly provided by Deltamac, local distributors in Hong Kong for 20^th Century Fox, MGM, Warner Brothers and BBC Worldwide.