Egotistical saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) and spirited USO singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) meet in Times Square on V-J Day and decide they’re meant for each other.
Slightly further down the line, Jimmy’s controlling, selfish nature is well to the fore, and Francine is turned into a doormat.
Then, when she’s accompanying him to an audition, her sensational voice is discovered, and her career begins to eclipse his – but at a high cost to their relationship.
Martin Scorsese’s follow-up to Taxi Driver was the most anticipated film of early 1977.
Scorsese meticulously recreated the musical scene in post-World War II New York – the late-night atmosphere, a whole new interweaving of poverty and wealth, and the big band numbers themselves.
He also dealt with the tough realism, for musicians, of life on the move: the tedium of the travelling and the one-night stands, with happier moments to be found in companionship, a card game, or a comfortable room for the night.
He also presented the reality that, not even in musicals, is there always a happy ending.
Francine Evans
Liza Minnelli Jimmy Doyle
Robert De Niro Tony Harwell
Lionel Stander Paul Wilson
Barry Primus Bernice Bennett
Mary Kay Place Frankie Harte
Georgie Auld Nicky
George Memmoli Horace Morris
Murray Moston Artie Kirks
Leonard Gaines Cecil Powell
Clarence Clemons Ellen Flannery
Kathi McGinnis Jimmy Doyle Jr
Adam David Winkler
Director
Martin Scorsese
Related Posts
Magic (1978) Failing magician Charles "Corky" Withers (Anthony Hopkins) suddenly hits the big time as a ventriloquist with a vulgar but outrageously…
Last Tycoon, The (1976) This unloved film from a late-career Elia Kazan is about a young movie producer making his way up the ladder…
Sting, The (1973) Quite clearly designed to exploit the successful teaming of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance…
Harder They Come, The (1973) Few soundtracks have changed the face of popular music more than the one for The Harder They Come, which single-handedly put reggae on…
Cabaret (1972) If you're willing to accept that the musical truly came of age with the arrival of Judy Garland at MGM,…
Nothing But The Best (1964) Humble estate agent's clerk Jimmy Brewster (Alan Bates) is determined to become a gentleman whatever the cost, and asks sleazy…
ABBA: The Movie (1977) Unashamed and supremely slick commercial for the group, maintaining a gentle air of self-parody while at the same time being…
Doll Squad, The (1973) 'The Doll Squad' is a specially trained group of women who kick butt for the American government. When a NASA…
