Vagabond Shoes: "New York, New York" (1977) with Special Guest Brandon Davis

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I'm flying solo without Brad this week, so I called in film historian Brandon Davis to help me unpack Martin Scorsese’s flawed but brilliant masterpiece from 1977, "New York, New York" starring the one and only Liza Minnelli and Robert DeNiro. 

We get into why the movie shocks people on first watch: lavish MGM-style sets, painted-backdrop “Technicolor” vibes, and then suddenly two people fighting like it’s a bruising 1970s relationship drama. We talk about Scorsese’s improvisation-heavy process, how that creates both magic and mess, and why Minnelli’s performance is so unexpected when she starts as a tightly controlled big-band singer instead of the full-throttle star persona most people expect. Along the way, we break down the numbers that matter, especially “But The World Goes Round,” the restored “Happy Endings” sequence, and the blockbuster “New York, New York” concert moment that turns the whole film into a showbiz fever dream.  Finally, we address the elephant in the room; the odd but undeniable inspiration director Damien Chazelle took from Scorsese's brilliant film failure to create his mega-hit from 2016, "La La Land".

If you love classic Hollywood, Scorsese deep cuts, movie musical history, or character-driven storytelling, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a film friend, and leave a review, then tell us your verdict: is “New York, New York” a mess, a masterpiece, or both?

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