THE
COTTON CLUB ENCORE (1984)
Starring
Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, James Remar,
Bob Hoskins, Fred Gwynne, Nicholas Cage, Maurice Hines, Allen
Garfield, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits, Julian Beck, Gwen Verdon and a slew of other familiar faces.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. (139 min)
ON
BLU-RAY FROM LIONSGATE
Review
by Mr. Paws😸
On
the heels of Lionsgate’s massive, beautifully-packaged Apocalypse Now Final Cut boxed set comes another restoration of a Francis
Ford Coppola film. This time it’s 1984’s The Cotton Club,
a film bedeviled by production issues, budget problems and lawsuits
before ultimately being released to an indifferent audience.
While
this extended cut – running some 20 minutes longer – doesn’t
approach the greatness of Coppola’s holy trinity (the first two
Godfathers & Apocalypse Now), it’s one of his
better post-’70s films and certainly worth rediscovering. I vaguely
recall seeing it on cable back in the day, and to be honest, it
didn’t leave much of an impression. On the other hand, The
Godfather didn’t either at the time, though today it’s one of
my all-time favorites.
Some
films take multiple viewings to appreciate and revisiting The
Cotton Club decades later is an interesting experience. It
remains one of Coppola’s most thinly-plotted films, taking place in
and around Harlem’s most famous nightclub over the course of
several years. Part gangster epic, part musical, part love story,
it’s the mob elements that are the most intriguing, a combination
of real and fictional characters. Those segments are vintage Coppola,
especially the entire final act, a masterfully-assembled medley of infectious musical numbers and violent mayhem.
 |
| "I saw that. You blinked first!" |
Less
engaging are the two other major plot threads involving musician
Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere), struggling tap-dancer “Sandman”
Williams (Gregory Hines) and the women they’re courting, mainly
because we’ve seen it all before. However, Dwyer’s tumultuous
‘friendship’ with short-fused mobster Dutch Schultz (James Remar)
has its moments, especially once Dwyer’s younger brother, Vincent
“Mad Dog” Coll (Nicholas Cage), finds work as one of Schultz’
enforcers.
Speaking
of Cage, one of the more fascinating aspects of revisiting The
Cotton Club today is its absolutely huge cast of both familiar
faces and those whose careers were just starting to take off. And
keep a sharp eye out for the likes of Mario Van Peebles, Giancarlo
Esposito, Jackée Harry, Woody
Strode, Joe Dallesandro, Mark Margolis, Ed O’Ross and James Russo,
all in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bit parts. Doing a shot every time
you spotted a recognizable face in a tiny role would make a hell of a
drinking game.
Though
not one of Coppola’s classics, The Cotton Club is better
than I remembered and this extended version makes it easier to
appreciate what the director was ultimately trying to do. Considering
it’s just-now coming out on Blu-ray for the first time, the disc is
pretty light on bonus material. However, the restoration – retitled
The Cotton Club Encore – does the music and imagery justice.
If nothing else, the film deserves the audience it never had in 1984.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
INTRODUCTION
BY FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA – Though it doesn’t precede the movie
itself.
THE
COTTON CLUB ENCORE Q&A – Live interviews with
Francis Ford Coppola, Maurice Hines & James Remar at Lincoln
Center. Coppola is sort of a Chatty Cathy.
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.
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