The Cotton Club Encore
2.5/4
Starring: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, James Remar, Gregory Hines, Lonnette McKee, Bob Hoskins, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Fred Gwynne, Gwen Verdon
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the original cut was rated R (probably for Graphic Violence, Strong Language and Sexuality)
What sets "The Cotton Club Encore" apart from most other films is that its central focus is a place rather than a person (or animal, or whatever). A lot of stuff happens to the rouge's gallery of mobsters, hopeful stars, femme fatales and other sorts who show up in this sort of movie. But there's no one central character. They and their stories are simply the comings and goings of the people who work at or visit The Cotton Club.
The film takes place at the tail end of the Roaring Twenties. In Harlem, the place to be was The Cotton Club, which featured the best of the best singers, dancers and entertainers. Their customers were the creme de la creme of Harlem society (or those who wanted to appear that way). It was also a host to the local mob scene, which included the likes of Owney Madden (Hoskins) and the psychotic Dutch Schultz (Remar). Newcomers to the scene include Dixie Dwyer (Here), an out of work musician who by chance becomes under the employ of Dutch and falls for Dutch's mistress, the sultry Vera Cicero (Lane), and Sandman Williams (Hines), a dancer who pines for the bound-for-stardom singer Lila (McKee).
These two stories are told in tandem, although they are related only by The Cotton Club. Of the two, the budding romance between Sandman and Lila is more interesting. Hines is positively charming with an infectious energy that makes him instantly likable, and he has solid chemistry with the lovely Lonnette McKee. The gangster melodrama with Gere and Lane isn't bad per se, but we've seen this story before. Many times. The actors are good (Lane is almost completely unrecognizable), but neither captures the screen like Hines. The best performance is given by James Remar, whose performance as Dutch is actually menacing. Incidentally, "The Cotton Club" features Laurence Fishburne in a cameo as Bumpy Johnson, a part he recreated years later in "Hoodlum," where he did battle with Dutch Schultz.
The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who will be forever known for five films: "Apocalypse Now," "The Conversation," and of course, "The Godfather" trilogy. "The Cotton Club" is largely forgotten, and it's not hard to see why. Coppola brings his trademark visual sense and expressive style, but the characters are not all that compelling and the film has a narrative that is at times choppy.
What the film does right is recreate a time and place. Harlem around the time of Black Friday has been brought to life on screen by Coppola and his cast and crew. Many films take place in different time periods, but not like this. It isn't just the costumes and cars that create this illusion. It's the details, the idiosyncrasies, and the energy that make the effect so convincing. The dance scenes in particular create the kind of energy that one feels seeing live performances. I just wish that Coppola had used more interesting people to explore it.
The version of "The Cotton Club" widely available now is not the same one that was released in 1984. The film's backers wanted a shorter film with a different structure, which he agreed to. But in 2015, Coppola found a cut of his original version on Betamax. He spent two years and $500,000 of his own money to restore it. The results are mixed. Usually, the film looks great (credit must go to Stephen Goldblatt, who did the cinematography on the film), but there are definitely times where there is a noticeable difference. Occasionally it's downright ugly.
Ultimately, the failings of "The Cotton Club Encore" have less to do with the restoration and more to do with the lack of quality in the most basic areas of filmmaking. I applaud its unique approach and visual dazzle, but ultimately the film just isn't very interesting.
Starring: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, James Remar, Gregory Hines, Lonnette McKee, Bob Hoskins, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Fred Gwynne, Gwen Verdon
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the original cut was rated R (probably for Graphic Violence, Strong Language and Sexuality)
What sets "The Cotton Club Encore" apart from most other films is that its central focus is a place rather than a person (or animal, or whatever). A lot of stuff happens to the rouge's gallery of mobsters, hopeful stars, femme fatales and other sorts who show up in this sort of movie. But there's no one central character. They and their stories are simply the comings and goings of the people who work at or visit The Cotton Club.
The film takes place at the tail end of the Roaring Twenties. In Harlem, the place to be was The Cotton Club, which featured the best of the best singers, dancers and entertainers. Their customers were the creme de la creme of Harlem society (or those who wanted to appear that way). It was also a host to the local mob scene, which included the likes of Owney Madden (Hoskins) and the psychotic Dutch Schultz (Remar). Newcomers to the scene include Dixie Dwyer (Here), an out of work musician who by chance becomes under the employ of Dutch and falls for Dutch's mistress, the sultry Vera Cicero (Lane), and Sandman Williams (Hines), a dancer who pines for the bound-for-stardom singer Lila (McKee).
These two stories are told in tandem, although they are related only by The Cotton Club. Of the two, the budding romance between Sandman and Lila is more interesting. Hines is positively charming with an infectious energy that makes him instantly likable, and he has solid chemistry with the lovely Lonnette McKee. The gangster melodrama with Gere and Lane isn't bad per se, but we've seen this story before. Many times. The actors are good (Lane is almost completely unrecognizable), but neither captures the screen like Hines. The best performance is given by James Remar, whose performance as Dutch is actually menacing. Incidentally, "The Cotton Club" features Laurence Fishburne in a cameo as Bumpy Johnson, a part he recreated years later in "Hoodlum," where he did battle with Dutch Schultz.
The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who will be forever known for five films: "Apocalypse Now," "The Conversation," and of course, "The Godfather" trilogy. "The Cotton Club" is largely forgotten, and it's not hard to see why. Coppola brings his trademark visual sense and expressive style, but the characters are not all that compelling and the film has a narrative that is at times choppy.
What the film does right is recreate a time and place. Harlem around the time of Black Friday has been brought to life on screen by Coppola and his cast and crew. Many films take place in different time periods, but not like this. It isn't just the costumes and cars that create this illusion. It's the details, the idiosyncrasies, and the energy that make the effect so convincing. The dance scenes in particular create the kind of energy that one feels seeing live performances. I just wish that Coppola had used more interesting people to explore it.
The version of "The Cotton Club" widely available now is not the same one that was released in 1984. The film's backers wanted a shorter film with a different structure, which he agreed to. But in 2015, Coppola found a cut of his original version on Betamax. He spent two years and $500,000 of his own money to restore it. The results are mixed. Usually, the film looks great (credit must go to Stephen Goldblatt, who did the cinematography on the film), but there are definitely times where there is a noticeable difference. Occasionally it's downright ugly.
Ultimately, the failings of "The Cotton Club Encore" have less to do with the restoration and more to do with the lack of quality in the most basic areas of filmmaking. I applaud its unique approach and visual dazzle, but ultimately the film just isn't very interesting.
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