The Cotton Club

Rating the Encore Cut. This is one of the most unfocused films I've ever seen. Instead of showing scenes and emotions characters just talk about them. The dialogue is corny. The editing lets scenes go on in an odd way. The acting is inconsistent. It does a poor job of reconciling the themes and racial politics. And the song and dance numbers go on so long it seems like Coppola is filming a cosplay nightclub. It should only be screened to film students as an example of what not to do.

Coppola, always a capable craftsman, occasionally a deficient storyteller, fails to do much with "The Cotton Club", which has an interesting setting but ultimately derails. There are several gorgeous shots to distract from the practically nonexistent plot, totally uninteresting characters (Gere and Hines' lukewarm performances don't help much) and an annoyingly upbeat conclusion. Still, the aesthetically high production and the interesting backdrop are enough to make the film relatively decent.

A highly underrated and entertaining Jazz Age saga which serves as a showcase for a number of great talents. Beautifully shot, and while the tone bounces around a bit there's an infectious charm to the whole affair.

T.C.C suffers from a surplus of ideas. It's a gangster film and a musical; it wants to provide commentary on the relationship of crime films to the realities of mob life; it addresses racial discrimination to realistically evoke the mood of the period beyond surface aesthetics. Unfortunately, the result is an overly busy film whose story threads never truly cohere, but the use of montage is stunning, and its best moments make us wish that Coppola had located its narrative centre.

I felt that the film ran way too long, but the Gregory Hines' portion of the film is the where the film shines. I just wish that they didn't have to keep cutting back to Richard Gere as I found his stuff to be rather boring.

Score based on distant memory.

A lumpy vehicle, eventually costing $50 million, for some of the talents who made _The Godfather_ ten years earlier. Despite a few effective moments, a prime example of the careless extravagance which all but killed the film business.

Pleasantly stylish, but quickly forgotten.

watched Coppola's new Encore cut, which nudged this from Near-Masterpiece to Masterpiece. and also reminded me to add Bad Company: Drugs, Hollywood, and the Cotton Club Murder to my reading list.

Whilst the film is decent, it lacks that glitter to make it special.

Like Bugsy Malone - but with adults - it never really balances the music and gangster genres well enough for either of them to be satisfying...it's entertaining, but you soon tire of the extravagant dance sequences put together with somewhat extreme violence, considering the context and setting. Not the best work of anyone involved...could've been SO much better.

The club itself, or anyway the music it showcased (Cab Calloway doing his "Hi-di-hi-di-hi-di-ho" -- what else?), is strictly second fiddle to the hackneyed gangster plot. The one moment when the music world overlaps the underworld is, in a sense, memorable: a tap dancer in mid-performance neatly kicks the gun out of a gangster's hand without missing a tap.

(THE FOSSEFATHER)

This is rating the Theatrical Cut. I read that the Encore Cut is a different beast of its own. Make a page for it, you cowards. The final montage is fantastic but the rest is fine. Coppola's New York New York

I absolutely do not understand the critical reversal on this film due to the "Encore" version because I simply do not buy that this is a substantially different film from the theatrical release. I do understand that there's 20 more minutes, the majority of which extends musical numbers and provides more of the Gregory Hines/Lonette McKee plotline, but it's patently absurd to declare that the problem with the theatrical cut of this film was not enough music or not enough Gregory Hines.

69.500

Evocative, compelling examination of gangster life in the 20s. Stylistically, Coppola is at the top of his game, utilising gorgeous set design and cinematography, and wonderful eclectic cast, to recreate the era. But presentation of characters and story is weak, resulting in a hopelessly muddled narrative at times, to the point where it is difficult to ascertain the 'whys' of what's happening. Stunning dance sequences (and Hoskins' and Gwynne's wonderful double act) keep the film enthralling.

şaşırtıcı biçimde, sanki çok gangster filmi izlemiş aşırı hevesli bir sinefil yazmış gibi senaryosunu. bir dönem atmosferi yaratılıp orada birkaç karaktere - dönem filmlerini anımsatan biçimde ama daha üstünkörü- bir bakış olarak planlanmış gibi film fakat karman çorman, işlemeyen bir şey çıkıyor ortaya nihayetinde. coppola'nın harika kamerası var, gerisine yazık olmuş.

Consistently absorbing gangland/musical story. A real winner from start to finish. Hats off to Coppola

I can overlook its flaws (there are many) because I simply love gangster films. Still, this film could have been so much better, it's sad.

69.500

I've only seen the Encore cut but even in this by all accounts improved edition the spectacular production values and some very decent gangster scenes can't quite make up for the fact that the storylines don't quite crackle and pop as much ad they ought to.

69.000

Really liked it. Didn't really get anyhing due to being very stoned. Seemed really cheesy, though.