Directed by:
Francis Ford CoppolaCinematography:
Stephen GoldblattComposer:
John BarryCast:
Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Mario Van Peebles, Gregory Hines, Lonette McKee, Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Gwen Verdon, Maurice Hines (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Francis Ford Coppola's reconstruction of life in the famous 1920s Harlem jazz club stars Richard Gere as Dixie Dwyer, a trumpet player who saves a gangster's life and becomes unwittingly involved in the world of organised crime. Caught between the mobsters and the musicians, Dixie rubs shoulders with the likes of dancer Sandman Williams (Gregory Hines), club owner Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins), and tough guy Frenchy Demange (Fred Gwynne), all the while having a dangerous affair with gangster's moll Vera Cicero (Diane Lane). The film merges the musical with the gangster film and captures the period with detailed sets, lavish costumes, and a rich musical score. (StudioCanal UK)
(more)Reviews (3)
The Cotton Club Encore is set in a period of American prohibition, the rise and rivalry of organized crime in America in the 1920s and 30s, a period familiar to both the director and the audience. Various criminal types and motifs have already appeared on the screen, so The Cotton Club Encore cannot be original in that aspect. However, Coppola has a certain knack for choosing actors, except perhaps for Richard Gere, who is too sweet for a gangster film and it doesn't help that he can play himself - a successful Hollywood star who is supposed to play a crime boss in the movie. The melodramatic storyline of a woman torn between two men, love and pragmatic calculation, has long been terribly cliché. The film's strength, however, lies in the setting of the entertainment club with its ambitious dancers, musicians, and singers. The artistic numbers are not just a backdrop for wild shootouts and gang rivalries, they are a full-fledged part of the film and their protagonists create side storylines that complement the main plot. Thus, The Cotton Club Encore becomes a close relative to the cabaret, and the performances of the tap dancers and dancers earn The Cotton Club Encore a fourth star. Overall impression: 75%.
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Less Gere, more Hoskins. Less Lane, more Fishburne. Fewer women, more tough gangsters. Less singing, more violence.
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Francis Ford Coppola must be credited for capturing the era and jazz atmosphere excellently in this film, combined with essentially a classic mafia movie. It’s so classic that the story itself doesn't particularly stand out, and its highlight is mainly Richard Gere and his acting and musical abilities.
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