New York, New York

Snubbed: Liza Minnelli

Dir. Martin Scorsese. 1977, U.S. 163 mins. 35mm. With Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli, Lionel Stander, Mary Kay Place, Diahnne Abbott. Scorsese’s ode to classic MGM musicals marked a departure for him, combining his gritty hard-boiled realism (he had just made Taxi Driver) with a celebration of the surreal artificiality of Hollywood. Undoubtedly one of the director’s masterworks, the film brilliantly depicts the difficulty of a marriage between two independent creatives, and Scorsese pushes the story of the doomed relationship between a jazz singer and a saxophonist into dark, exhilarating territory. The final half hour, when Scorsese gives the film over to pure movie musical magic, makes for one of his most sustained feats of grand filmmaking. Bringing it all home is Minnelli, in an emotionally astonishing performance that may be the equal of her Oscar-winning work in Cabaret, but was shamefully unnominated—as was, unimaginably, the now-classic title song, written for the film by Minnelli’s frequent collaborators Fred Ebb and John Kander.

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.