Heavy Traffic

1973
R
1h 17m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.

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Adult Animation Hand-Drawn Animation Satire Animation Comedy Drama

An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos2

Photos124

+ 118

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Half way into production as Bakshi was fired (before being re-hired). A different director stepped in and animated a train sequence in which Michael goes to visit his brother-in-law. He is on a subway and witness' a woman sleeping while two men begin to undress her. Michael just watches. As the woman wakes up, she screams "rape" toward Michael. This was in the original script, but was scrapped when Bakshi returned to the project, as he felt the scene was in bad-taste.

Quotes
[first lines]
Michael: What makes you happy? What makes you happy? Where do you go? Where do you go? Where do you hide? Where do you hide? Who do you see? Who do you see? Who do you trust? Who do you trust? Who do you screw? Who do you screw? What kills the pain? What kills the pain? Game up, game win. Bug around, set it straight. Transaction. Play it hard, hurts so bad. Gotta win. Everyone loses. Everything loses. Gotta win big. Sick and tired of losing. Where does it all go? Where does it all go? Where does it lead us? Where does it lead us? Tilt City, Pinball Alley. Blinkin' lights shot to Hell, fuck it all!

Alternate versions
In 1974, the film was cut and rereleased with an "R" rating, replacing the previous "X" rated version.

Connections
Edited from 42nd Street (1933)

Soundtracks
Take Five
Composition by Paul Desmond
Performed by Dave Brubeck Quartet
Courtesy Columbia Records

User reviews45

Review

Featured review

Can someone help me here?

Can anyone give me one single reason why anyone should watch "Heavy Traffic"? I think it may be the worst film I've ever seen, and I'm saying that without a shred of hyperbole.

First, the animation: I know a lot of people find it charming, but it stinks. Yes, there are a few good sequences and some clever parts, but 95% is just crude and terrible. It's something that would have been much better if put into live action. Why animate something when it would be easy to show it live?

Second, the story. Where the hell is it? An "underground animator" (how cliche) hates his life and then goes out to become a pimp? Are you kidding me? There is no semblance of plot or logic. I know it's a "fantasy world" and all but that doesn't forgive Bakshi of not having any kind of plot whatsoever. A pathetic excuse for a script.

Thirdly, the stereotypes. Gays, blacks, Jews, Italians, the handicapped, everyone is fair game. And while I wasn't offended by these creations per se, I just found them lazy and uninteresting. Is there anything that separates Bakshi's Jewish mother from any other stereotype of a Jewish mother that you've ever seen?

I found this film a complete waste of time.