The Cotton Club

1984
R
2h 9m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

20K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:16

2 Videos

99+ Photos

Crime Drama Music

Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

20K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 1 win & 8 nominations total

Trivia
When Francis Ford Coppola called up Bob Hoskins to offer him a part, the actor didn't believe it was really him. Coppola introduced himself, to which Hoskins replied, "Yeah, and this is Henry the fucking Eighth", and hung up.

Goofs
During the montage song Ill Wind there is a shot of coins and bills being poured out. The dimes in the shot are Roosevelt dimes, not produced until 1946.

Quotes
Vera: You've got about as much style as a bowl of turnips.

Crazy credits
In the original version, the opening credits were intercut with dancers performing "The Mooche." In the 2019 revision, the dancing is eliminated and the credits roll straight through, but have been joined with straight cuts rather than dissolves. Additionally, Coppola has changed his billing from "Francis Coppola" to "Francis Ford Coppola." Finally, restoration credits have been added after the end titles.

Alternate versions
In 2019, Lionsgate released a director's cut running 139 minutes, titled "The Cotton Club Encore". This version gave more space to the Williams brothers and Lila Rose, restoring three full musical numbers and extending others, and trimming scenes with impersonations of 1920s celebrities.

Connections
Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Soundtracks
How Come You Love Me Like You Do?
Written by Gene Austin and Roy Bergere

User reviews116

Review

Featured review

My Kind Of Movie

This is a great movie. I personally don't think the beautiful Diane Lane could be in a bad flick, she would make the worst one good. I was impressed with Richard Geres musical ability as he played his own coronet and sounded as good as anyone I've ever heard. The dancing was superb, the costumes beautiful and the plot authentic. It took me back to the great musicals of the forties and fifties. I was raised in the waning days of the era of this movie, the thirties, and I could almost hear my Dad talking about the evils of the big cities while we listened to the radio news of gangsters and shootouts. I would recommend this movie to anyone. I rate it 10/10.