WATCH Stream The Cotton Club Online

Stream The Cotton Club Online.
It’s great to finally have this movie on video in the widescreen format. However, I am disappointed that the deleted scenes which were advertised here and on MGM’s official website are not on this DVD. It would have been nice to view them but I guess MGM decided not to release them at the last minute (perhaps a special edition DVD is in the works in the near future) or Coppola didn’t allow MGM to release them. Perhaps he’s planning to extend this film like he did with Apocalypse Now. Anyway, despite the missing deleted scenes, it’s great to see this film again in its original aspect ratio with the theatrical trailer which ironically has brief moments of scenes that were deleted from the film. The lines between jazz, bootlegging and race are blurred in Francis Ford Coppolas’s wonderful 1984 feature set during the late 20’s and early 30’s in Harlem, NYC at the world famous Cotton Club. At long last, MGM has finally released The Cotton Club on its “Contemporary Classics” series. What this means is that die hard fans will get a reasonably priced DVD in the widescreen format but with virtually no extras included. MGM is notorious for being stingy on their DVDs. The theatrical trailer is included. You can watch the film in French or read French or Spanish subtitles. Nice hard case but only a card listing the cast and a brief description of the film, no booklet. As for deleted scenes: well, there aren’t any. Unless you included a brief shot during the trailer or an exchange between Vince (Nick Cage) and Dixie (Richard Gere) in which Dixie asks “Why were you fighting niggers?” when he said “Why were you fighting the coloreds?” in the earlier version. This is not a restored version and the color has tinges of red from fade in indoor scenes, a few light scratches also visible. Still, one of the best movies ever. Wonderful musical scenes and a terrific cast featuring Gere, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Lonette McKee, and Gregory and Maurice Hines. Usually ragged on for costing too much (it lost money in the theatre and was the most expensive film for its time) but for first time viewers (and there are a lot of you out there), I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. A must have for lovers of the film, but we can only hope a restored director’s cut DVD with some of the many scenes that were cut from the film along with some commentary from the pricipals will be released in the future. Until then, enjoy this version and be wowed for 2 hours and 9 minutes