HARLEM NIGHTS

US, 1989, 115 minutes, Colour.
Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello, Della Reese, Stan Shaw.
Directed by Eddie Murphy.

Harlem Nights has three credits for Eddie Murphy before the title. Then there is his role as executive producer, writer and director as well as star. It is very much an Eddie Murphy film. It is also geared to the black audiences of America who responded to it with great enjoyment. It captures the black spirit, black humour, black cursing and the enjoyment of verbal fights. It also re-creates Harlem in the 1930s, shows the blacks going up against the white gangsters and winning. It also shows a black champion in the boxing ring conquering the Irish contender (with some satire on black and white relationships as the whites stand and cheer the Irishman then sit abruptly while the blacks stand and cheer their champion).

The film has a harder edge than some of Murphy's other comedies - especially in the killings. While the film is comic, there is a serious edge to some of the deaths, especially for Murphy's own character, which is not quite as relaxed and humorous as in previous films. However, he does give a softer edge to the character played by Richard Pryor. There is a good assortment of black comedians led by Redd Foxx. The whites are represented very well by Danny Aiello as the epitome of a corrupt cop and Michael Lerner as Bugsy, the Harlem gangster.

It is familiar material from the gangster films and from Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club. However, it gives a black perspective on these events, characters, attitudes and behaviour. The musical score is by Herbie Hancock (Round Midnight).

1.New York settings, the black clubs, gangsters? A piece of black Americana?

2.The work of Eddie Murphy - production, writing, direction? Acting? His comic skills? His verbal dexterity? The plot, the characterisations? The hard edge? The echoes of American racism?

3.New York 1918, 1938? The nights, the streets, the clubs and buildings? Dark and smoky? The songs and Herbie Hancock's jazz score?

4.The prologue and its tone? Quick, the young boy, the club, Ray, the gambling, Benny and his glasses, the threat of the black man with the knife, Quick shooting him dead? The results?

5.The strength of the humour, the black culture, black style? The importance of language, swearing and verbal interactions?

6.Ray, his small club, outside the law, the gambling? The attack and Quick shooting the attacker? Adopting him as his son? The twenty years, going up in life, his candy shop, the big club, his relationship with his staff? Prospering? The comic touches? Benny and his need for glasses? Vera and the girls, her being shot by Quick? The visit of Cantone to his house? The verbal sparring, the pretences? Cantone's threats? Cantone's return and arresting the clientele? Ray bailing everyone out with a gift? His relationship with Quick, their discussions of policy? The Cantone threat? Dominique and her visit to the club? Small and his visit to the club? The champ? The plan for the scam, the details, the execution, thinking ahead? The execution of the change-over of the money? Trapping Cantone, putting him in the bank vault? The end, getting out of New York? A future? Richard Pryor's comic style and his genial presence? A balance to Eddie Murphy's harder edge?

7.Eddie Murphy as Quick, the two sides of his character - tough and humorous? In the club, his work, suave, meeting Dominique and attracted? His tongue and his swearing, verbal abuse, humour? The clash with Vera, the fist-fight, shooting her toe? His later apologising? Cantone's threat and his reaction? His theory of who you shoot rather than how many you shoot? His attraction towards Dominique, the contact, the date, Bugsy's presence? Bugsy's offer and his refusal? Small's death and his discovery of the body? The pursuit by Small's brother, the humour, the shooting? The three shots and three dead? Dominique, the sexual encounter, the gun under the pillow, his killing her? The preparation for the scam, his participation in it, his threat to Cantone, putting him in the bank vault? The humour and the edge?

8.Benny, the old man, his experience, the gambling, not having glasses and people complaining? His going along with the plot? The happy ending?

9.Vera, her size, the girls, the fight with Quick, the shooting of her toe? Her sentiment, a softy at heart? The final misleading of Bugsy?

10.The club, life at the club, the gambling, the music, the dancing? The staff and their style? The patrons?

11.Bugsy and his size, relationship with Dominique, ruthlessness, smashing his henchman's hand, ordering deaths and the slitting of Small's throat? Relying on Cantone? The dinner with Quick and inviting him to the job? His discussions with Dominique and setting her onto Quick? News about the fight, the bet? The blasting of his club? The robbing of his money? The final set-up and the explosion? The picture of the white gangster?

12.Dominique, her relationship with Bugsy, the attraction towards Quick, the dinner, the night encounter, sex, business, death?

13.Cantone and his visit to the house, the corrupt cop, smile and irony? Threats to Ray? Going to the club, sneering? The arrests? Going to Bugsy, the news about the bet? His following Quick and Ray during the scam? His superior attitude, the irony of his being caught, in the vault, the small breaths?

14.Richie as the bagman, the group setting Sunshine on him, the encounter in the bar, his believing everything, the relationship, his separation from wife and kids, picking up the money, taking Sunshine along, the arrest, going to Bugsy and being called a moron?

15.The world of Harlem in the '30s? Sympathies, values? A picture of black America in Harlem?