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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Heart of New York remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for pre-Code New York grit or just want to see how early talkies tried to handle immigrant stories, sure, give it a go. It’s definitely not for folks who need a tight, punchy script, because this thing wanders all over the place. If you get bored easily by domestic bickering and 1930s business jargon, maybe skip it.
Mendel is the kind of guy who would annoy you to death in real life. He’s always borrowing money for “the next big thing,” and you just want to shake him. Aline MacMahon is the real gravity holding this whole thing together, honestly. She plays Zelda with a sharp, tired edge that feels way more modern than everything else in the room.
The whole plot hinges on this clunky invention, and the way the business partners swoop in is so slimy it’s almost funny. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Hello Baby!, where everyone is chasing a buck and losing their minds in the process. Once the money hits, the movie loses its soul a little, which is probably the point, but it's still frustrating to watch.
There’s this one scene where they’re arguing over the contract, and the camera just sits there, feeling like it’s waiting for someone to actually say something human. It didn't quite land for me. It felt stiff. Almost like they were reading off cue cards held just out of frame. Awkward.
It’s not perfect. It’s not even close. But there's something honest about how Mendel messes up his own life just because he can't stop tinkering with things that don't need fixing. 🛠️
I left the movie thinking about Zelda. She’s the only one who seems to actually understand what’s happening, even when she’s caught up in the madness. The ending felt a bit tacked on, honestly. Like they realized they had to wrap it up before the reel ran out.