Heavy Traffic [DVD]

Ralph Bakshi is a saint and a lover

I remember very well the effect this film had on me right after leaving the theater; everywhere I looked on the drive home, people looked like cartoons. In Heavy Traffic, animation artist Ralph Bakshi presents us with a look at life in the early 70s (late 60s?), city style .... and this city is gritty, not entirely pretty ....Michael Corleone (not the only reference to other popular films of the times) scribbles away at his drawing board while his Catholic father and Jewish mother wage Armageddon outside his door. He finds comfort and release seeing the world as an absurd, psychotic cartoon. Pretty much a loner, his main connection to the outside world is a black bargirl named Carol who works right downstairs from him and slips him drinks for his entertaining sketches. An unfortunate incident with a drag queen associate costs Carol her job, and she and Michael end up out on the streets together, since he can't seem to make ANY sort of job situation come together. They form a sort of hustling alliance, with him as her pimp, and they nosedive into dark urban realms of the quick buck and the inevitable personal compromises involved.All this is interposed with images of live city backdrops and numerous references to a pinball game. Ralph Bakshi's animated vision is a moving work of underground pop art which, despite limitations, was a groundbreaking achievement that pushed the frontiers of American animation thousands of miles. I can see the influence of this film (and Bakshi's work in general) on the likes of Matt Groening, Don Bluth, and yes, even parts of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.Heavy Traffic is dark, rude and dangerous. At times it has an almost experimental feel, moving at a stream of consciousness pace more than any conventional narrative. Its portayal of characters is raw and extreme, has an exaggerated sort of believability to it. It also has the feel of a semi-autobiography, with its portayal of a creative misfit struggling against the odds for survival, if not personal validation.This very personal work goes places other animations of the time wouldn't even consider, was rated X at the time of its original release, and was re-released very shortly afterward in a lightly watered-down R-version. The recent DVD release appears to be a restoration of the original artwork, is a nice clean print, despite the full-frame format and mono soundtrack. It would be nice to see this touched up with a slightly refurbished soundtrack (it IS animation, after all); at the same time the compressed sound lends to the quaint sort of 70s feel to it, creating an air of nostalgia rivaling that of The Iron Giant. And these guys weren't even trying!My appreciation for this special film has not diminished over the years; indeed, I understand it a bit more as an adult. It captures the dark, skewed out, surrealistic beauty of the urban underbelly, delivers some nasty bellylaughs, shows us the world as an oversized cartoon arcade game, and reminds us that all we can do sometimes is just keep playing that game. Even if we do end up getting our head blown off by a paraplegic midget on a skateboard. This stuff happens .......

Considering it's a Bakshi film it being a little odd is to be expected, but this? This is one of the strangest cartoons out there, literally like a night of boozing and doing LSD. The biggest drawback is that there's almost no plot. The main character is in an arcade, he's a somewhat talented cartoonist, and while playing a game of pinball he sorta trips out into this fantasy world where it's mostly live action, partly cartoon, and the whole setting of this is in the disturbed 1970's NYC where gangs of punks, lowlifes, pimps, prostitues, cheap sex and the like are at their worst. You'll see the glits and glamor of New York, but mostly the darker side will abound ranging from dirty slums, delapidated abandoned buildings, swanky bars, allies overrun with mafioso, and corrupt cops and almost anything inbetween. The plot is very basic. The cartoonist trips out, then he meets his friend Carol, and they go and get together and do something (totally unknown what it is but it's apparent at the end.) The movie basically throws the plot out the window and focuses in on dazzling you with a gritty, grainy animation style Bakshi and his crew are now famous for while a barely noticeable plot is slows peiced together in about an hour and sixteen minutes. As a matter of fact, you could almost say that the biggest 'plot' of all is to amaze you with the bloody, gory and sexually provocative tidbits of this film while some patches of actually story were thrown in.This film goes against the grain of your average movie, but executes it in a very wonderful unforgettable way. I guess it all boils down to personal taste with this one. I can see someone wanting a great movie with an all star cast and an engaging plot dismissing this as pure rubbish, but someone simply looking for a film with a truly remarkable bag of neat tricks would give think it was an unloved masterpiece.I would most certainly give another look at a Bakshi production! Totally an awesome movie!

ITEM was on time and was exactly what the doctor ordered.

I saw Heavy Traffic in a sale promo from Amazon. It was a 2 for $10 sale and I ordered six pairs. I checked each one to be sure what I was ordering. The version of Heavy Traffic shown on Amazon was the 77 minute X-rated version. What I received was the 76 minute R-rated version. I wanted the X-rated version only as a collection item so the R version was useless to me.I used the automated refund/replace Amazon process and was promptly given a return label. I hadn't even gotten that mailed when the replacement arrived... only it was a replacement, it was the same thing. I called (having lost faith in automated anything) and had to explain over and over what the problem was. Finally got a "we'll look into it and get back to you within 24 hours". I've had nothing but good experience with Amazon in the past so expect this to be resolved well. Otherwise you'll see another scathing post from me in a few days in all caps.As for the movie, I recall it being rather dark and crude. It is animation mixed with live action in an unusual way, nothing like Who Killed Roger Rabbit. For 5 or 6 bucks, it's worth seeing for uniqueness, as long as material doesn't bother you.

One of my favorite films of all time. I came across this gem a while back and fell in love ever since. I purchased it and lent it out to never be seen again (and I dont remember who borrowed it, to be honest). This movie was worth it to purchase again. It's a psychedelic trip into the mind of a guy who grew up in the rough and tumble world of New York, complete with comedy, tragedy, and deep philosophic notions. Heavy stuff here, not for the faint of heart,

Im a Ralph Bakshi fan, even though his work will seem quite primitive and basic in todays modern comparisons.However, there is a certain style which he incorporates in his work that I find fascinating and watchable - and the story lines are quite adult in their nature - remember 'Fritz The Cat' well this is his follow up film using the same topics - drugs, sex, violence, etc. with dubbed dialog from live conversations of actors which seem quite erratic in their delivery but works in this format he developed back in the seventies.Collected most of his work, some of which are superior to others - Lord Of The Rings - part one - not one of his best, however, 'Heavy Traffic' is definitely one of his better films, along with 'Fritz The Cat', and 'American Pop'.This one is an American import which seems to be the only way of purchasing a copy, and they can be quite expensive due to the rarity of the film on DVD, so probably a multi-region player is needed to play disc.However, managed to find a copy at a very good price - a quarter of the price most sites were asking.

If you were born in the 50s or 60s and have (shall we say) an alternative sense of humor youl love this cartoon its a bit in the viene of fritz the cat (I loved that too) similar release time. Not for everybody but great for the discerning viewer lol :)

A lot of stylized elements in this film, more so than any other Bakshi pic I would say. Yet ironically, it's probably one of Ralph's most 'human' films as well. (possibly a little autobiographical?) Sure, some of the characters are WAY over the top, stereotypical, and violent beyond reason. But there's a sense that it's the perception of Michael throughout trying to make sense of it all. And though it starts off that Michael maybe this unfortunate kid doomed by his surroundings and perceived as a 'geeky virgin'. The viewer quickly learns Michael is fairly comfortable in his own skin, and at ease - if not controlling of his surroundings. And though the pinball segments get a little long and redundant, it reinforces the point that it's all 'controlled chaos'. And that the character of Carol is the (pardon the pun...) 'free ball' that Michael has been given and has to make the most of in the end. And dare I say a rather 'Kubrickian' ending at that. Has Mike and Carol really escaped the imaginary reality that brought them together. Or are about to leave the predictable surroundings for a surreal adventure? And not to sound totally melancholy, but there's a sense of happiness and joy either way for the characters at the end. Didn't think Ralph could ever touch me like that? But in this case, I won't be pressing charges against him. LOL

Though, I usually watched family-oriented animated films; but I guess, I am like wholesome vs taboo. I first encountered Ralph Bakshi's films when I was a teenager - I don't know how old. I started with "The Lord of The Rings," then "Wizards," that film became my favorite Bakshi film. And then I watched on YouTube : "Fire & Ice," "Cool World" (live action/animated), and this film "Heavy Traffic." Well anyway, Heavy Traffic is a film which begins, ends, and occasionally combines with live-action, explores the often surreal fantasies of a young New York cartoonist named Michael Corleone, using pinball imagery as a metaphor for inner-city life. In the film, New York has a diseased, rotten, tough and violent atmosphere. Michael's Italian father, Angelo "Angie" Corleone, is a struggling mafioso who frequently cheats on Michael's Jewish mother, Ida. The couple constantly bickers and try to kill each other. Michael ambles through a catalog of freaks, greasers, and dopers. Unemployed, he dabbles with cartoons, artistically feeding off the grubbiness of his environment. He regularly hangs out at a local bar where he gets free drinks from the female black bartender, Carole, in exchange for the sketches from the somewhat annoying Shorty, Carole's violent,legless barfly devotee. One of the regular customers at the bar, Snowflake, a nymphomaniac transvestite, who gets beat up by a tough drunk who has only just realized that Snowflake is a man in drag and not a beautiful woman. Shorty throws the drunk out and the bar's white manager abusively confronts Carole over this and she quits. Shorty offers to let Carole stay at his place, but not wanting to get involved with him, Carole tells Shorty that she's staying with Michael, and that they've been "secretly tight for a long time." Michael is turned on by her no-nonsense attitude and strong sense of self-reliance. This relationship arouses his father's racist fury as well as the jealousy of Shorty. Michael moves out of his parents' house and tries to make a living, often failing...OH! that's all I could tell you folks, you will have to see the film for yourself how it ends. I like Carole for her sassy, no-nonsense attitude. I love it how she told Michael off, after she told Shorty about her and Michael. So overall, I enjoyed this film, and also the film's soundtrack too, with the sounds of Chuck Berry ('Maybellene') and The Isley Brothers ('Twist & Shout').

First I must say that this is one of my favorite films of all time - I was a little worried that it would be the r rated version, but luckily like the dvd it is the fully uncensored X rated original edit!The bluray is in widescreen aspect ration, a major plus over the dvd and vhs releases - beautiful remaster, still has that dark 70's look but nicely cleaned up. The audio is in glorious original mono which is way better in my opinion than a "fake" 5.1 remix.No special features, not even a chapter screen - just this beautiful piece of art. Bakshi in all his glory.