What’s a good way for Martin Scorsese fans to wait out the release of the director’s next narrative feature, “Killers Of The Flower Moon“? How about Scorsese’s latest musical doc, “Personality Crisis: One Night Only“? Scorsese co-directs with David Tedeschi for a movie that’s part concert film, part biopic, with New York Dolls frontman David Johansen as the main attraction.
An intimate January 2020 cabaret performance at NYC’s Café Carlyle sets the stage for “One Night Only,” which sees Johansen regale his audience with music and stories about his time in the ever-evolving New York City music scene. A Staten Island native, Johansen migrated to the East Village in the late ’60s, where he helped from the influential proto-punk glam band The New York Dolls. In the ’80s and beyond, Johansen also helped usher in the swing revival as Buster Poindexter and remade the blues in the ’90s with the Harry Smiths. Johansen had some film roles, too, including “Scrooged,” “Let It Ride,” and “Freejack.”
Here’s some more info on “Personality Crisis: One Night Only”:
Scorsese and David Tedeschi, working with frequent collaborators, cinematographer Ellen Kuras (American Utopia) and producer Margaret Bodde, capture the entertainer’s luminous Cafe Carlyle set, where he performs as his alter ego Buster Poindexter singing the songs of David Johansen, bringing downtown irreverence to this storied uptown joint. Presented alongside new and archival interviews, including several filmed by his daughter Leah Hennessey, the concert is marvelously intimate and a testament to both a lost New York and a gifted performer/raconteur who remains as provocative as ever.
“Personality Crisis: One Night Only” had its world premiere at the 2022 New York Film Festival. The Playlist’s review from the festival says, ““Personality Crisis” pulls off the neat trick of serving as an introduction for us newbies while providing new insights and footage for the fans,” grading the doc a B+.
Showtime premieres “Personality Crisis: One Night Only” exclusively on April 14, from Imagine Documentaries and Sikelia Productions. Scrosese serves as producer on the film alongside Bodde, Justin Wilkes, and Sara Bernstein. Executive producers include Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Mara Hennessey, Rick Yorn and Vinnie Malhotra.
Watch a trailer for “Personality Crisis: One Night Only” below.
