Martin Scorsese To Premiere David Johansen Doc At NYC Film Fest
Martin Scorsese is to premiere his new documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only at the 2022 New York Film Festival. The film focuses on a special 2020 concert by New York Dolls frontman David Johansen.
The feature will be co-directed by Scorsese and his long-time collaborator David Tedeschi. The pair teamed up with cinematographer Ellen Kuras to tell the story of Johansen’s January 2020 performance at Café Carlyle in New York City. The concert was one of a string of shows the musician undertook as his 80s “hepcat lounge lizard” alter ego, Buster Poindexter.
Speaking in a recent statement, Scorsese said: “I’ve known David Johansen for decades, and his music has been a touchstone ever since I listened to the Dolls when I was making Mean Streets.
“Then and now, David’s music captures the energy and excitement of New York City. I often see him perform, and over the years I’ve gotten to know the depth of his musical inspirations. After seeing his show last year at the Café Carlyle, I knew I had to film it because it was so extraordinary to see the evolution of his life and his musical talent in such an intimate setting. For me, the show captured the true emotional potential of a live musical experience.”
According to a statement, the film will take an intimate biographical look at Johansen, beginning with his upbringing on Staten Island and his arrival in New York’s East Village in the late 60s as a teenager.
It’s a busy time for Scorsese. The acclaimed director also has the Western drama, Killers Of The Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jesse Plemons, due in 2023. The film is written by Eric Roth and adapted from the best-selling novel Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann.