Rooms on Film: Carlito's Way

This is a brief one (and mildly NSFW), but I just love it. New York stories are one of my favorite film genres. Maybe that isn't a bona fide genre, but a good New York City film is a very special something. Those are movies that allow you to feel the city, to believe you're really there. On my short list: Desperately Seeking Susan, Girlfight and Beat Street. To name a few. 

And then there's Carlito's Way...

it was the '70s and he was just out of prison and gail was still available, and they really did love each other

I saw this in the theater as a college student. Gangster flicks are not my thing, but this one won me over. Because it's really about a decent man trying to be happy with his love. And his lady love is a workaday jane, a dancer/stripper, who lives in a little one bedroom downtown. Rundown, crappy, sparsely furnished in the rattan style of the day...

There are very few images available from this movie at all. I considered getting a copy and screencapping the apartment myself, but they'd be pretty small. My skills are pretty basic there. So, I pulled together what was available on the web. Too bad there isn't more of the bedroom and kitchen.

From this view, the bedroom is exactly how I recall the era. Cool and chic equaled loungy and comfortable.  With the music and the clothes, it reminds me of being a little kid in the late '70s. The styles seem spot on with the homes of my relatives and friends at the time, especially my vivacious aunt who moved around a few different states.

This is the best shot of the livingroom. Those dining chairs are back in vogue, but I just remember them as being kinda everywhere in the disco era. Love that thick shag rug in the bedroom. And the rattan...vanity? Also fantastic. 

Maybe I'm not romantic enough, but no way in hell would I have lit candles that close to my bed.

Wherever this apartment is, bet that mirror and sink are still in it.

Carlito and Gail: Beset by problems, but willing to keep dreaming despite harsh reality.

"Woman, wrap me in your arms. Rock me, Ba-by..."