Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

mark.waltz The Storyville section of New Orleans is notorious in history, and here is a valiant attempt to document its tale. It appears that young wealthy members of New Orleans society are determined to enjoy the influence of ragtime and that oncoming scandalous music called jazz. The elders of society are opposed and it ends up with Storyville being closed down. But that doesn't stop the rage of ragtime and the joy of jazz from spreading nationwide, and after taking Chicago by storm, it does just that.Arturo de Cordova is the proprietor of a New Orleans establishment and that distracts socialites Marjorie Lord and Dorothy Patrick. Looking very much like Ava Gardner in "Show Boat", Patrick plays a socialite whose obsession with de Cordova turns her to a daily fixture at these establishments, makes her a lush, and ultimately destroys her life. Lord's mother (Irene Rich) doesn't want her daughter to waste her time on de Cordova, and tries to bribe him into leaving Lord alone. Lord makes it big in symphonies around the world, while de Cordova continues to spread the joy of the music until he makes it to New York where Lord happens to be appearing. Among those performing the music are Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday who lead a rousing number, "Goodbye Storyville" and appear in the lavish finale.While there are obviously some missing or false details, "New Orleans" is a fascinating look back at a den of iniquity usually confined on the screen to the waterfronts of New York, San Francisco and Chicago. This isn't a great film by any means, but simply a pleasant look at a piece of history worth dramatizing in further detail.

tennen-asso Louis Armstrong and his band (African American), along with Billie Holiday (African American and she plays a maid who just happens to also be a singer!) originate "jass" (later in the plot renamed jazz) in this film. The (white) club owner sponsors them--until he becomes a music manager and lo and behold--his big jazz act becomes Woody Herman and his band (all white). By the end, Billie Holiday, Satchmo, and the rest are replaced as crusaders for this new music by the blonde heroine of the movie (white), a full symphony orchestra (all white), and the Woody Herman band as symbols of the acceptance of jazz into proper American music circles. The movie ends with the latter crew triumphantly and oh-so-blandly performing a song they learned from Satch and the gang, although we never do find out what happened to them! That said, the movie is an important jazz history artifact--Satchmo and Lady Day and their fellow musicians are incredible.

artroraback New Orleans is an entertaining but dated little film. Set in 1917 jazz and ragtime music are frowned upon by decent society. When a young classically trained singer falls for Nick Duquesne the self proclaimed "King of Basin Street" her mother and polite society will stop at nothing to close Basin Street and chase Nick out of town. Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday appear and in particular this is a must for Louis Armstrong fans. This film is in the style of 1950's and 60's rock and roll movies. Corny but entertaining.

tom-362 I was just a kid when I saw this at a midnight movie in Columbia, Missouri. Being a jazz fan I couldn't wait to see my jazz heroes. I'd like to say it was a good movie, but it was a bomb. . The story was corny. What little music there was I found to be excellent. Not only Satchmo, but there was Billie Holiday who played a maid (them's were the times). I have never seen this film on TV. Hollywood could have done a better job on this one. Still - it's worth the few moments of good New Orleans jazz.