Flipper City

Original title: Heavy Traffic

1973
16
1h 17m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.

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99+ Photos

Adult Animation Hand-Drawn Animation Satire Animation Comedy Drama

An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.An underground cartoonist contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his art.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos2

Photos124

+ 118

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Half way into production as Bakshi was fired (before being re-hired). A different director stepped in and animated a train sequence in which Michael goes to visit his brother-in-law. He is on a subway and witness' a woman sleeping while two men begin to undress her. Michael just watches. As the woman wakes up, she screams "rape" toward Michael. This was in the original script, but was scrapped when Bakshi returned to the project, as he felt the scene was in bad-taste.

Quotes
Moe: Hey, It's Michael Corleone! What's you doin' now?
[makes pigeon noises]
Moe: What's you doin' now?
Michael: Hey, crazy man! How come you're not down in your basement?
Moe: Well, I, I came to kill your pigeon, boy.
Michael: Ah, that's bullshit, Moe, you're probably peekin' down at the ladies.
Moe: Yeah! My peekin' days long shut down, Michael.
[sadly]
Moe: I ain't there no more. I just ain't there.
[plays his harmonica]
Michael: Ah, you're just a crazy nigger, Moe. Just a goddamn crazy nigger.
Moe: We's all niggers, boy! Ha ha! You an' me, just goddamn crazy niggers! We's all niggers boy. Most of us don't know it yet.
Michael: [passing a joint to Moe] Hey, listen, you want some of this shit?
Moe: Even your pigeon's a nigger! Ha ha ha ha ha! That's why I'm gonna kill him.
Michael: Moe, you ain't gonna do shit!
Moe: Moe: I just ain't there. Every - everybody plays like they there... but they ain't there. I ain't there. Your pigeon ain't there! He flies high like he there, but he don't fly 'less you open that cage. And he got to come back 'cause he's trained to! He ain't there.

Alternate versions
In 1974, the film was cut and rereleased with an "R" rating, replacing the previous "X" rated version.

Connections
Edited from 42ème rue (1933)

Soundtracks
Take Five
Composition by Paul Desmond
Performed by Dave Brubeck Quartet
Courtesy Columbia Records

User reviews45

Featured review

9/10

A Lost Animated Gem

Heavy Traffic is only known by the hardcore Ralph Bakshi fan base and the occasional art house folk, but not by much else. Its probably due to its notorious stamp of an X rating and its inclusion of countless ethnic stereotypes that led to its obscurity. Don't be fooled, this is not a porno. It was only given the rating due to its raunchy humor, which back in 1973 was considered too edgy for the masses. It's no different than what Family Guy is doing now on network television. As far as the racism is concerned, it's brutal, but outdated. Every ethnic person In the film represents a familiar joke or stereotype of the time. Now, the movie itself is a triumph. Truly an underestimated piece of artistic genius from one of the greatest minds that has ever drawn a cartoon. Ralph pours his culture, anger, sadness, laughter and happiness into every frame of this film. Almost to a biographic extent. He considers it his favorite project, and its obvious why. From the music, to the animation, Heavy Traffic proves that its more than a cartoon, but a microcosm of urban life in the cruelest decade to live in it. If you can get past it's lack of political correctness, it's a great flick.