I first discovered the films of Ralph Bakshi when I was a teenager, with FRITZ THE CAT, Bakshi’s take on the infamous R. Crumb character. It really didn’t matter that the subject matter was over my head; it was an X rated cartoon—the film had Saturday morning-cartoon-type characters doing nasty and sexual things and that is all that mattered. It wouldn’t take me long to seek out more films by this intriguing director. Soon after I would discover, what I consider Bakshi’s masterpiece, COONSKIN (aka STREET FIGHT), and this time it had an affect on me—rather than just entertainment via nasty imagry (which COONSKIN also had—in spades…no pun intended), I felt like I was seeing something meaningful, with powerful subtext that was hidden under a crusty layer of urban stereotypes and over-the-top sex & violence. It was then I realized that this Ralph Bakshi guy was not just appealing to my adolecent tastes for sleaze, but he was indeed a talented writer and director. Before long I was able to track down Bakshi’s string of top-notch animated films released between 1972 to 1983 such as HEY GOOD LOOKIN’, WIZARDS, FIRE & ICE, AMERICAN POP and the movie I’m taking a look at right now, HEAVY TRAFFIC.
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HEAVY TRAFFIC is a tale about an introverted young artist named Michael Corleone (yes, Michael Coreleone), a struggling underground artist in New York City in the early 1960’s (or late 50’s, the film is kind of vague about the timeline). His Italian Dad is a violent and misogynistic-aging-guido-gangster-wanna-be, his overprotective Jewish Mother is an unhappy housewife, and Michael himself is a 22 year old virgin. He spends a lot of time on rooftops hanging out with his guido friends (?) and a crazy ass black guy named Moe. He also frequents the rooftop of one of the local bars and sends the sexy female bartender, Carole, drawings for free beer. Oh yeah, Carole is also black and one tough bitch with hips that don’t quit. Michael ends up hooking up with Carole under some unusual circumstances, which involve a ‘roided up legless bouncer named, Shorty (cute), who is obsessed with Carole. Before you know it, Michael becomes Carole’s pimp (if not somewhat reluctantly) and the film takes many dark and twisted turns, but it wouldn’t be a Bakshi film if it didn’t.
I realize I sort of half-assed summed up the plot in one paragraph, but that truly is the bulk of it. Linear storylines have never been Bakshi’s style though. So between the story of Michael and Carole, we get some trippy musical interludes (the bit with Chuck Berry’s “Mabeline” is a treat), live action mixed with animation (a Bakshi trademark, that he would perfect in later films) a few sub-plots about a tranny prostitute, Michael’s father’s dealings with his mistress and the mob, and a very clever bit about God which is the highlight of the film. The only way to full appreciate Bakshi’s films is to get absorbed in them, rather than just watching them. The art, while crude, makes his films truly special. It’s no real surprise that Bakshi cut his teeth making kids cartoons for Terrytoons, the makers of such low-budget cartoon gems as Heckle and Jeckle and Mighty Mouse, or what I loving refer to has ghetto ‘toons. You know, the kind of cartoons that you would find on UHF channels back when there were UHF channels. Bakshi’s animation always looked like Saturday morning Hanna-Barbara cartoons mixed with Zap Comix—so it’s not surprising Bakshi’s first film would be FRITZ THE CAT, obviously R. Crumb had a big influence on him.
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While I like HEAVY TRAFFIC (because I love looking at the world through the eyes of Ralph Bakshi), it’s not really his best film, or even close. Not that it’s a bad film, in my humble opinion, Bakshi never made a ‘bad’ film, but it is certainly not one of his best. For one, the film’s flow is a little apeshit—even for a Bakshi movie. It also lacks brilliant performances by the actors, unlike COONSKIN and WIZARDS, which were enriched by the performances of the actors. More than anything, the upbeat ending, which seemed tacked on, is the films biggest disappointment for me. For all I know the film’s ending is the way Bakshi wanted, but it just seems like one of those endings that studio heads demand when a film ends on a severe down note, which HEAVY TRAFFIC should have had. The ending, which is live action with actors portraying Michael and Carole, seems rushed (there isn’t any dialogue and for the most part it is kind of confusing). Like I said, maybe Bakshi meant it to be that way, but I think the film would have been more powerful if ended on the downbeat.
If you’re a fan of any of Ralph Bakshi’s other films and you have not checked out HEAVY TRAFFIC, I recommend it. If you’ve not yet stumbled into to Bakshi’s world of freaks, sleaze, and violence, HEAVY TRAFFIC is probably not the place to start. I say go for COONSKIN, FRITZ THE CAT, or WIZARDS. If you dig those, certainly give HEAVY TRAFFIC a try. Lastly, if you’re offended by racial stereotypes (which includes ALL races)—just stay away from Bakshi’s films all together.
HEAVY TRAFFIC trailer