Paradise Alley

"The Carboni Boys. They haul ice, lay out stiffs and dance with monkeys."

1978 1h 47m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 164

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three Italian-American brothers, living in the slums of 1940's New York City, try to help each other with one's wrestling career using one brother's promotional skills and another brother's con-artist tactics to thwart a sleazy manager.

“The Carboni Boys. They haul ice, lay out stiffs and dance with monkeys.”

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Cast

Sylvester Stallone
Cosmo Carboni
Lee Canalito
Victor Carboni
Armand Assante
Lenny Carboni
Frank McRae
Big Glory
Anne Archer
Annie
Kevin Conway
Stitch
Terry Funk
Frankie the Thumper
Joyce Ingalls
Bunchie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sylvester Stallone
Writers: Sylvester Stallone
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sylvester Stallone, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bill Conti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Eve Newman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sylvester Stallone and Lee Canalito and Armand Assante carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Carboni Boys. They haul ice, lay out stiffs and dance with monkeys.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0078056 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sylvester Stallone directs. László Kovács behind the camera. Bill Conti scores. Eve Newman cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Sylvester Stallone, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Bill Conti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Eve Newman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sylvester Stallone and Lee Canalito and Armand Assante carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The Carboni Boys. They haul ice, lay out stiffs and dance with monkeys.".
7IMDB entry: tt0078056 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 21 themes, including "dancing", "prostitute", "sibling relationship", "italian american".

The technical file

Cinematography: László Kovács
Original score: Bill Conti
Editing: Eve Newman
Production design: John W. Corso
Makeup / hair: Michael Westmore
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $7,185,518
Return: 120% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Paradise Alley (1978)

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Sylvester Stallone

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Community reviews

What people are saying

The Parsi Prince2016-04-07
★ 9/10
* Paradise Alley marks the Directorial Debut of Sylvester Stallone. It is a highly under-rated period piece, set in 1940's Hell's Kitchen, (where Stallone was born in New York), about the three Carboni brothers and the sibling rivalry they endure against the backdrop of professional wrestling. * Featuring a breath-taking opening sequence involving rooftops with parkour-like free running and Cinematography by renowned DP László Kovács (F.I.S.T.) It also has an amazing soundtrack by Bill Conti of Rocky fame with the title track, "Too Close to Paradise" sung by Sylvester Stallone. There are also songs by Frank Stallone, Jr and Tom Waits. * There is a tender story of romance, fraternal exploitation and familial redemption. There are some famous wrestlers like Dory and Terry Funk (Over the Top). * It co-stars Armand Assante (The Lords of Flatbush and Judge Dredd) and Golden Gloves Champion Lee Canalito, as well as Godfather to Sage Stallone, Joe Spinell (The Godfather 1 & 2, Farewell My Lovely, Rocky 1 & 2 and Nighthawks). * Very Notable as Old Glory is Frank McRae (F.I.S.T., Rocky II and Lock Up) who is strong, empathic and full of pathos. Director John Landis (Deathrace 2000 and Oscar) uses an homage in Trading Places (1983) with Eddie Murphy copying Cosmo Carboni (Stallone) as a disabled war vet begging on the streets of Philadelphia, complete with the Rocky statue. The only negative is the use of racial slurs that spoils what would have been a masterpiece. This is similar to a rant in The Lords of Flatbush four years earlier, which is a shame.

Production companies