Heavy Traffic
| Heavy Traffic | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Written by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Produced by | Samuel Z. Arkoff Steve Krantz |
| Starring | Joseph Kaufmann Beverly Hope Atkinson Frank Dekova Terri Haven Mary Dean Lauria |
| Cinematography | Ted C. Bemiller Gregg Heschong |
| Edited by | Donald W. Ernst |
| Music by | Ed Bogas Ray Shanklin |
Production company | Steve Krantz Productions |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Italian Yiddish |
| Budget | $950,000 |
| Box office | $1,500,000 (US/ Canada rentals) or $2.3 million |
Heavy Traffic is a 1973 American live-action/adult animated drama film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film, which begins, ends, and occasionally combines with live-action, explores the often surreal fantasies of a young New York City cartoonist named Michael Corleone, using pinball imagery as a metaphor for inner-city life. Heavy Traffic was Bakshi and producer Steve Krantz's follow-up to the film Fritz the Cat. Though producer Krantz made varied attempts to produce an R-rated film, Heavy Traffic was given an X rating by the MPAA. The film received largely positive reviews and is widely considered to be Bakshi's biggest critical success.