THE "EL" SEEN BY KIRCHHEIMER, BRAKHAGE, & PENNEBAKER (1981)
Directed by Manfred Kirchheimer
45 minutes
Lyrical and contemplative this 45-minute wordless tone poem to elevated trains creaking by in northern Manhattan, the Bronx, and upstate is set to ambient city soundscapes and the gutbucket gospel squall of Mingus and Aretha Franklin. STATIONS is not only stunning, but it's the first-ever film about graffiti, from "throw-ups" to "whole-cars" in gorgeous 16mm reversal, and is a meditation on the power of the image. Gorgeous. A CINEMA CONSERVANCY RELEASE