Stations of the Elevated
Stations of the Elevated (1981) is a 45-minute city symphony directed, produced and edited by Manfred Kirchheimer. Shot on lush 16mm color reversal stock, the film weaves together vivid images of graffiti- covered elevated subway trains crisscrossing the gritty urban landscape of 1970s New York, to a commentary-free soundtrack that combines ambient city noise with jazz and gospel by Charles Mingus and Aretha Franklin. Gliding through the South Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan – making a rural detour past a correctional facility upstate –Stations of the Elevatedis an impressionistic portrait of and tribute to a New York that has long since disappeared.
SPECIAL DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
Limited edition - only 500 made available
Disc One:
- New interview with director Manfred (Manny) Kirchheimer
- Writer’s Bench– new video discussion about graffiti in the film with artist Lee Quinones (Lee) and artist/historian David (Chino) Villorente
- Stations Locations – video update
- Film Treatment and Script Notes (downloadable PDF)
- Old Timers Day at 5Pointz – artists come together to paint a legendary wall
- A Brief History of Manfred Kirchheimer – short video by one of Kirchheimer’s many students
Disc Two:
- THE NEW YORK FILMS – COLOSSUS ON THE RIVER (1965), CLAW (1968), SHORT CIRCUIT (1973), BRIDGE HIGH (1975)
- New interviews with director Kirchheimer about each short film