ON THE BOWERY, Restoration of legendary early New York independent film with special guest speaker January 21, 2011

Showtimes: Fri-Sun at 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00; Mon-Thu at 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00 (valid 1/21-27)
IN PERSON: Daniel Rogosin, son of ON THE BOWERY director Lionel Rogosin, speaks on Friday, January 21 at 7:30 & 10:00 shows.
Tickets available at: http://www.landmarktheatres.com/tickets and theatre box office.

ON THE BOWERY (1957) is Lionel Rogosin’s legendary early New York independent film, shot on location in downtown streets, and now in a new 35mm restoration. ON THE BOWERY will be shown with THE PERFECT TEAM, a 45-minute account of the making of the film by Rogosin’s son Michael, with new and archival footage, and visits to The Bowery then and now. New York, the 50s, stark, sharp, beautiful black and white: men sleeping on the street, on park benches, in doorways (one reading an old Esquire stretched out on a pushcart); men being rousted by the cops, being kicked out of bars, arguing at the top of their lungs; men listening to patently sincere pep talks from recovered drunks at the mission, marking out their spots on the floor for the night with newspapers, looking up through the chicken wire ceilings over their beds at the flophouse: three days in the life of straight-from-the-road Ray Salyer, still good-looking and well spoken, a new arrival on the Bowery. Taken in hand by old-timer Gorman Hendricks, a puckishly charming bull slinger, Salyer goes on two benders, quits twice, hops on a truck for a day job, but finally states, “Me, I only care for one thing.”

Wealthy scion of a major fabrics firm (and later owner/operator of the Bleecker Street Cinema), Lionel Rogosin found himself drawn to world injustice, then, starting close to home, spent six months hanging out on the Bowery and environs (parts of which included today’s SoHo), often under the tutelage of Hendricks, a cirrhosis of the liver sufferer who held off from a fatal last bender until the end of filming. Shooting for four months with cameraman Richard Bagley (The Quiet One), Rogosin staged scenes improvised from a sketchy story line, alternating with sequences taken by hidden cameras — all with non-professional Bowery denizens. The result: Best Documentary, Venice Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, along with critical attacks from the likes of Bosley Crowther and Clare Booth Luce for showing the dark side of America.
http://www.ontheboweryfilm.com

National Society of Film Critics - Film Heritage Award Winner

“A quintessential chunk of New York history... Closer to an underground movie than cinema vérité. The final montage of this classic human document is an unanswerable j’accuse: scores of life-battered faces staring down the camera.”
– J. Hoberman, The Village Voice



“Balances gritty documentation with obviously scripted interludes, affirming that the greatest nonfiction films aren’t a question of nominal objectivity, but morality. A must-see for anyone who cherishes the old soul of New York.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times 



“Living history captured with such fortune and care that there's no sign of decay after 50-plus years.”
– Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

“FIVE STARS! Lionel Rogosin’s devastating survey of the legendary ’hood returns for a welcome encore.” – David Fear, Time Out New York

ON THE BOWERY is 67 minutes; THE PERFECT TEAM is 45 minutes; the entire program is 112 minutes. It is not rated.