I went up to MAYSLES CINEMA tonight between 127th and 128th St on Malcolm X Blvd. and saw two documentaries- 80 Blocks From Tiffany's and Shotgun. They were screened in their upstairs and lower level theatre for a suggested donation of $1o.oo and were completely sold out. The films were followed by short panel discussions with the Directors and Cinematographers as well as people featured in the documentaries. I also noticed the presence of members of the Savage Nomads, the Gang that the documentaries were based on, in the audience.
The first film, 80 Blocks From Tiffany's, was directed by Gary Weis (who was present at the filming) in 1979. It is about an hour long, in color, and highlights members of the Gangs the Savage Nomads and the Savage Skulls, handling their stories lightly. This documentary contains mostly interviews of the Gang members, some footage from their daily activities, but also re-enactments of things they were known to do. There were also interviews with the police force that was responsible for South Harlem at the time.
The second flim, Shotgun, was directed by Steven Goodman in 1982. He was also present at the screening, as was his cinematographer, whose name escapes me. This film was done in Super 8 B&W film and was over dubbed, it was raw and gave a more dirty perspective of the actions and inter-weavings of the Gangs and their daily lives. It focused on 18 year old gang member, Shotgun, who lived the life of poverty and joblessness as did many people in Harlem at that time.
Both Documentaries were great and I will definitely be getting back to MAYSLES to see more contemporary social and political documentaries in the near future. Another great thing about going to Maysles was their house brew... SUGAR HILL Golden Ale from the Harlem Brewing Company. Not a hoppy beer by any means, as you might infer by it's name. The Golden Ale is sweet, caramel-ly and ends with a definite bite.
"Taste the Music"
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