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 Elevated is an impressionistic portrait of and tribute to a New York that has long since disappeared.

DVD Extras: 
- A Brief History of Manfred Kirchheimer: short video by one of Kirchheimer's students (6mn 50s)
- Interview with director Manfred Kirchheimer (21mn 04s)
- Old Timer's Day at 5Pointz: artists come together to paint a legendary wall (8mn 14s)                    
- "Stations" Locations: including extra outtake footage and images (9mn 17s)
- Writer's Bench: video discussion about graffiti in the film with artist Lee Quinones (Lee) and artist/Historian David (Chino) Villorente (29mn 40s)