I had wanted to see "Sidewalk Stories" ever since I read a rave review of it from Roger Ebert over twenty years ago. But for some reason, the movie never got a release on video (at least in North America) right after its theatrical release. And when it finally got released on DVD a couple of years ago, all the video stores were gone. Fortunately, thanks to Turner Classic Movies, I finally got to see the movie, and it was well worth the wait. It's a brave movie, not only being a silent movie in black and white, but also that there are no title cards to tell us what the characters are saying or doing. There are a couple of moments when some written text would have cleared up things a little, but otherwise the movie is all the same very easy to follow. Charles Lane clearly boned up on the movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, because the movie really has the feel of many of those classic comedians' movies - though interestingly, Lane's movie is mostly serious in tone instead of being more comic. (Though there are some genuinely humorous moments here and there.) And while its main intent is to entertain, Lane does manage to make some effective statements on homelessness. A sex fantasy sequence does seem out of place, and the final scene - where we finally hear dialogue - also was a misguided touch. But apart from those minor quibbles and a few others, "Sidewalk Stories" is an independent film triumph that you'll remember for a long time.
Review of Sidewalk Stories
