''Sidewalk Stories'' is a 1989 American low-budget, nearly
silent movie directed by and starring
Charles Lane. The black-and-white film tells the story of a young African American man raising a small child after her father is murdered. The film is somewhat reminiscent of
Charlie Chaplin's 1921 feature ''
The Kid''. The film was televised by PBS as well as saw limited exposure on VHS and cable television in the 1990s.
In October 2014, ''Sidewalk Stories'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
Plot
An impecunious and homeless young black sidewalk artist in the Manhattan slums finds himself in charge of a three-year-old girl who has been orphaned. Though with severely limited prospects for being able to care for the precious and vulnerable child, the artist manages through pluck and luck to protect, shelter and feed her through a series of adverse events and adventures during which he displays a striking ingenuity and himself attracts a lover. The bond between him and the child grows in the course of these events until the artist sees a picture of the child on a milk carton in an ad by the child's widowed mother, to whom he returns the child, refusing the money she offers him. The film ends in a night scene at a street trash fire around which an assortment of bums and derelicts warm themselves in winter while panhandling passersby, conveying a message that there exists among the downtrodden an admirable nobility of spirit.
Cast
* Charles Lane - The Artist
* Tom Alpern - Bookseller
*
Darnell Williams- The Father
* Nicole Alysia - Child
* Edwin Anthony - Penny Pincher 1
* Michael Baskin - Doorman/Cop
* Jeff Bates - Police Officer 2
* Angel Cappellino - Bully's Mother
* Jeffrey Carpentier - Homeless Native American
* John Carr - S.O.B. Man
* Vince Castelano - Child Customer 3
* Jimmy Clohessy - Precinct Cop 2
*
Robert Clohessy - Alley Tough 1
* Sandye Wilson- Girlfriend
* Deena Engle - Park Mother 1
*
Ellia English - Bag Lady
*
Edie Falco
Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. A prominent figure in American television, she is known for her roles both on stage and screen and has received numerous accolades including four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe A ...
- Woman in Carriage
* Trula Hoosier - Mother
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
gives the film a rating of 79% from 42 reviews. The consensus summarizes: "''Sidewalk Stories'' sweetness is somewhat undermined by the movie's broad approach, but it remains a comedy with heart -- and something to say."
References
External links
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''Los Angeles Times'' review of ''Sidewalk Stories''''New York Times'' review of ''Sidewalk Stories''''Sidewalk Stories'' soundtrack (with audio samples) at Soundtrack.net
American silent feature films
Films based on short fiction
1989 directorial debut films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Charles Lane (filmmaker)
1980s American films
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