Stations of the Elevated (1981) - full transcript
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.
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Metal Clangs ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Squeaking ]
[ Machinery Revs ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Whirring Continues ]
[ Whirring Stops ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Train Wheels Rattling ]
[ Train Horn Blows ]
[ Train Horn Blows ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Spray Can Hissing ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Clattering ]
[ Clatters ]
[ Dogs Barking In Distance ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Dog Barking In Distance ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Dog Barking In Distance ]
[ Horn Blows In Distance ]
[ Man On Radio ] Once again, 79-262-804-49--
[ Man #2 ] 81-311. 81-311. [ Man #1 ] 806-80.
[ Man #2 ] 81-311. 81-67. [ Man #1 ] 81-724.
[ Man #2 ] 81-897. 82-615. [ Man #1 ] 82-256.
[ Man #2 ] 82-410. 82-690. [ Man #1 ] 82-616.
[ Man #2 ] 82-619. [ Man #1 ] 82-63.
[ Man #2 ] 82-623. [ Man #1 ] 82-63.
[ Man #2 ] 83-280. [ Man #1 ] 82-823.
[ Man #2 ] 83-288. 83-390.
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Screeching Continues ]
[ Screeching Continues ] [ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing In Distance ]
[ Birds Squawking ]
[ Squawking Continues ]
♪♪ [ Up-tempo Jazz ]
[ Men ] ♪ Ha! ♪
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah, oh, yeah! ♪
♪ Oh, yeah! ♪
♪♪ [ Man Scatting ]
♪♪ [ Scatting Continues ]
♪ Ah, oh, yeah! ♪♪
[ Brakes Screech ]
[ Train Horn Blows ]
[ Whistle Blowing ]
[ Train Wheels Rattling ]
[ Whistle Blows ]
[ Rattling ]
[ Engine Sputters ] [ Jackhammer Drills ]
[ Train Horn Honking ] [ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Men Arguing, Indistinct ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Train Horn Honking ]
♪♪ [ Up-tempo Jazz ]
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah! ♪
[ Whistle Blowing ]
[ Train Horn Honking ]
♪ Yeah! ♪♪
[ Train Wheels Rattling ]
[ Siren Wailing In Distance ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
♪♪ [ Man Scatting ]
[ Chattering ]
[ Boy ] Oh, Johnny's Bruce Lee! Johnny-- [ Laughing ]
[ Clattering ]
[ Boy #2 ] See you after.
[ Boy #1 ] Why don't we talk to her?
[ Clattering ] [ Boys Shouting ]
[ Boy #2 ] Hi, Mama!
[ Boy #3 ] Who's Johnny's sister?
[ All Laughing ]
[ Boy #1 ] Get off.
[ Indistinct ]
[ Boy #4 ] God, he already jumped.
[ Boy #2 ] I told you one time, we were coming out the potty.
[ Boy #5 ] So they're flying down.
[ Boy #3 ] I know you gonna blow-- [ Boy #2 ] I'm gonna die!
I'm going to tell 'em the time, man.
[ Siren Wailing In Distance ]
[ Boy #1 ] I said jump and get over there and y'all slide down.
[ Boy #3 ] Johnny can't jump from there over there.
[ Boy #1 ] Oh, yeah? I can.
[ Clattering ] [ Wailing Continues ]
[ Boy #1 ] Let's go. [ Indistinct ]
[ Jackhammer Drilling ]
[ Man On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Car Horn Honking In Distance ]
[ Drilling Continues ]
[ Man On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Boy #1 ] Yo, yo, get up. Get up.
[ Boy #5 ] Like that, and he fucked it up.
[ Boy #1 ] I looked up, and I saw cops keep walking by,
and I walked in. [ Boys Laughing ]
[ Boy #1 ] Saw Tiyo and a bunch of his friends on the side.
[ Boy #3 ] Oh, that Tiyo pissant. You know Tiyo?
That beat you. CHDC.
Oh, there it is. [ Boy #5 ] "T" to "B."
[ Boy #3 ] I never seen that one.
[ Boy #2 ] Nasty.
Check it out. That shit's bad.
[ Boy #4 ] That slave got a piece. Slave is busting out.
That shit's all right. Whoo.
Yeah. They messed that bad boy up with all that paint on it.
What, that one? Yeah.
[ Chattering ]
Yo, shit. Kit got a piece.
Yeah, that Kit was all right. It wasn't nothing special, you know.
Nah, but the icing looks good.
Look at that.
Oh, Jay, look at Kit. Look at that one.
He's getting a lot of pieces on this line.
Yo, I got one on the window. Check out this rag on the window.
It's all right. Oh, that's nice. That's a nice one.
There it goes. Ah, the old fed. Damn.
Oh, look at CH right there. [ Boy Laughs ]
Oh, yeah, we bombed this whole car on the inside.
[ Brakes Screeching ] [ Air Brakes Hissing ]
Yo, that slave piece was def, man. That dude's busting out.
[ Man On PA ] Woodlawn, last stop.
Nobody's king of this line yet.
[ Brakes Screeching ]
Some of my best piece, I burned it on the B's--
we buffed that shit.
[ Man On PA ] Woodlawn, last stop.
[ Wind Whistling ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Man On PA ] Woodlawn, the last stop.
[ Man #2 On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Man #3 On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Chatter On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Man On PA ] All right, they're stopping. Get off the train.
[ Hissing ]
[ Sirens Wailing In Distance ]
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Sirens Continue ]
[ Sirens Stop ]
[ Gunshots ]
[ Man ] Everybody clear away from this floor now.
Let's go. Move it out, everybody.
♪♪ [ Up-tempo Jazz ]
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah! ♪
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah, yeah! ♪♪
[ Woman Sobbing ] [ Siren Wailing ]
[ Bell Ringing ]
[ Sobbing Continues ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Horn Blows ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Spray Can Hissing ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing In Distance ]
[ Spray Can Hissing ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing In Distance ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Man On PA ] Twenty-eight out of-- come in.
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Men Chattering ]
[ Train Horn Honking ]
[ Engine Sputtering In Distance ]
[ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Man ] ♪ Oh, yeah Oh, yeah, Jesus, I know ♪
♪ 'Cause I know ♪
♪ You know I've been wrong Yeah, I have ♪♪
[ Woman ] ♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Now I ♪
♪ I see ♪
[ Applause ]
♪ Through ♪
♪ Through ♪ [ Applause Continues ]
♪ Through ♪
♪ Through ♪ [ Woman ] Yeah!
♪ Through me now ♪
♪ Jesus ♪
♪ Oh, Jesus ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Whoo, oh, Lord, oh ♪
♪ And say ♪
[ Man ] Come on, Aretha.
♪ Don't you know it? ♪
♪ And that same That same old grace ♪
♪ He loves, he loves ♪
♪ I want the world to know that he loves ♪
♪ He loves, he loves, he loves ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ His great love ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪♪
[ Man ] ♪ Oh, yeah, I know ♪
♪♪ [ Scatting ]
♪ Oh, yeah, I know ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, I know ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
[ Woman ] ♪ Yeah ♪♪
[ Applause ]
[ Choir ] ♪ Amen ♪♪
Closed-Captioned by Captions, Inc., Burbank, CA
[ Metal Clangs ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Squeaking ]
[ Machinery Revs ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Whirring Continues ]
[ Whirring Stops ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Train Wheels Rattling ]
[ Train Horn Blows ]
[ Train Horn Blows ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Spray Can Hissing ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
[ Machinery Whirring ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Clattering ]
[ Clatters ]
[ Dogs Barking In Distance ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Dog Barking In Distance ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Dog Barking In Distance ]
[ Horn Blows In Distance ]
[ Man On Radio ] Once again, 79-262-804-49--
[ Man #2 ] 81-311. 81-311. [ Man #1 ] 806-80.
[ Man #2 ] 81-311. 81-67. [ Man #1 ] 81-724.
[ Man #2 ] 81-897. 82-615. [ Man #1 ] 82-256.
[ Man #2 ] 82-410. 82-690. [ Man #1 ] 82-616.
[ Man #2 ] 82-619. [ Man #1 ] 82-63.
[ Man #2 ] 82-623. [ Man #1 ] 82-63.
[ Man #2 ] 83-280. [ Man #1 ] 82-823.
[ Man #2 ] 83-288. 83-390.
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Screeching Continues ]
[ Screeching Continues ] [ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing In Distance ]
[ Birds Squawking ]
[ Squawking Continues ]
♪♪ [ Up-tempo Jazz ]
[ Men ] ♪ Ha! ♪
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah, oh, yeah! ♪
♪ Oh, yeah! ♪
♪♪ [ Man Scatting ]
♪♪ [ Scatting Continues ]
♪ Ah, oh, yeah! ♪♪
[ Brakes Screech ]
[ Train Horn Blows ]
[ Whistle Blowing ]
[ Train Wheels Rattling ]
[ Whistle Blows ]
[ Rattling ]
[ Engine Sputters ] [ Jackhammer Drills ]
[ Train Horn Honking ] [ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Men Arguing, Indistinct ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Train Horn Honking ]
♪♪ [ Up-tempo Jazz ]
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah! ♪
[ Whistle Blowing ]
[ Train Horn Honking ]
♪ Yeah! ♪♪
[ Train Wheels Rattling ]
[ Siren Wailing In Distance ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
♪♪ [ Man Scatting ]
[ Chattering ]
[ Boy ] Oh, Johnny's Bruce Lee! Johnny-- [ Laughing ]
[ Clattering ]
[ Boy #2 ] See you after.
[ Boy #1 ] Why don't we talk to her?
[ Clattering ] [ Boys Shouting ]
[ Boy #2 ] Hi, Mama!
[ Boy #3 ] Who's Johnny's sister?
[ All Laughing ]
[ Boy #1 ] Get off.
[ Indistinct ]
[ Boy #4 ] God, he already jumped.
[ Boy #2 ] I told you one time, we were coming out the potty.
[ Boy #5 ] So they're flying down.
[ Boy #3 ] I know you gonna blow-- [ Boy #2 ] I'm gonna die!
I'm going to tell 'em the time, man.
[ Siren Wailing In Distance ]
[ Boy #1 ] I said jump and get over there and y'all slide down.
[ Boy #3 ] Johnny can't jump from there over there.
[ Boy #1 ] Oh, yeah? I can.
[ Clattering ] [ Wailing Continues ]
[ Boy #1 ] Let's go. [ Indistinct ]
[ Jackhammer Drilling ]
[ Man On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Car Horn Honking In Distance ]
[ Drilling Continues ]
[ Man On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Boy #1 ] Yo, yo, get up. Get up.
[ Boy #5 ] Like that, and he fucked it up.
[ Boy #1 ] I looked up, and I saw cops keep walking by,
and I walked in. [ Boys Laughing ]
[ Boy #1 ] Saw Tiyo and a bunch of his friends on the side.
[ Boy #3 ] Oh, that Tiyo pissant. You know Tiyo?
That beat you. CHDC.
Oh, there it is. [ Boy #5 ] "T" to "B."
[ Boy #3 ] I never seen that one.
[ Boy #2 ] Nasty.
Check it out. That shit's bad.
[ Boy #4 ] That slave got a piece. Slave is busting out.
That shit's all right. Whoo.
Yeah. They messed that bad boy up with all that paint on it.
What, that one? Yeah.
[ Chattering ]
Yo, shit. Kit got a piece.
Yeah, that Kit was all right. It wasn't nothing special, you know.
Nah, but the icing looks good.
Look at that.
Oh, Jay, look at Kit. Look at that one.
He's getting a lot of pieces on this line.
Yo, I got one on the window. Check out this rag on the window.
It's all right. Oh, that's nice. That's a nice one.
There it goes. Ah, the old fed. Damn.
Oh, look at CH right there. [ Boy Laughs ]
Oh, yeah, we bombed this whole car on the inside.
[ Brakes Screeching ] [ Air Brakes Hissing ]
Yo, that slave piece was def, man. That dude's busting out.
[ Man On PA ] Woodlawn, last stop.
Nobody's king of this line yet.
[ Brakes Screeching ]
Some of my best piece, I burned it on the B's--
we buffed that shit.
[ Man On PA ] Woodlawn, last stop.
[ Wind Whistling ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Man On PA ] Woodlawn, the last stop.
[ Man #2 On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Man #3 On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Chatter On PA, Indistinct ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Man On PA ] All right, they're stopping. Get off the train.
[ Hissing ]
[ Sirens Wailing In Distance ]
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Sirens Continue ]
[ Sirens Stop ]
[ Gunshots ]
[ Man ] Everybody clear away from this floor now.
Let's go. Move it out, everybody.
♪♪ [ Up-tempo Jazz ]
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah! ♪
[ Man ] ♪ Yeah, yeah! ♪♪
[ Woman Sobbing ] [ Siren Wailing ]
[ Bell Ringing ]
[ Sobbing Continues ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing ]
[ Horn Blows ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Spray Can Hissing ]
[ Birds Chirping ]
[ Air Brakes Hissing In Distance ]
[ Spray Can Hissing ]
[ Train Whistle Blowing In Distance ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Brakes Screeching ]
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Man On PA ] Twenty-eight out of-- come in.
[ Horn Honking ]
[ Men Chattering ]
[ Train Horn Honking ]
[ Engine Sputtering In Distance ]
[ Airplane Passing Overhead ]
[ Man ] ♪ Oh, yeah Oh, yeah, Jesus, I know ♪
♪ 'Cause I know ♪
♪ You know I've been wrong Yeah, I have ♪♪
[ Woman ] ♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Now I ♪
♪ I see ♪
[ Applause ]
♪ Through ♪
♪ Through ♪ [ Applause Continues ]
♪ Through ♪
♪ Through ♪ [ Woman ] Yeah!
♪ Through me now ♪
♪ Jesus ♪
♪ Oh, Jesus ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Whoo, oh, Lord, oh ♪
♪ And say ♪
[ Man ] Come on, Aretha.
♪ Don't you know it? ♪
♪ And that same That same old grace ♪
♪ He loves, he loves ♪
♪ I want the world to know that he loves ♪
♪ He loves, he loves, he loves ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ His great love ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪
♪ Oh, say ♪♪
[ Man ] ♪ Oh, yeah, I know ♪
♪♪ [ Scatting ]
♪ Oh, yeah, I know ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, I know ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
[ Woman ] ♪ Yeah ♪♪
[ Applause ]
[ Choir ] ♪ Amen ♪♪
Closed-Captioned by Captions, Inc., Burbank, CA