90009_SFMA6402_13_NYC_&_Staten_Island
1960s
Clip is a late-1960s, Super 8 home movie of New York City and Staten Island. Many shots are quick and handheld; the filmmaker might have been high when he shot the film.
Clip begins with a series of quick pan and zoom-in shots of Manhattan buildings. One sign reads “Fantastic Unbelievable Overstock Sale, 2 for $5.95,” which is for music.
One building has pictures of people’s heads in the windows. This appears to be a marketing gimmick to get people to apply for jobs. One picture is of Joe Namath, the famed quarterback of the New York Jets; above his head is the sign “Receptionist.”
An overhead street sign reads “Staten Island Ferry VEHICLE TOLL BOOTHS.” Another reads “SEAMEN’S CHURCH INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK.”
A series of wide, long pan shots of NYC. These seem to be taken from the Hudson River near the southern part of NYC, perhaps from a ferry. Steamships cross the river. The Statue of Liberty stands afar.
A man sits at a train station, likely on Staten Island, digging his ear for wax. He looks at his finger after digging. On the wall behind him is sprayed “Jimmie.”
POV shot from a moving train, focusing on the adjacent tracks quickly passing by.
A couple waits at a train station. One station sign reads “Huguenot.” Another reads “Tottenville,” which is defaced to read “Rottenville.”
A sign reads “REPENT,” “The World Has Been Cancelled…due to lack of interest,” “ARM YOURSELF WITH FACTS,” “BE INFORMED.” The sign includes the head of a man who is looking skyward, as if in grief.