On Demand Weekly

On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand and from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: ON THE BOWERY (Oscilloscope Labs).

ON THE BOWERY
By Joe Charnitski

In most documentaries, there is a thin line between fly-on-the-wall reality and the structured world of a piece of art. Sure, docs are non-fiction by nature, but the filmmaker’s guidance, massaging and sometimes flat out coercion will present the facts as they see them. There’s a point of view to every story after all. A sophisticated viewer will factor that in as they consider the topic they’re being presented: yes, this story is “true,” but what is the filmmaker trying to say?

ON THE BOWERY is an American documentary from 1956 that mixes the worlds of non-fiction and fiction storytelling in a most extraordinary way. The film was shot entirely on the lower east side of Manhattan and features a cast of non-professional actors, just real people as you would expect from a doc. The twist is that a few of these real people were coached and given scenarios in which they could improv a scene. With this film you get a true picture of what life was like for the homeless and destitute alcoholics struggling on America’s skid row, plus you get a fabricated story (even if it was ripped from the headlines) about one man’s struggle to get off the bottle and off the streets.

Ray Salyer is that man, the protagonist of the story. He’s clearly not as far along in his addiction and his downfall as many of the men we meet on this street. He still wakes up in the morning and promises himself he’ll never drink again, but he passes out every night having broken that promise. Ray is robbed and beaten, he visits the Bowery Mission for a chance for redemption and he bounces from despair to hope and back.

The filmmaker behind this journey was Lionel Rogosin. You may not have heard of him, but for what it’s worth, John Cassavetes had referred to him as “the greatest documentary filmmaker of all time.” After watching this film, I wouldn’t argue. The craft behind this picture is solid. Music dominates the first section of the film as we’re shown images of life on this famous American street.

The first voice we hear is from a loud, intoxicated patron

at one of the Bowery’s many booze halls.

He cuts through the music. A perfect choice.