Sidewalk Stories

Sidewalk Stories is a 1989 American, independent, low-budget black-and-white, mostly silent, comedy film. It was written, edited, and directed by Charles Lane, who also starred. Not to be confused with the late, white actor also named Charles Lane, this Charles Lane is an American black filmmaker and actor. The film was produced by Palm Pictures. It is a throwback to the black-and-white, silent comedies of yore, such as those that starred Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. It is a follow-up to the short film, A Place in Time.

Plot
A homeless artist struggles to get by daily, hoping to make much income from his sketches. One night, he has an unexpected happenstance when he comes to find a baby girl left alone after her father is murdered. The artist decides to take it upon himself to care for her, at least, until he finds her mother. But this isn't without the series of high jinks provided, caused by the mishaps they get into along the way.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) As an occasional, mini-revival of a grayscale, silent film in the latter half of the 20th century, that is one thing about it that makes it so captivating.
 * 2) Despite it being low-budget, the cinematography still looks excellent.
 * 3) A well-written, original story that pays homage to and is reminiscent of those b&w, silent films starring the initial actors of the genre while still being its own thing at the same time, one way or another.
 * 4) Even though there's no dialogue throughout most of the film, the miming or pantomiming is well-acted, so the actions are conveyed and interpreted well.
 * 5) A diverse array of distinguished characters.
 * 6) The soundtrack of background music has plenty of eclecticism going for it.
 * 7) One thing that separates it from other silent films is the lack of dialogue inter-titles that usually appear at intervals of scenes in most of them.
 * 8) A great use of balance between the comedic moments and the dramatic ones. There is enough hilarity to be found.
 * 9) The breaking of silence towards the end is great, as from what is shown and heard, it gives more insight into the plight the homeless face every day, giving something of a social message and awareness.
 * 10) The special features, including the A Place in Time short film and the interview with the filmmaker himself are pluses.

Trivia

 * The baby girl who played the child that the artist cares for is Lane's real-life daughter, Nicole Alysia.
 * The shelter director was played by Lane's real-life brother, Gerald Lane.
 * Before starring in The Sopranos, Edie Falco appeared in this, playing the woman in the carriage kissing the man.
 * Whereas most of the characters' names in this are unknown, the only one whose name is revealed towards the end is the little girl: Lisa Johnson.
 * Lane completed the film within a couple weeks on a 200 grand budget.
 * Disney offered Lane the opportunity to remake this with sound and color, but he had no interest nor desire to remake it and passed on it. Tom Hanks, who is a fan of this, would've starred had there been a remake.
 * Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921) and J. Lee Thompson's Tiger Bay (1959) were the combined inspirations for this.
 * At the Cannes Film Festival, this received a 12-minute standing ovation.

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