Astor Place

Passersby at Astor Place in New York City speak silent volumes as they move by the mirrored surface of a diner window. I wanted to capture the unscripted choreography of the street, its dance of gazes and riddle of identities. This film is informed by the work of the Lumiere brothers, with an eye to permeating an authority of the static camera and establishing a question as to who is watching whom.

(Eve Heller)


This Goffmanesque study of how people perform their identities is an enactment of the urban ballet city theorists have described. Bodies are perfectly synchronized, crossing, turning, running, walking, skipping or slowly shuffling along to their unknown destinations.

(Janine Marchessault)

Orig. Title
Astor Place
Year
1997
Country
USA
Duration
10 min
Director
Eve Heller
Category
Avantgarde/Arts
Orig. Language
No Dialogue
Downloads
Astor Place (Image)
Astor Place (Image)
Astor Place (Image)
Credits
Director
Eve Heller
Concept & Realization
Eve Heller
Available Formats
16 mm (Distribution Copy)
Aspect Ratio
1:1,37
Sound Format
silent
Frame Rate
24 fps
Color Format
b/w
Digital File (prores, h264) (Distribution Copy)
DCP 2K flat (Distribution Copy)
Aspect Ratio
1:1,37
Sound Format
silent
Frame Rate
24 fps
Color Format
b/w