The Gods of Times Square

Filmed over a six-year stretch, this look at the spiritual side of the gaggle of humanity New York City's Times Square (pre-Giuliani cleanup) gives believers, proselytizers and cranks free rein to espouse their heads off. The contrast between the religionists and their co-denizens of Times Square creates a wry, gritty setting, underscored by the hand-held camera shots, jerky panning and general cacophony of the production. Documenting "a now-lost piece of New York's street culture," The Gods of Times Square is free of narration and identifying subtitles, and--as in any busy urban setting--people, vehicles, sights and sounds come whirling in from all directions. Clearly heard in the gathering din are the importunings of the stentorian advocates of a seemingly endless variety of metaphysical persuasions, whose words--sincere, intense, torrential--are juxtaposed with visual images of the street parade, Calvin Klein-style advertisements, tacky sex trade signs and decaying buildings. Disciples of narrative programming with a linear storyline should probably eschew this scattershot offering, but those interested in the urban culture of the ‘90s, especially as it pertains to street preachers, won't want to miss it. The old Times Square, like Chicago's Bug House Square, was a unique place in time; those who recognize this cultural loss as important can now archive some of its images with this strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)