Criterion Channel Launches Ultimate “63-Film Salute” To New York City

There is a constant complaint which gets lodged at Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and the rest of the major streaming platforms—namely, that they don’t have enough of a wide-range of films made before, say, 1990. The dearth of “classic” films on streaming channels is a legitimate one: if you cobble together enough subscriptions, you could watch every Fast & Furious movie right now, but good luck trying to watch the Antoine Doinel films in between New Girl binges. However, thanks to the incomparable Criterion Channel, which is helping keep film history alive through its expansive collection of movies from around the world, you can indeed watch all the films in François Truffaut’s masterful lifecycle.

The channel is always producing great curated content for film fans, and this month they have a particularly special mix in mind: New York Stories, a “63-film salute to New York City” featuring movies by the likes of Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Chantal Akerman, Billy Wilder, Noah Baumbach, and so many more, ranging from films of the early 20th century (including Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant, from 1917) to more recent missives, like Baumbach’s ode to listless post-grads, Frances Ha (2012). There are also 22 short films, including early work from the likes of Scorsese, D. A. Pennebaker, and Josh & Bennie Safdie.

“Surveying a century of cinematic history, this panoramic celebration of films set in the five boroughs captures the mix of grime, glamour, and anything-can-happen energy that has made the Big Apple an unforgettable canvas for generations of filmmakers,” they write. “Swoon-inducing romance (The Clock), street-level desperation (The Panic in Needle Park), subway snafus (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three), creative cool (Downtown 81), racial tension (Do the Right Thing), queer liberation (Paris Is Burning), criminal ambition (The King of New York), immigrant struggle (Man Push Cart), and moral education (Margaret)—these are just some of the eight million stories that make up life in the world’s most exciting city.”

In addition, the channel has a cool feature that further breaks down the movies into various categories based on era, location and vibe, including “New York in the ’70s,” “Uptown and the Bronx,” “New York Romance” and “New York After Dark.”

Of course, nothing is perfect: there’s a distinct lack of female directors represented in the 63 feature films (there’s a much better ratio with the short films), there’s lots of classic NYC films that are likely not available for various rights reasons (a few that immediately come to mind: Sweet Smell Of Success, Taxi Driver, Rosemary’s Baby, The Warriors, Shaft, 25th Hour, The French Connection, Uncut Gems?!), three Baumbach films feels a bit excessive, and somehow, they left out Serendipity. But there’s also so much to recommend about a list like this, including some of the greatest, most-rewatchable movies ever made: The Apartment! Escape from New York! Moonstruck! West Side Story! After Hours! Do The Right Thing! Man Push Cart! And one of my personal favorite films of the last decade, Margaret!

CRITERION’S NEW YORK FILMS

• The Immigrant, Charles Chaplin, 1917

• The Crowd, King Vidor, 1928

• Speedy, Ted Wilde, 1928

• The Clock, Vincente Minnelli, 1945

• The Naked City, Jules Dassin, 1948

• Little Fugitive, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin, and Raymond Abrashkin, 1953

• On the Bowery, Lionel Rogosin, 1956

• An Affair to Remember, Leo McCarey, 1957

• The Garment Jungle, Vincent Sherman, 1957

• Shadows, John Cassavetes, 1959

• The Apartment, Billy Wilder, 1960

• West Side Story, Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961

• The Incident, Larry Peerce, 1967

• The Queen, Frank Simon, 1968

• Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, William Greaves, 1968

• Putney Swope, Robert Downey Sr., 1969

• The Angel Levine, Ján Kadár, 1970

• The Out-of-Towners, Arthur Hiller, 1970

• Born to Win, Ivan Passer, 1971

• Little Murders, Alan Arkin, 1971

• The Panic in Needle Park, Jerry Schatzberg, 1971

• Ciao! Manhattan, John Palmer, 1972

• Sisters, Brian De Palma, 1972

• Super Fly, Gordon Parks Jr., 1972

• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Joseph Sargent, 1974

• God Told Me To, Larry Cohen, 1976

• News from Home, Chantal Akerman, 1977

• Eyes of Laura Mars, Irvin Kershner, 1978

• Town Bloody Hall, D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, 1979

• Permanent Vacation, Jim Jarmusch, 1980

• Escape from New York, John Carpenter, 1981*

• My Dinner with Andre, Louis Malle, 1981

• Stations of the Elevated, Manfred Kirchheimer, 1981

• Smithereens, Susan Seidelman, 1982

• Variety, Bette Gordon, 1983

• Los Sures, Diego Echeverria, 1984

• Old Enough, Marisa Silver, 1984

• Stranger Than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch, 1984

• After Hours, Martin Scorsese, 1985

• Five Corners, Tony Bill, 1987

• Moonstruck, Norman Jewison, 1987

• Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee, 1989

• Sidewalk Stories, Charles Lane, 1989

• The King of New York, Abel Ferrara, 1990

• Metropolitan, Whit Stillman, 1990

• Paris Is Burning, Jennie Livingston, 1990

• Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., Leslie Harris, 1992

• Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Alan Rudolph, 1994

• Rhythm Thief, Matthew Harrison, 1994

• Smoke, Wayne Wang, 1995*

• The Daytrippers, Greg Mottola, 1996

• Mr. Jealousy, Noah Baumbach, 1997

• Dark Days, Marc Singer, 2000

• Downtown 81, Edo Bertoglio, 2000

• In the Cut, Jane Campion, 2003

• Brother to Brother, Rodney Evans, 2004

• Man Push Cart, Ramin Bahrani, 2005

• The Squid and the Whale, Noah Baumbach, 2005

• Chop Shop, Ramin Bahrani, 2007

• Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Tamra Davis, 2010

• Margaret, Kenneth Lonergan, 2011

• Frances Ha, Noah Baumbach, 2012

• The Hottest August, Brett Story, 2019

(*Available October 1)

NEW YORK SHORTS

• Bumping Into Broadway, Hal Roach, 1919

• Daybreak Express, D. A. Pennebaker, 1953

• Bridges-Go-Round 1, Shirley Clarke, 1958

• Bridges-Go-Round 2, Shirley Clarke, 1958

• Skyscraper, Shirley Clarke, 1959

• What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?, Martin Scorsese, 1963

• Surface Tension, Hollis Frampton, 1968

• Joyce at 34, Joyce Chopra, 1972

• Italianamerican, Martin Scorsese, 1974

• Clotheslines, Roberta Cantow, 1981

• So Far from India, Mira Nair, 1983

• The Bowery, Sara Driver, 1994

• 11’09″01—September 11, Mira Nair, 2002

• How Can It Be, Mira Nair, 2008

• A Loft, Ken Jacobs, 2010

• John’s Gone, Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie, 2010

• Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight, Eliza Hittman, 2011

• The Black Balloon, Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie, 2012

• Me the Terrible, Josephine Decker, 2012

• A Guide to Breathing Underwater, Raven Jackson, 2018

• Hair Wolf, Mariama Diallo, 2018

• Fit Model, Myna Joseph, 2019