vhs video:

	Streetwise Roberta Joseph Hayes, Tom Waits Fox Lorber, 1997 average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

for more information click here

It should dawn on you then, that Streetwise is one of a kind. There may have been some hamming in front of the camera, but I'm fairly certain none of this was scripted. I'm not sure what it was competing against that year at the Academy Awards, but imagine if it had won... the film would certainly still be in print (probably restored and out on DVD), and the next generation would have the opportunity to see this important work of art... also, Martin Bell would probably have gotten more work as befits his incredible talents. As it stands, I figure this just may have been too painful to watch for Academy voters... or I wonder if they thought it was scripted too.

Anyway, this film is a "must-see" even if you have to buy an expensive, used copy. Of course I may be somewhat biased... I live in and grew up in (near) Seattle, and have met the director (I was living nearby where "American Heart" was filmed). Still, this is a truly unforgettable film -- it isn't easy to watch sometimes, but you'll be rewarded a hundred times over.

for more information click here

Invocative and Probing Work

Streetwise is a compelling documentary and social study that spotlights the homeless population by focusing on adolescents. This invocative film highlights the effects of the dissolution of the two parent family and shows the effects of such on innocent children. Not since Paradise Lost has a film so firmly ingrained itsself in my conscience. this film is a must see for those who appreciate the forum of the documentary and presume to be concerned with the human condition and its development.

Tanya Chapman
B.A. Film Studies, University of Utah


Unexpected Truth

Perhaps the most heart-wrenching documentary ever made about society's throwaways, is this grim portrait of a group of Seattle teens, eeking out their collective homeless existence. Most remarkable, and unexpected, is the kids' seemingly baseless yet genuine optimism.

for more information click here

A compelling look at street life in Seattle

This documentary moved me in more ways than one. I viewed it a while ago while attending college. It captures the true essence of street life in Seattle Washington. At the time this documentary was under production I often visited Seattle to see relatives. I was always told about the prostitution that occurred in certain parts of downtown Seattle during those days and I caught glimpses of this while riding the bus downtown. I was not aware of the huge population of adolescents that were living on the streets. Since I was so young at the time I thought most of them were just hanging out in the area. This documentary made it clear to its audience that these kids were having a day to day struggle for survival on the cruel streets where they frequently roamed. This documentary does not shelter the audience from the ugliness that occurs on the streets. It also offers the viewer a chance to get to know the kids as real people with the same hopes and dreams most kids their age possess. After getting know Erin, Ratt, Dwayne, Patty, Munchkin etc. I will never forget them. I hope there is a follow-up documentary on how their lives have turned out since the first documentary aired in 1983. I would like to know if they made it out of the grips of the streets. It's a story that happens all too often in America. It reminds us that children who are abused must have a safehouse to go to so that the streets do not appear to be an option.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4

products you might be interested in

recommendations

And the Nominees ... 40 from the 70's,80's Oscar Worthy but not on dvd
Sergio's Movies You wished You Could Live In
Important and Noteworthy Documentaries
Forty Surreal Films.
Best Films of 1984