Appreciated this very much. UA-cam also has a video called "Caged Men" a similar snapshot of the same type of life, but in Chicago (my own city) instead of New York....Attitude with those living there is very much the same. A last shot at being off the streets, parachutes that are being removed from all our big cities through gentrification, forcing men onto the very streets they sought so desperately to avoid. As recently as the 70s and 80s SRO's (Single Residence Occupancy) hotels existed at several levels, from the flop houses as described here, all the way up to older rooms that were still well maintained and offered private baths and clean rooms with a telephone. Almost all, at both ends of the spectrum, have vanished in the urban landscape. Extremely unfortunate. They served as a valuable lifeline for people transitioning and struggling to return to middle-class. A person down on their luck could get a cheap room, find a job, and save a bit of money until they could jump from a flop house to a better SRO and eventually to a real apartment. Now the homeless shelters are filled to capacity, and thousands are living outside in America that shouldn't be.
The US is returning to feudalism. A few very rich, a tiny "middle class" that services the rich (think makers of expensive clothing, chefs, butlers, etc.) and masses of very poor peasants who are so poor they cut their own hair, cook their own gruel, etc.
I'm transitioning myself?? N yes! Finding affordable housing is hard af if you're a single person with no dependents n struggling to get back on your feet 😓😓😓😓
I know everyone in this film personally. I lived at, The Sunshine, for just over a year, and only left it in 1999, just before this film was cast and shot. Vic, Nate and I were good friends. I even worked the front desk for a short time. Tony, who really is as nice as he seems, lived right across the hall from my cubicle. I do wonder why you have a title screen for, “Lefty,” The Sunshine’s loan shark, but you never actually show him? His rates were 100%, borrow $10, owe $20. It was his livelihood. He made a killing loaning money to poor people who couldn’t afford his rates. Still though, I think back on those days often and with affection. It was me who forced Vic to get his Social Security up and rolling. It’s why he was even able to consider leaving The Sunshine. He had been too paranoid to pursue SSI previously. I was finally able to convince him he had nothing to fear. It was his money. Sorry to hear of Nate’s passing. He was an incredible man with an infectious laugh and a warm heart. All these men are, were great storytellers. Too bad, most of their stories were tragic.
Great to read your story. Nate was so interesting. That letter he was reading was so great. If a guy took a leak on the sun....Id read all those letters with joy if I could get access to them
@@buschovski1 Unfortunately none of the letters exist as far as we know. Someone did reach out to Pia Lindstrom, and we were told that while she was aware of the letters, she didn’t read them and they were just discarded. Which is sad in one way, but Nathan enjoyed sending them. Like he said he was “venting his mind.“
Really liked Ray, he explained mental illness and life in general in simple, easy to understand truth. We all are like Ray and the guys in this program, I just happen to live in a house structure. Love it, watched it years ago on AMZ Too bad they did away w SRO's. Greed is empty sadness.. No-one cares about wealthy's fancy junk, or bulging portfolios, - we all die w nothing at the end of "the race."
This is my second time watching this documentary. This is so real. I left NYC when I was 18 yrs old. This reminds me of my childhood. When I was a child, NY looked like every thing was in black and white, sepia tone. I saw no color unless I went to Central Park. All I remember was cement and some cobblestone streets. My neighborhood looked like it was in a war. Everything was old and dirty. Coney Island and Central Park was my playground. I do miss the night life. I did like to go out dancing.
A beautiful, heartbreaking documentary. Such beautiful men. All of them, each individual with a poignant, specific story to tell. I am overcome with heartbreak. I remember going downtown to "the Bowery" with my father, to one of the many light shops. We took the train from our neighborhood uptown. I remember the smell, and the shadowy figures hiding in doorways. This was NYC "back in the day", the late 70-s and 80-s. Before gentrification. A city lost in time.
I was down in the lower east side in 81, this is my favorite documentary, I used to drink at the exchange bar on 40 th street and 8 th ave. Straight bar, no women allowed. I moved to Los Angeles and drank at the king eddy until it closed. I also worked at the men’s shelter on 3 rd street ( fixing the dirtiest elevator in the city) actually there were some pretty bad ones on 42 street before they cleaned it. I never go back to New York . What it’s become is not what I can relate to anymore. I was born in Manhattan….
5 houses ? Who the heck really wants or needs all that ? Nonsense. The less material , the more soul and beauty. If you own a LOT , it’s a giant distraction from love, family and self insight. All you do when you are a material person is the fruitless pursuit of even more material garbage that deteriorates. Love never deteriorates, it grows because it’s PURE JOY. Pure joy is getting closer to your real self, the one who can see the essence of life, I guess , I think it’s THE ALMIGHTY.
Lived on Mott Street in the early 80's, 2 blocks west of the Bowery. As rough and tumble as that area was back then, I loved being there. This may be about the fourth time I am experiencing this incredible documentary. Thank you, Michael, for making it available!
Wow Man.. that was deep. It opens your eyes. I was 31 then. And now I'm just 5 or 6 yrs younger than these gentlemen. Stern view into humanity. God Bless All....
I'm so shook. I started visiting NYC in 2010 a lot. I would tell my Dad before each adventurous visit and he would say, 'Don't forget to go to the Bowery'. His father, my grandfather, stayed in the Bowery as a Ukrainian immigrant who landed on Ellis Island in 1911 and sold hot dogs on Fifth Avenue and washed windows until deciding on a much more sedate life in Saskatchewan, Canada. To say that alcohol and using robbed each man in this movie of his genius is an understatement. Either way, this is a remarkable account of the best and worst of humanity.
Great documentary. The residents, the unknown NYC, the story of the human beings hidden inside this building. The selection of music was awesome. This was educational, I am very impressed and moved. Thank you Mr. Dominic.
What an incredible raw piece of filming, straight poetry at times. Hard times, nostalgic, real emotions, real characters, the stories. New York as it once was. Cinematic, historical importance it has all the elements. This is a time capsule although this is a piece about one of the roughest places to be in there’s also some beauty in the characters. PS the little piano play hit me right away wow that sounded good. The mouse even got videotaped while hiding out. Also the black guy working there who’s drinking his orange colored drink he’s got a way with words man.. I keep adding things here. The Sunshine Hotel has enough stories to build a descent movie with.. maybe someone should send this to Spike Lee. It’s right down his alley, it makes me think about the movie “Do The Right Thing”. A-70-bucks a week hotel wow and some of its people having it their permanent base, so many questions arise after seeing this incredible documentary video.
Bravo mr. Dominic …. You did something special here sir. the editing is as it should be , the character in this doc. are sad and incredible. It is honest and pure I recommend “On the Bowery” (1956)
I remember watching this when it was featured in the Sundance channel (originally I thought it was the theater since I went to see many docu films in smaller theaters back in the day). What a treat to watch again. I have an appreciation for documentary films and this is one of the great ones .
Looks like the hotel that I worked in as an elevator operator in Seattle's Chinatown in the nineties. Seattle used to have hotels like this for people that were "Down and Out". The owner was on the premises every day even though she didn't live there. As an elevator operator I met every person who lived there. The elevator was the old kind, I pulled a brass gate and then operated the elevator. This opened my eyes to the human condition as I had never seen it.
Looks a lot like a bigger version of Miss Ruth's Rooming House for Men on Dauphine St, in New Orleans. My cousin lived there, on the cheap, and when my best friend and I visited the city he snuck us in. We were both 20 year old females. We decided to stay in New Orleans and both got bartending jobs within a day of trying. My cousin was a popular bartender and he pulled some strings. We managed to hide out from Miss Ruth, who lived on the premises, for a few months. No women were allowed. But eventually the single room we shared got too small when my cuz and friend became a "couple". Somebody had to go. That was me. They were married a year later. Ahh, stories ...we all have 'em, eh?
@mdominic This is one of my favorite documentaries of all time. It is certainly the one that has stuck with me through the years the most. I’ve watched it at least 10 times over the last 20 years, thank you for allowing these people to tell their stories. Are you aware of any of them that are still alive? Last I looked a couple years ago, Dennis had just passed and there were some that thought Ray may have still been around and perhaps Cashmere?
Wow, this documentary is somehow intense and subtle or low-key at the same time. Really great. It'll make you sad but it will also stir up your compassion in the best possible way if you give it a chance.
I feel so privileged being granted free access to this beautiful work of art and humanity. The characters are presented unapologetically; fallible, but not flimsy. This piece sure hihhlights how beautifully painful it can be to exist as an outlier.
Wow, i loved this doc. Through my teens and 20s i would work at the jersey shore in the summers and places like this existed for seasonal transients through the 2000's and it would be a mix of "localish" people from phila or ny suburbs and j1 foreign student workers, with the dominant countries changing every 3 years or so. As it was a lot of young people at the beach in the summer it was a lot of drop in parties. My grandmother used to stay in one of these type places that were run by nuns for women and had a bunch of funny stories about how the residents would need to sneak out to see their boyfriends past curfew. The nuns were like house moms and enforced other social rules, one girl got in trouble for dying her hair in her room.
@@mdominic "she said she was going to call the manager...I said call your Momma..." No Michael, just so well done this work of yours...shows important stuff, has this subtle humor to it as well these guys had to use to survive and done so tastefully...the editing is great ...again, great great documentary. Really still holds as I prolly watched it first ten years ago.
Thank you for this existential film. It made me think about how life passes by when we insulate in fear or after a loss and become stuck. On every level your film generated compassion for humanity to me.
Thank you so much for making this fascinating peace documentary filmmaking art available on UA-cam. If it wasn't for your channel, I would have never seen this beautiful film. Greetings from Germany!
@@mdominic ...I meant that I'm grateful for documentary filmmakers like you! It says the 25th anniversary restoration and not familiar with how youtube works! sorry..
@@mdominic well, they should! I'll be telling my friends and family to watch it! This is literally one of the best documentaries I've ever come across for free on youtube. A lot of times they're only partially, not fully shown. Thank you again and God bless!
@@mdominic UA-cam makes suggestions based on your viewing history. I had watched a documentary on Vivan Maier, so this documentary popped up when I opened UA-cam. And I'm so grateful it did!
@@seanmartin343 Very cool! That was one of the screenings that I attended. I remember that festival because the people running it were not friendly at all in comparison to other festivals.
I lived at a flop on Broadway in Williamsburg Brooklyn from 2001-2002 that was a carbon copy of the Sunshine. I still haven't to this day been able to find any information about it or it's name, which I have forgotten. Excellent documentary.
Make no mistake. There is a tremendous amount of anger present. I’ve seen this documentary over 10 times in the last 20 years, lived in NYC for 12 of those years. There are gentle, kind souls that are homeless in that area and others but there is a tremendous amount of anger that is present (usually most visible toward others, but often they’re mad at themselves whether they admit it or not). If you can’t see the anger within Dennis, Vic, L.A. Nelson, or Ray then I’d encourage you to think about that more. That doesn’t mean it is visible in every instance of their life, because it certainly isn’t. But respecting these people is to at least attempt to understand them at a deeper level than simply just seeing someone laughing while being at a constant level of inebriation for decades.
@@danielhova7826 Yes, I noticed that the longer I watched it the darker it got. I posted before the anger appeared. I understand exactly what you are saying. I also understand their anger and their need to escape with a bottle.
Wow! Loved this documentary, so real..too real. Sometimes you can't control life all the time, but these men did their best with what life handed them. Thank you for this film, i wish everybody would watch,especially when they are having a bad day or month, things could get a lot worse. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
This just appeared in my stream. It looked interesting, so I figured I would give it a look. Thank you for posting it, but more so for making it. The manner in which you produced this documentary held my interest from the beginning. In my opinion, you realistically captured the lives of the hotels residents. It's disheartening that these flophouses are no longer in existence. Living in one these certainly would be better than being homeless and living on the streets. I have placed Clean Hands on my watch list and plan to check what other documentaries you may have done.
This documentary tauch my heart. I just listen again again mr Nathan piano in delete scene vdo . Few movies and documentary I seen again again . This doc on of them
Fucking BEAUTIFUL and SAD... At, the same time! Massive respect.. To ALL ...That, had anything to do, with the delivery, of this encapsulation. Of, this look into humanities... PLACES... Where we place... OURSELVES. Massive thanks.
@@stevengallant6363I believe there are more than these 2 but Rudy’s was one and then the gay bar is Rawhide. Rawhide closed but I think Rudy’s is still open. One of my favorite documentaries, such a time capsule, just like this one
The equivalent of this in the UK would be a homeless hostel. Interesting insight. The guy who does large strides to run errands was a funny guy 😆 and the black guy with the purple t-shirt at around 1hr 25mins in he was right, I've been there myself. Thanks for posting this.
One of the best documentaries ever. We could use places to live like this today. Housing is such a massive issue. Although I rather my tiny room be made of cinder block walls like a jail cell. That way you could keep the bugs out. All those cockroaches are just nasty.
Probably one of the best lenses into the mind. Several times I was like is this real? I was several times thinking I could watch 10 hours of this... it has a voyeuristic feel to it in the nakedness of the subjective.
I have an uncle that can’t really cook and always professed to hate garlic. One day my mother gave him a plate of minced beef which she’d added a clove or two of garlic to. He raved about it and she told him she’d added a bit of garlic. About a week later my uncle came to our house absolutely stinking - it was indescribable and we told him he had to leave the house. A day later I went to his house and was knocked out by the same smell when he opened his door. It transpired after tasting my mums beef mince he decided to make some of his own and add garlic. As he hadn’t a clue he added 6 big whole heads of garlic to his mince beef. It changed his body chemistry and smelled awful - not a garlic smell just rank and he could stink an entire room out in minutes. I can see why the young guy was getting a similar reception. 😢
There's a 20 minute radio documentary on the Sunshine by David Isay & Stacy Abramson. It's also awesome. Great subject, great characters, great execution.
It's too bad the woman in the beautiful garden was so unfriendly. That had the potential to be a great opportunity for you and for her, but she was very cold and unwelcoming.
One of those people that, whatever troubles befall her, legal or otherwise, you can't bring yourself to feel bad for her! (Maybe I'm just uncharitable?) What _would_ be a shame would be if that little bit of greenery were lost to the 'asphalt jungle'.
Like most of the other commenters, I absolutely loved this film -- such a rich collage of stories and characters! One of my first thoughts while watching this is how these guys were considered "the bottom of society", but they are so much better off mentally and physically than today's "bottom." I'm sure there were others back then that were in worse shape, but their numbers were small enough that they could be cared for. Just the fact that the drug of choice that a few depended on was *beer* says a lot. It sounds like the crack epidemic from the 80s had subsided and heroin/ opiates had yet to take off. This documentary has reinforced my belief that the 90s were the last decade where our society still functioned well overall.
A great, classic documentary. I do have a question. Why do you think you would get paranoid in the closed in environment he is referring to? I’ve never taken crack, and don’t like getting high. I wonder, though, if I took crack in an isolated environment, why do you think I might feel the way he described? I realize that one’s mind, unfortunately, starts “talking to itself”, and that generally is a negative experience, but not always a paranoia inducing one.
Superb documentary, by the way. I lived in numerous flophouse in San Francisco's Tenderloin. You captured the rage and humanity of so many of the troubled, lost tenants. I walked the Bowery last week and, other than the line at the Mission, can't imagine where people like this live nowadays.
For anyone who likes this the channel “soft white underbelly” can scratch the same itch, it’s not the same but it’s as close as I’ve found in modern times.
Appreciated this very much. UA-cam also has a video called "Caged Men" a similar snapshot of the same type of life, but in Chicago (my own city) instead of New York....Attitude with those living there is very much the same. A last shot at being off the streets, parachutes that are being removed from all our big cities through gentrification, forcing men onto the very streets they sought so desperately to avoid. As recently as the 70s and 80s SRO's (Single Residence Occupancy) hotels existed at several levels, from the flop houses as described here, all the way up to older rooms that were still well maintained and offered private baths and clean rooms with a telephone. Almost all, at both ends of the spectrum, have vanished in the urban landscape. Extremely unfortunate. They served as a valuable lifeline for people transitioning and struggling to return to middle-class. A person down on their luck could get a cheap room, find a job, and save a bit of money until they could jump from a flop house to a better SRO and eventually to a real apartment. Now the homeless shelters are filled to capacity, and thousands are living outside in America that shouldn't be.
That explains a lot.
The US is returning to feudalism. A few very rich, a tiny "middle class" that services the rich (think makers of expensive clothing, chefs, butlers, etc.) and masses of very poor peasants who are so poor they cut their own hair, cook their own gruel, etc.
I'm transitioning myself?? N yes! Finding affordable housing is hard af if you're a single person with no dependents n struggling to get back on your feet 😓😓😓😓
Sad times
@@SusiRP Sorry to hear it Susan. I hope things get better for you soon.
I know everyone in this film personally. I lived at, The Sunshine, for just over a year, and only left it in 1999, just before this film was cast and shot.
Vic, Nate and I were good friends. I even worked the front desk for a short time. Tony, who really is as nice as he seems, lived right across the hall from my cubicle.
I do wonder why you have a title screen for, “Lefty,” The Sunshine’s loan shark, but you never actually show him? His rates were 100%, borrow $10, owe $20. It was his livelihood. He made a killing loaning money to poor people who couldn’t afford his rates.
Still though, I think back on those days often and with affection. It was me who forced Vic to get his Social Security up and rolling. It’s why he was even able to consider leaving The Sunshine. He had been too paranoid to pursue SSI previously. I was finally able to convince him he had nothing to fear. It was his money.
Sorry to hear of Nate’s passing. He was an incredible man with an infectious laugh and a warm heart. All these men are, were great storytellers. Too bad, most of their stories were tragic.
Great story. I like encountering people that Sunshine is part of their history. Lefty, for obvious reasons didn't want to be filmed.
@Rhvoriginals, thanks for sharing about your time spent with these folks at The Sunshine. Very interesting to get the added information.
Great to read your story. Nate was so interesting.
That letter he was reading was so great. If a guy took a leak on the sun....Id read all those letters with joy if I could get access to them
@@buschovski1 Unfortunately none of the letters exist as far as we know. Someone did reach out to Pia Lindstrom, and we were told that while she was aware of the letters, she didn’t read them and they were just discarded. Which is sad in one way, but Nathan enjoyed sending them. Like he said he was “venting his mind.“
Really liked Ray, he explained mental illness and life in general in simple, easy to understand truth. We all are like Ray and the guys in this program, I just happen to live in a house structure. Love it, watched it years ago on AMZ Too bad they did away w SRO's. Greed is empty sadness.. No-one cares about wealthy's fancy junk, or bulging portfolios, - we all die w nothing at the end of "the race."
Rest In Peace Nathan Smith and L.A..
This documentary is a video time capsule and excellent work. Thank you.
It's amazing how much wisdom and truth.....the invisible possess.....
This is my second time watching this documentary. This is so real. I left NYC when I was 18 yrs old. This reminds me of my childhood. When I was a child, NY looked like every thing was in black and white, sepia tone. I saw no color unless I went to Central Park. All I remember was cement and some cobblestone streets. My neighborhood looked like it was in a war. Everything was old and dirty. Coney Island and Central Park was my playground. I do miss the night life. I did like to go out dancing.
A beautiful, heartbreaking documentary.
Such beautiful men. All of them, each individual with a poignant, specific story to tell. I am overcome with heartbreak. I remember going downtown to "the Bowery" with my father, to one of the many light shops. We took the train from our neighborhood uptown. I remember the smell, and the shadowy figures hiding in doorways. This was NYC "back in the day", the late 70-s and 80-s. Before gentrification. A city lost in time.
I was down in the lower east side in 81, this is my favorite documentary, I used to drink at the exchange bar on 40 th street and 8 th ave. Straight bar, no women allowed. I moved to Los Angeles and drank at the king eddy until it closed. I also worked at the men’s shelter on 3 rd street ( fixing the dirtiest elevator in the city) actually there were some pretty bad ones on 42 street before they cleaned it. I never go back to New York . What it’s become is not what I can relate to anymore. I was born in Manhattan….
What a soulful movie. Why do some people have 5 houses? We need to share the wealth. These men are worthy.
5 houses ?
Who the heck really wants or needs all that ? Nonsense. The less material , the more soul and beauty.
If you own a LOT , it’s a giant distraction from love, family and self insight. All you do when you are a material person is the fruitless pursuit of even more material garbage that deteriorates. Love never deteriorates, it grows because it’s PURE JOY. Pure joy is getting closer to your real self, the one who can see the essence of life, I guess , I think it’s THE ALMIGHTY.
@@mjrotondi5086 Well said
This doc was one of the best I ever saw.it’s like a good book with real characters we can relate to
Absolutely 💯
Lived on Mott Street in the early 80's, 2 blocks west of the Bowery. As rough and tumble as that area was back then, I loved being there. This may be about the fourth time I am experiencing this incredible documentary. Thank you, Michael, for making it available!
Wow Man.. that was deep. It opens your eyes. I was 31 then. And now I'm just 5 or 6 yrs younger than these gentlemen. Stern view into humanity. God Bless All....
I'm so shook. I started visiting NYC in 2010 a lot. I would tell my Dad before each adventurous visit and he would say, 'Don't forget to go to the Bowery'. His father, my grandfather, stayed in the Bowery as a Ukrainian immigrant who landed on Ellis Island in 1911 and sold hot dogs on Fifth Avenue and washed windows until deciding on a much more sedate life in Saskatchewan, Canada. To say that alcohol and using robbed each man in this movie of his genius is an understatement. Either way, this is a remarkable account of the best and worst of humanity.
Great documentary. The residents, the unknown NYC, the story of the human beings hidden inside this building. The selection of music was awesome. This was educational, I am very impressed and moved. Thank you Mr. Dominic.
Everybody needs a safe place to rest their head. Blessings to everyone in the Sunshine ☀️ Hotel.
Nathan, you carried the notes just fine. ❤
Amazing documentary. Deserves far more views.
Sad and beautiful, and full of heart and respect. Great work. Thank you from Norway.
Stayed at the Baltimore and drank at the good ol' king Eddy saloon
Damn i remember seeing this around 2000. Totally forgot it existed. Great documentary.
What an incredible raw piece of filming, straight poetry at times. Hard times, nostalgic, real emotions, real characters, the stories. New York as it once was. Cinematic, historical importance it has all the elements. This is a time capsule although this is a piece about one of the roughest places to be in there’s also some beauty in the characters. PS the little piano play hit me right away wow that sounded good. The mouse even got videotaped while hiding out. Also the black guy working there who’s drinking his orange colored drink he’s got a way with words man.. I keep adding things here. The Sunshine Hotel has enough stories to build a descent movie with.. maybe someone should send this to Spike Lee. It’s right down his alley, it makes me think about the movie “Do The Right Thing”. A-70-bucks a week hotel wow and some of its people having it their permanent base, so many questions arise after seeing this incredible documentary video.
56:23 This (kind of) poem sums up the whole spirit of the documentary. Accolades to Michael and all of the people involve in this work.
RIP Nathan and LA..Great work telling a story of the Bowery.
Bravo mr. Dominic …. You did something special here sir. the editing is as it should be , the character in this doc. are sad and incredible.
It is honest and pure
I recommend “On the Bowery” (1956)
49:35 The asteroid hit though... "it's cute.... very picturesque!" 🤣
I remember watching this when it was featured in the Sundance channel (originally I thought it was the theater since I went to see many docu films in smaller theaters back in the day). What a treat to watch again. I have an appreciation for documentary films and this is one of the great ones .
Looks like the hotel that I worked in as an elevator operator in Seattle's Chinatown in the nineties. Seattle used to have hotels like this for people that were "Down and Out". The owner was on the premises every day even though she didn't live there. As an elevator operator I met every person who lived there. The elevator was the old kind, I pulled a brass gate and then operated the elevator. This opened my eyes to the human condition as I had never seen it.
Looks a lot like a bigger version of Miss Ruth's Rooming House for Men on Dauphine St, in New Orleans. My cousin lived there, on the cheap, and when my best friend and I visited the city he snuck us in. We were both 20 year old females. We decided to stay in New Orleans and both got bartending jobs within a day of trying. My cousin was a popular bartender and he pulled some strings. We managed to hide out from Miss Ruth, who lived on the premises, for a few months. No women were allowed. But eventually the single room we shared got too small when my cuz and friend became a "couple". Somebody had to go. That was me. They were married a year later. Ahh, stories ...we all have 'em, eh?
speaking of Seattle have you watch that documentary Streetwise
This is probably my favorite documentary. Thanks for making it and sharing ❤
@mdominic This is one of my favorite documentaries of all time. It is certainly the one that has stuck with me through the years the most. I’ve watched it at least 10 times over the last 20 years, thank you for allowing these people to tell their stories.
Are you aware of any of them that are still alive? Last I looked a couple years ago, Dennis had just passed and there were some that thought Ray may have still been around and perhaps Cashmere?
Thanks for the kind words. Only Casmire is alive as far as I know.
Wow, this documentary is somehow intense and subtle or low-key at the same time. Really great. It'll make you sad but it will also stir up your compassion in the best possible way if you give it a chance.
Well said 👍
I feel so privileged being granted free access to this beautiful work of art and humanity. The characters are presented unapologetically; fallible, but not flimsy. This piece sure hihhlights how beautifully painful it can be to exist as an outlier.
Wow, i loved this doc. Through my teens and 20s i would work at the jersey shore in the summers and places like this existed for seasonal transients through the 2000's and it would be a mix of "localish" people from phila or ny suburbs and j1 foreign student workers, with the dominant countries changing every 3 years or so. As it was a lot of young people at the beach in the summer it was a lot of drop in parties. My grandmother used to stay in one of these type places that were run by nuns for women and had a bunch of funny stories about how the residents would need to sneak out to see their boyfriends past curfew. The nuns were like house moms and enforced other social rules, one girl got in trouble for dying her hair in her room.
Saw this years ago but wanted to watch again. The restoration looks great Michael...it's a wonderful piece of work. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
@@mdominic "she said she was going to call the manager...I said call your Momma..." No Michael, just so well done this work of yours...shows important stuff, has this subtle humor to it as well these guys had to use to survive and done so tastefully...the editing is great ...again, great great documentary. Really still holds as I prolly watched it first ten years ago.
Thank you for this existential film. It made me think about how life passes by when we insulate in fear or after a loss and become stuck. On every level your film generated compassion for humanity to me.
Thank you so much for making this fascinating peace documentary filmmaking art available on UA-cam. If it wasn't for your channel, I would have never seen this beautiful film. Greetings from Germany!
man! so touched by this documentary. Such characters, lots of wisdom, too. Absolutely heartbreaking brave souls. Thank you youtube for showcasing this
Thanks for the kind words. What do you mean by UA-cam showcasing it?
@@mdominic ...I meant that I'm grateful for documentary filmmakers like you! It says the 25th anniversary restoration and not familiar with how youtube works! sorry..
@@loisthiessen9134 I see. I thought they might be pushing to viewers it in a way. Thanks again!
@@mdominic well, they should! I'll be telling my friends and family to watch it! This is literally one of the best documentaries I've ever come across for free on youtube. A lot of times they're only partially, not fully shown. Thank you again and God bless!
@@mdominic UA-cam makes suggestions based on your viewing history. I had watched a documentary on Vivan Maier, so this documentary popped up when I opened UA-cam. And I'm so grateful it did!
One of the top 10 documentaries ever, a piece of history, watched it over many times on Amazon Prime.
WOW! this was Incredible! I'm speechless. no words right now to say how i feel. except WOW! I need to sit with it and come back... It's changed me...
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for uploading! I saw this at Rhode Island in 2001 and it stayed with me. Great film.
@@seanmartin343 Very cool! That was one of the screenings that I attended. I remember that festival because the people running it were not friendly at all in comparison to other festivals.
Absolutely incredible work. WOW!
one of the best documentaries I´ve ever seen. Congratulations
I lived at a flop on Broadway in Williamsburg Brooklyn from 2001-2002 that was a carbon copy of the Sunshine. I still haven't to this day been able to find any information about it or it's name, which I have forgotten. Excellent documentary.
Last time in the area I noticed that this hotel has been renovated to accommodate budget conscious tourists
And now you bow before illegal immigrants. Keep voting blue pal.
And yet, they still found a sense of community. Perserverance. They don't even seem angry. There is also love in that area.
Make no mistake. There is a tremendous amount of anger present. I’ve seen this documentary over 10 times in the last 20 years, lived in NYC for 12 of those years. There are gentle, kind souls that are homeless in that area and others but there is a tremendous amount of anger that is present (usually most visible toward others, but often they’re mad at themselves whether they admit it or not).
If you can’t see the anger within Dennis, Vic, L.A. Nelson, or Ray then I’d encourage you to think about that more. That doesn’t mean it is visible in every instance of their life, because it certainly isn’t. But respecting these people is to at least attempt to understand them at a deeper level than simply just seeing someone laughing while being at a constant level of inebriation for decades.
@@danielhova7826 Yes, I noticed that the longer I watched it the darker it got. I posted before the anger appeared. I understand exactly what you are saying. I also understand their anger and their need to escape with a bottle.
Nate has so little yet he wants to be alive while me, not
Amazing film in every way. Thank you.
Watched this a few times now, such a wonderful non judgemental piece of film making…resonates with me on a very deep level. Thank you.
Wow! Loved this documentary, so real..too real. Sometimes you can't control life all the time, but these men did their best with what life handed them.
Thank you for this film, i wish everybody would watch,especially when they are having a bad day or month, things could get a lot worse.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I love this doc! I’ve seen it several times. Fascinating snapshot of recent history. Thanks for sharing!!!
This just appeared in my stream. It looked interesting, so I figured I would give it a look. Thank you for posting it, but more so for making it. The manner in which you produced this documentary held my interest from the beginning. In my opinion, you realistically captured the lives of the hotels residents.
It's disheartening that these flophouses are no longer in existence. Living in one these certainly would be better than being homeless and living on the streets.
I have placed Clean Hands on my watch list and plan to check what other documentaries you may have done.
Plenty of dignity. Thanks for sharing. Best from Uruguay.
The guy running with beer burping and directing traffic and the cameraman making runs for smokes for beers lol
This documentary tauch my heart. I just listen again again mr Nathan piano in delete scene vdo . Few movies and documentary I seen again again . This doc on of them
Incredible doco. Congrats on your work from Ireland 🌝🙏👍☘️☘️☘️
Thank you so much for this gem. Just letting people talk is a rare thing. Nothing happens but everything happens
Outstanding portal into this subset of life. Great documentary.
beautiful. brilliant. Inspiring. Insightful. Ty!!
Fascinating documentary about the tragic side of human nature. Thanks for sharing
Seen this while back beautifully restored . Thanks
Wow… fantastic piece of work. Thank you so much for this. ❤
great work Michael, thanks for sharing
Glad to see this here, I watched it in the past
Fucking BEAUTIFUL and SAD...
At, the same time!
Massive respect.. To ALL ...That, had anything to do, with the delivery, of this encapsulation. Of, this look into humanities... PLACES... Where we place...
OURSELVES.
Massive thanks.
1:25:00 One of the greatest monologues I've heard in a long time.
Ray was brilliant.
I love this documentary so much. Thank you for making it and posting it 🥹💗
Great Documentary. I love the Fly-On-The-Wall style. Reminds me of the "First Call" documentary.
What was the name of the bar? Great characters in that documentary. Was the bar close to the Sunshine?
@@stevengallant6363 The Terminal Bar?
@@stevengallant6363I believe there are more than these 2 but Rudy’s was one and then the gay bar is Rawhide. Rawhide closed but I think Rudy’s is still open. One of my favorite documentaries, such a time capsule, just like this one
i stayed in a handful of places like this in Atlanta, Birmingham and Huntsville.... most accurate doc i have ever seen!!
Such a great and sad documentary
This was a great film. Thanks for this
Brilliant Documentary Thank You .
Oh this is tremendous. Wonderful. Thank you so much for this beautiful film.
I was there then & they had a chicken coup men’s hotel on Bowery
I stayed at Jane St flop house & one on 17th btw. 2nd & 3rd
Very well done. Loved it.❤
The equivalent of this in the UK would be a homeless hostel. Interesting insight. The guy who does large strides to run errands was a funny guy 😆 and the black guy with the purple t-shirt at around 1hr 25mins in he was right, I've been there myself. Thanks for posting this.
One of the best documentaries ever. We could use places to live like this today. Housing is such a massive issue. Although I rather my tiny room be made of cinder block walls like a jail cell. That way you could keep the bugs out. All those cockroaches are just nasty.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this!
wow.. love this documentary… love the characters… thx for sharing this…
Probably one of the best lenses into the mind. Several times I was like is this real? I was several times thinking I could watch 10 hours of this... it has a voyeuristic feel to it in the nakedness of the subjective.
Lovely documentary 😍
jesus that ending hit just as hard as the first time... RIP Nathan Smith and the rest of these gentlemen
The man that ran the errands reminded me of "Mr. Dill Harris" in Harper Lee's, "To Kill A Mockingbird".
Wow , wow! Amazing ❤
Glad you like it!
What a fantastic film. Wish I could find more like it. (Consistently)
That thing about the garlic was crazy. Never have I heard of such a thing
I have an uncle that can’t really cook and always professed to hate garlic. One day my mother gave him a plate of minced beef which she’d added a clove or two of garlic to. He raved about it and she told him she’d added a bit of garlic. About a week later my uncle came to our house absolutely stinking - it was indescribable and we told him he had to leave the house. A day later I went to his house and was knocked out by the same smell when he opened his door. It transpired after tasting my mums beef mince he decided to make some of his own and add garlic. As he hadn’t a clue he added 6 big whole heads of garlic to his mince beef. It changed his body chemistry and smelled awful - not a garlic smell just rank and he could stink an entire room out in minutes. I can see why the young guy was getting a similar reception. 😢
@@emscott2705Great story, thx for sharing it, gave me a chuckle something which is sorely needed these days 😊
Brilliant. Thank you.
52:30 love that response, "call your mother" Fascinating gentleman..
Loved this raw doccie
This is a work of love for fellow human beings with unbearable insurmountable problems!
Yes, it really is a love letter.
Well done. I imagine all these guys are gone now. Sad
There's a 20 minute radio documentary on the Sunshine by David Isay & Stacy Abramson. It's also awesome. Great subject, great characters, great execution.
Yes. They did the radio show about a year before I made this.
@@mdominic just finished yours and it's also so great. for above reasons. well done!
Very compelling documentary.
It's too bad the woman in the beautiful garden was so unfriendly. That had the potential to be a great opportunity for you and for her, but she was very cold and unwelcoming.
One of those people that, whatever troubles befall her, legal or otherwise, you can't bring yourself to feel bad for her! (Maybe I'm just uncharitable?) What _would_ be a shame would be if that little bit of greenery were lost to the 'asphalt jungle'.
Typical snooty new Yorker sadly..
Maybe he told her his minority story. Putting myself in her shoes I think I’d be terrified of that guy.
Top shelf !!!
Like most of the other commenters, I absolutely loved this film -- such a rich collage of stories and characters!
One of my first thoughts while watching this is how these guys were considered "the bottom of society", but they are so much better off mentally and physically than today's "bottom."
I'm sure there were others back then that were in worse shape, but their numbers were small enough that they could be cared for.
Just the fact that the drug of choice that a few depended on was *beer* says a lot.
It sounds like the crack epidemic from the 80s had subsided and heroin/ opiates had yet to take off.
This documentary has reinforced my belief that the 90s were the last decade where our society still functioned well overall.
wow thanks, I can see why it won so many accolades
Opening music C. Debussy, lovely; what could go wrong?
That coffee has got to be spilling out all over inside that bag
Excellent
Excellent film. Is the opening music Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Andante by Chopin? Thanks.
It’s Clair de lune, the third segment in Suite bergamasque.
@@mdominic Thank you. My neighbor played that non-stop for weeks after his wife died. It makes me so sad to hear it. Thanks.
A great, classic documentary. I do have a question. Why do you think you would get paranoid in the closed in environment he is referring to? I’ve never taken crack, and don’t like getting high. I wonder, though, if I took crack in an isolated environment, why do you think I might feel the way he described? I realize that one’s mind, unfortunately, starts “talking to itself”, and that generally is a negative experience, but not always a paranoia inducing one.
love this!!!
Like Dante's Inferno, except the damned still have the light to go on and will of being alive 😮 Great documentary, blessings from México
1 Camel, 1 coffee: $3.90? I bought a pack of Newports in Harlem 3 days ago, 19 bucks.
Superb documentary, by the way. I lived in numerous flophouse in San Francisco's Tenderloin. You captured the rage and humanity of so many of the troubled, lost tenants. I walked the Bowery last week and, other than the line at the Mission, can't imagine where people like this live nowadays.
Were you in the Tenderloin for dope or tweak? Can’t imagine any other reason to stay there
For anyone who likes this the channel “soft white underbelly” can scratch the same itch, it’s not the same but it’s as close as I’ve found in modern times.
Glorious! ❤