TV Reviews : ‘Street Scenes’ Misses Its Fascinating Subject

Even within its highly restrictive one-hour running time, Lewis Bogach’s “Street Scenes: New York on Film” (tonight on cable’s American Movie Classics channel at 6 and 10:30) is a disappointing, superficial take on an endlessly fascinating subject.

To begin with, Bogach wastes lots of precious time in interviews with a slew of celebrities who go on and on about New York but only occasionally relate their remarks to the city as it has been depicted on the screen!

Best at sticking to the ostensible subject are Jimmy Breslin on the far-ranging, myth-making impact of Damon Runyon (represented by “The Big Street” rather than “Guys and Dolls”) and Paul Mazursky on the romanticizing of street kids.

Thankfully, Bogach didn’t forget “King Kong,” “42nd Street,” “Stage Door,” “On the Town” and “The French Connection.” But he’s overly heavy on Warner Bros. gangster pictures and on Neil Simon.

Woody Allen and Sidney Lumet, the definitive contemporary New York filmmakers, apparently were unavailable for interviews, and therefore are represented by only a single film each: “Broadway Danny Rose” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” Martin Scorsese also wasn’t interviewed, yet is well-represented in clips (but none from “New York, New York”!).

In the final analysis, it is impossible to take seriously or even truly enjoy such a documentary that excludes the entire silent era plus “West Side Story.” Other oversights range from “Applause” to “The Godfather” and the films of Andy Warhol, Paul Morissey, Shirley Clarke and Abel Fernandez.

The longer you watch “Street Scenes: New York on Film,” the more you realize it overlooked more key films than it included.