Downtown 81

As a piece of cinematic art, this meandering, shambolic film isn't much to speak of, but as a time capsule, it's priceless. Written and produced by pop-culture critic Glenn O'Brien and directed by photographer Edo Bertoglio, this street-level tour of the bruised underside of the Big Apple was originally shot in 1980-81 under the title "New York Beat" but shelved soon after due to financial difficulties. Twenty years later, the film has been reassembled and is only now seeing the light of day. The intervening years have been kind: What might have been dismissed at the time as a curiosity along the lines of MONDO NEW YORK is now a fascinating relic from a faraway place...