SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground (1997)

The actual experiences of New York City subway riders are dramatized in a collection of 10 intriguing and very different vignettes. The tales showcase an ensemble of familiar faces, and ... See full summary »

Directors:

Bob Balaban, Patricia Benoit

Writers:

Adam Brooks (segment), John Guare (segment)

Stars:

Bill Irwin, KRS-One, Tina North

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Irwin	...	Bill Irwin (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
KRS-One	...	Vendor (segment "Subway Car from Hell") (as Kris Parker 'KRS-One')
Tina North	...	Grandmother (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Paul Lazar	...	Mr. Nervous (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Andre B. Blake	...	Knish Buyer (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Anthony S. Calypso	...	Knish Buyer (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Robert W. Castle	...	Knish Buyer (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Marlon Cherry	...	Musician (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Carl J. Ferrazza	...	Hot Dog Buyer (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Daniel Freedman	...	Strange Man (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Marc Mueller	...	Musician (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Paul Mueller	...	Musician (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Simon Seven	...	Musician (segment "Subway Car from Hell")
Joe Toutebon	...	Knish Buyer (segment "Subway Car from Hell") (as Joseph Toutebon)
Daniel Wolff	...	Knish Buyer (segment "Subway Car from Hell")

Storyline

The actual experiences of New York City subway riders are dramatized in a collection of 10 intriguing and very different vignettes. The tales showcase an ensemble of familiar faces, and range from stories of compassion and love to reflections on violence and loss. Among them: a disabled beggar quarrels with a woman and ruins her shoes with his wheelchair, provoking onlookers to wrath and pity; a skittish tourist proves to be her own worst enemy; a newlywed trysts with a mysterious sexpot; a commuter helplessly witnesses a suicide attempt; and, in the most affecting segment, a young woman grieves over her mother's imminent death.

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Plot Keywords:

subway | short story | train passenger | public transport | new york subway | 

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Taglines:

Every ride is as unpredictable as the city itself.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

HBO held a contest asking New Yorkers to submit interesting true stories that happened on the subways. The winning stories were then adapted for the film.

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Goofs

In the segment, "The 5:24", the Tuesday train is shown entering the station and traveling throughout the scene from left to right, but at the end the car is seen rolling into a station right to left with Tucker and the Old Man in the same seats.

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Quotes

Old Man (segment "The 5:24"): As the hooker once said, "If they pay you for it, it's not love."

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Crazy Credits

The camera pans around and breaks the fourth wall by showing the crew during the closing credits.

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Connections

Referenced in A Short Film About the Long Career of Abel Ferrara (2004)

User Reviews

Oh well... worth watching, but probably not buying

I do regret a little that I bought it without seeing it first. Some people might really like the style of those short stories, others might not. People who tend to like reading short stories would definitely enjoy most of them.

If you are an (amateur) filmmaker yourself or have worked on low budget productions, I guess you would really appreciate it. Some of those stories are constructed very clever, it is amazing how they turned everyday situations into something special in so little time.

If you have happened to see the September 11 short stories you might know why I expected a little "more".

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Subway Stories

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clinica Estetico, HBO NYC Productions, Ten in a Car Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1