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Coney Island is a documentary about the changes and inconstancy of this historic place focussing on the Off-Season and a typical night in the main season. Not only the portrait of a place, but also a study about the people in Coney Island and therefore about american culture in general originates. Tourists and locals, beggars, children, sportsmen, illegal and legal immigrants appear like actors in a film about the human highs and lows. Tensely the camera listens in a waiting posture, often from the frog (rabbit) perspective to the conversations and the soundtrack which completely composes itself from the atmospheric sounds of this place.
While living in New York, Coney Island for me was a retreat place where I could find strength and inspiration or just distraction before returning into the jungle between the Manhattan skyscrapers. In my numerous visits during different seasons and time of day I mostly took a camera with me to make short sketches which form now the basis of this documentary. I was mostly interested in the Off-Season (low season) when the fun fair and all the rides were closed and the beaches empty. Only then I really became aware of the historical meaning and scurrility of this place.
Coney Islands unbelievable and impressive history is still quite clearly perceptible these days. On the pier the poorest of the poor live and fish and in the dark backroads behind the carousels one can still buy weapons and drugs. In summer this is hardly visible for the tourists, between all those colored lamps, Hot Dog and Burgershops, roller coasters and freak shows, so that one gets the feeling of a normal bathing resort. However, in winter the sad emptiness of this former "No Go area" and the mexican and black workers who scantily repair the park trying to keep it in good condition, are the only ones left.
Nowadays strange entertainment shows and artists slowly seem to return to Coney Island - a tolerant place, with a lot of options and possibilities... until the day that they will give way to mainstream tourism again and the circulation shuts. This circulation not only seems to take place in the course of 200 years, but happens in the little one also from season to season. Overpopulation and emptiness alternate like money and poverty, fresh color and weather erosion, colored lights and grey everyday life.
In my movie I try to question the changes and inconstancy of this place focussing on the Off-Season and a typical night in the main season. Besides, not only the portrait of a place, but also a study about the people in Coney Island and therefore also about the Americans in itself originates. Tourists and locals, beggars, children, sportsmen, illegal and legal immigrants appear like actors in a film about the human highs and lows. Tensely the camera listens in a waiting posture, often from the frog (rabbit) perspective to the conversations and the soundtrack which completely composed itself out of the atmospheric sounds of this place.
Coney Island a brief history:
Once a magnet for well-to-do summerguests from New York City and today a melting pot for the most different people slowly recovering from the destruction and confusion of the last 130 years. After Coney Island was run down in the 19-th century by corrupt politicians, bandits and windy businessmen and spread out increasingly prostitution and unlawful game of chance, call was destroyed at the beginning of the 20-th century Coney of Iceland as a seaside resort first of all. In 1917, e.g., Al Capone worked in Coney Iceland and in 1931 Joe Masseria, a famous gang boss was shot, there in a restaurant. At the same time one caught in himself on the new visitors from the middle class and substratum to put and various carousels and roller coasters started to establish and these were often built from bought rests of the world exhibits. Besides, the worldwide biggest fun fair originated up to construction of Disneyland. In the end, after the worldwide economic crisis in 1929 and the second world war the visitor's stream broke off and, for the rest, a kind of ghost town remained, so that the city planners decided this remote corner of Brooklyn to the immigrants to leave to the arms, the sick people and the freaks and with social residential blocks (record constructions) to zubetonieren. Street crime, crime and youth way governed in 60igern the streets of Coney Iceland (see the film: The Warriors). Only in the 80th it went slowly uphill and Coney Iceland became again friendly to visitor.
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