Everyone knows about the punk scene. In the mid-1970s, rebellious musicians — or even those with no musical talent at all — created a new sound out of their anger and aggression. But that movement didn’t just lead to a new subgenre of music. Creative types of all stripes felt things fall apart. In New York, filmmakers, actors and other artists used those feelings to fuel collaborations that led to modern independent film. “Blank City” tells the story of those who paved the road later traveled by directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Steven Soderbergh, Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi.
This is an oral history, and there’s no shortage of talkers. We hear from those who started the movement, including Amos Poe, Eric Mitchell and Scott B, as well as those influenced by it, such as Jarmusch and John Waters. And there are those sharing their memories of New York City before it became expensive and tourist-friendly, like Blondie’s Debbie Harry and filmmaker-photographer Richard Kern. Even the soundtrack takes you back to dirty New York, with players such as Patti Smith, Television and Sonic Youth. The film is a veritable who’s-who of cool New Yorkers.
“Blank City” was made by a French director, Celine Danhier, but one who’s captured an era little known even by many artistic Americans. The Lower East Side once looked very different, filled with a raw energy. Of course, there might be a reason why the filmmakers associated with the No Wave cinema aren’t household names — their films aren’t accessible masterpieces. Perhaps that’s why Danhier shies away from showing us too much of these films. But if you want to know what filmmakers were doing while the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Ramones rocked the casbah, “Blank City” is the place to find out.
