Is Underground New York Worth Watching? Honest Movie Review & Audience Verdict (1968)

📖 The Core Premise

Underground New York stands as a 1968 entry that attempts to leave its mark on the Documentary landscape. At its heart, the film explores complex themes wrapped in a compelling storyline. As the plot unfolds, we see characters navigating a world where stakes are high. "A rare behind-the-scenes view of the exploding New York “underground” in the late sixities, a turbulent time and place that was to change American culture forever. A German TV crew, led by journalist Gideon Bachmann, explores the epicenter of the sixties revolution in art, music, poetry and film and interviews the main players in the “New American Cinema,” that was born on the streets of New York. Against a backdrop of cultural upheaval in all of the arts and growing political agitation against the Vietnam War, Bachman interviews the most prominent figures in “underground film,” including Jonas Mekas, Shirley Clarke, the Kuchar Brothers and Bruce Connor, and visits the most notorious location in the New York art world of the era - Andy Warhol’s Factory - to conduct an interview with the genius of Pop Art himself."

🎬 Performance & Direction

A movie's success often hinges on its execution. In Underground New York, even the presence of Allen Ginsberg struggles to save a script that feels disjointed. The direction aims to balance pacing with character development, a hallmark of good Documentary. While there are moments of brilliance, the pacing occasionally dips.

🤔 Why You Should Watch (or Skip)

Is Underground New York worth your time? If you appreciate Documentary films that take risks, this is likely a decent one-time watch. However, if you are looking for a flawless masterpiece, you might find some plot points predictable.

🏆 Final Verdict

Ultimately, Underground New York misses the mark on several fronts. With a runtime of 51 minutes, it asks for a significant time investment, but for the right audience, it pays off.

Our recommendation: Skip It.