Event

LONG GONE

Dir. Jack Cahill, David Eberhardt, 2003
USA. 90min

Featuring an original score by Tom Waits and filmed over seven years and 30,000+ miles, LONG GONE follows a large cast of hobos spanning multiple generations: The aging veterans Horizontal John & Joshua Long Gone; the publically besmirched Dogman Tony with his young bride and loyal tramp friends, and the steadfast, level-headed New York Slim, are contrasted with the younger generation of punks that have taken to hopping trains, James, Jessie, and Stonie. Filmmakers Jack Cahill and David Eberhardt are so comfortable with their subjects that the camera becomes invisible as they deal with depression, loss, drug use, alcoholism and being a scapegoat for the state to pin multiple murder charges on (really!). LONG GONE is less about the act of riding the rails, and more about the personal stories and circumstances of those riding them.

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Catch out with Spectacle for the summer with these four documentaries spanning five decades all revolving around the mythical hobo and their prefered mode of transport, hopping freight trains. Filled with lush landscapes, and scenery that make the Hudson River Valley school of painters look like Thomas Kinkade, these films use train riding as a vehicle to tell unique stories of the hobo subculture, class disparity in the United States, and personal stories of those out there riding the rails.