Dark Streets (2008)

Director:

Rachel Samuels

Writers (WGA):

Wallace King (screenplay)
Glenn M. Stewart (play)

Release Date:

2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gabriel Mann	...	Chaz
Bijou Phillips	...	Crystal
Izabella Miko	...	Madelaine
Elias Koteas	...	Lieutenant
Jarreth J. Merz	...	Pale Man
Michael Fairman	...	Nathaniel
Toledo Diamond	...	Prince
Jordi Caballero	...	Slim
Tracy Phillips	...	Rose
Mike Muscat	...	Guard
Kimberly Sanders	...	Ballroom Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Aldridge	...	VIP Dinner Guest
Noel Arthur	...	EMT
Sybil Azur	...	Lilly
Marina Benedict	...	Dancer
Luna Rocio Cantale	...	Cigarrete girl
Gigi Chavoshi	...	Dancer
Samuel Bliss Cooper	...	Delivery Man
Pat Crawford Brown	...	Delores
Palmer Davis	...	Darlene
Henriette Dyer	...	Dancer
Sharon Ferguson	...	Dancer
Sharon Ferrol-Young	...	Dancer, Associate Choreographer
Roosevelt Flenoury	...	Dancer
Keith Glover	...	Plant Guard
Gigi Hunter	...	Dancer
Diana Kyle	...	Woman in Feathered Cape
Sebastian Leger	...	Musician
Alexandra Mann	...	Lorna
Michelle Martinez	...	Dancer
Jaayda McClanahan	...	Dancer
Howard S. Miller	...	Frank
James Otis	...	Tommy
Matt O'Toole	...	Harry
Paul Palo	...	Drug Dealer
F. William Parker	...	Man in Overalls
Vanessa Peters	...	Woman at Table
Bashar Rahal	...	Bartender
Liz Ramos	...	Dancer
Ken Rosier	...	Governor
Lauri Serene	...	Dancer
Carolyn Seymour	...	Gloria
Chip Sickler	...	Man inTop Hat
Eve Sigall	...	Neighbor
John Solari	...	The Goon
Adriana Souza	...	Dancer
Christie Stover	...	Dancer
Brian Toth	...	Transvestite
Alexi Wasser	...	Claudia
Emily Williams	...	Dancer
Tara Wilson	...	Dancer
Keith Young	...	Choreographer
Geoffrey Gould	...	Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Rachel Samuels

Writing credits (WGA)
Wallace King		(screenplay)
Glenn M. Stewart		(play)

Produced by
Jeremy Alter	....	co-producer
Steffen Aumueller	....	executive producer
Andrea Balen	....	producer
Claus Clausen	....	producer
Corina Danckwerts	....	producer
Glenn M. Stewart	....	producer
Zora A. Wolter	....	line producer

Original Music by
George Acogny

Cinematography by
Sharone Meir		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael J. Duthie
Miklos Wright

Casting by
Johanna Ray

Production Design by
Frank Bollinger

Art Direction by
Jana Mrovec

Set Decoration by
Eden Barr

Costume Design by
Maria Schicker

Makeup Department
Kimberly Carlson	....	hair stylist
Michelle DeMilt	....	makeup artist
Fiona Distefano	....	makeup artist
Kamaura Eley	....	hair stylist
Elizabeth Fox	....	makeup artist: background
Jennifer Greenberg	....	makeup artist
Tracey Henton	....	key makeup artist
Reiko Horiuchi	....	hair stylist
Martina Kohl	....	makeup department head
Kelley Mitchell	....	makeup artist
Liz Webster	....	hair department head
Isabella Wiley	....	makeup artist
Crystal Wolfchild	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Christian Bevington	....	production manager
Kirsten Wagner	....	production manager: second unit
Christopher Francis Woods	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joshua Lou Friedman	....	additional second assistant director (as Josh Friedman)
Myna Gill	....	second assistant director
Shannyn K. Marlen	....	second second assistant director
Mike Mihovilovich	....	second second assistant director
Daniel Shultz	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jami Anderson	....	set dresser
Sarah Bess	....	lead scenic artist
Andy Bottigliero	....	set dresser (as Andrea Bottigliero)
Freddie Campbell	....	set dresser
Peter Dang	....	art director: second unit
Flip Filippelli	....	construction coordinator
Andy Hammer	....	scenic
Cija Johnson	....	carpenter
Jacob Martinez	....	leadman (as Jack Martinez)
Jacob P. Martinez	....	leadman
Nathan McMahon	....	leadman
Manuel Plank-Jorge	....	illustrator
Dave Preston	....	assistant property master
David L. Snyder	....	visual consultant
Elvis Strange	....	graphic designer
Elvis Strange	....	property master
Samo Tusak	....	carpenter
Samo Tusak	....	lead man
Greg Wilson	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Max Bauer	....	foley artist
Kyle Billingsley	....	foley mixer
Marcus Blanchard	....	sound re-recording mixer
Normann Büttner	....	foley recordist
Barney Cabral	....	supervising sound editor
Daniel Dietenberger	....	sound designer
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	sound editor
Shelik Fernandez	....	sound recordist
Stephen Fitzmaurice	....	adr mixer
David Hingorany	....	sound mix engineer
Scott A. Jennings	....	sound re-recording mixer
Pit Kuhlmann	....	sound editor
Tim D. Lloyd	....	boom operator
Iris Lohninger	....	boom operator
Karl W. Lohninger	....	sound mixer
Klint Macro	....	foley recordist
Zsolt Magyar	....	sound mixer
Paul Ordonez	....	sound recordist
Ken S. Polk	....	sound re-recording mixer
Perry Robertson	....	supervising sound editor
Kevin Zimmerman	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Mark Bedell	....	special effects assistant
Robert Garrigus	....	pyrotechnician
Maegan Stewart	....	special effects assistant
Nils Allen Stewart	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Gregory Creaser	....	digital grading supervisor
Brandon Flyte	....	visual effects
Ken Locsmandi	....	animation supervisor
Christopher Francis Woods	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Mark Bedell	....	stunts
Mark Bedell	....	utility stunts
Steve Hart	....	stunts
Cole S. McKay	....	stunts (as Cole McKay)
Nils Allen Stewart	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard W. Botchlet	....	electrician
Eric Budlong	....	key grip
Sylvain D'Hautcourt	....	camera operator
Adam Duffy	....	electrician
Owen Foye	....	electrician
Coby Garfield	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Erik Gonzales	....	rigging electrician
Russell Griffith	....	gaffer
Miles Gutkin	....	grip
Darryl Humber	....	dolly grip
Morgan Jenkins	....	camera loader
Christopher Jones	....	assistant camera
Andrew Mueller	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Landon Ruddel	....	best boy grip
Ted Sapp	....	grip
Pat Swovelin	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Kenny Tucker	....	electrician
Jack L. Zeman	....	still photographer

Casting Department
LaVonne Rae Andrews	....	additional casting
Carmen Betancourt	....	additional casting
Matthew Gray	....	extras casting
Jenny Jue	....	casting associate
Ron Lunceford	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Fariba Behnam	....	costume supervisor
Marlene Blumert	....	costumer
Glenn Gregory Krah	....	key set costumer (as Glenn Georg Krah)

Editorial Department
Ricky Hayner	....	assistant editor
Kristofer Lindquist	....	additional film editor

Music Department
George Acogny	....	music supervisor
Christopher Guardino	....	music arranger
Christopher Guardino	....	musician: keyboards
Greg Hayes	....	score recordist
Randy Kerber	....	orchestrator
Jay B. Richardson	....	music editor
Mike Sawitzke	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Matthew Ballard	....	transportation coordinator
Shay Morgan Brook	....	transportation captain
Theodore Giapapas	....	driver

Other crew
Mark Bedell	....	firearms master
Carol A. Compton	....	script clearance
Paul Cozzi	....	production assistant
Sharon Ferrol-Young	....	associate choreographer
Melitta Fitzer	....	production accountant
Sherie Giehtbrock	....	script supervisor
Torrence Hall	....	weapons handler
Dan Kanes	....	follow spot operator
David Kern	....	location manager
Matthew Knudsen	....	key set production assistant
Sheila Louie	....	set medic
Jason Neudecker	....	production assistant
Josh Novak	....	set production assistant
Michelle Roussell	....	production assistant
Jeremy Scripter	....	assistant location manager
Kirsten Wagner	....	coordinator
Rebekah Weatherspoon	....	key set production assistant: re-shoot
Valerie Whitcomb	....	payroll accountant
Keith Young	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Capture Film International
• LA Dark Streets
• Sherazade Film Development

Other Companies

• Chapman / Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Hollywood-DI  HD screening services
• IndieClear  script clearance

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Color (35 mm version)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Capture Film International

one thing music and heartbeats have in common—eventually, they both stop

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

MasterMath® Reviews ... (includes a couple of minor spoilers)

Big hearts break hard downtown, and Chaz Davenport (Gabriel Mann) was blessed and cursed with a big heart. As our story begins, Chaz has opened a new night club in 1930s New Orleans, The Tower. Already, the bills are piling up and the dancers are catfighting. Bummer. All this, plus he was strangely disinherited by his late father, Arthur Davenport, who was CEO of Consolidated Power Co. BTW, the company lawyer died in a car crash shortly thereafter. Curious.

Enter The Lieutenant (Elias Koteas). He's a cop, but he does things normal cops don't do. MANY such things. He introduces Chaz to an old friend, Madelaine (Izabella Miko, seen previously at CineVegas in the excellent Park, 2006). She is NOT just another pretty face—she can REALLY sing. Which causes even more of an uproar among her fellow dancers—Crystal (Bijou Phillips), Rose (Tracy Phillips), Darlene (Palmer Davis), et al. Chaz explains to Crystal why she's out as lead singer: 'You're a great belter, but we've got a REAL chanteuse now.' To which Crystal replies, 'She can chanteuse my ass.' Madelaine wants to be just friends with Chaz, at first, anyway. She's unafraid to walk these dark streets alone; they are truly her home.

Then things take, well, a dark turn—Darlene is killed in the alley behind the club, her body a bloody mess. But when Tommy (James Otis), the bathroom attendant, has his throat cut in situ, the club staff become, understandably, even more morose and paranoid.

Chaz is a savvy businessman. As a judge of character, alas, he's somewhat less skilled. But, given enough time, he can figure out what people are up to. Usually. And he needs to, seeing as EVERYONE in this film, other than him, has a hidden agenda. He reasons that the best person to turn to is Uncle Nate (Michael Fairman), also an executive at Consolidated. You see, Chaz is gradually coming to suspect that his father did NOT commit suicide. Uncle Nate says he'll look into it. Another possible source of information is Gloria (Carolyn Seymour), who was a friend to Arthur. Meaning, of course, she knows things. Things Chaz ought to hear. It appears even the Governor (Ken Rosier) is involved. That's about all I'm going to say about the plot. The rest hinges on a letter which mysteriously disappears, a Consolidated facility which is down for maintenance and a telescope.

According to the director, the film is a fantasy version of the '30s, i.e., an amalgamation of different time periods, with a '30s vibe. It was originally a musical play before she signed on. The storyline was influenced by the recent California blackouts and the Enron scandal. Swing and shift lenses often shifted the line of focus, with the edges of the frame blurred, creating a dream atmosphere. When I asked what challenges such a large cast presented, Samuels responded, 'The film was shot in 28 days, with the musicals in half a day each, rather than the usual several weeks. It (the schedule) was complicated and chaotic, but incredibly fun.'

This is her third feature film. It has distribution and will be out in November. In addition, it will screen at the New Orleans Film Festival in October, in conjunction with a benefit concert. While the film itself included a few blues artists as background music, e.g., Natalie Cole, the soundtrack will also include the work of B.B. King, Aretha Franklin and Etta James.

Director Samuels has crafted a masterfully rich portrait of this world and of these characters, as diverse as they are fascinating. Come to think of it, there isn't a ray of sunlight in the entire film, not literally, anyway. These streets and back alleys are always dark. And there's always someone or something waiting for you. Sometimes friend, sometimes foe. The blues touch every second, every frame of this film. There's music in every scene, every shot. Even when no one's singing, there's music—including during the numerous blackouts—always music playing. Just as it is in these characters' lives all the time, and it's always the blues. Like a heartbeat. And one thing music and heartbeats have in common—eventually, they both stop.

This film is dedicated to the blues musicians of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. A portion of the film's profits will be donated to them via The Blues Initiative. The film includes the music of B.B. King, Natalie Cole and Etta James; the soundtrack album is in the works.

Stellar performances throughout, especially by Mann and the visually / aurally stunning Miko. Phillips provides a deep and calculating competitive counterpoint to Miko, and Fairman is integral to the plot, despite being in only a few scenes. Truth be told, I HATE musicals. It all stems from when my sister dragged me to see Camelot. When I was twelve. But I digress. This film and Chicago are the only musicals I have ever found thoroughly entertaining. And that's pretty good company.

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