Gang Boy

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Moving Image:Gang Boy
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Gang Boy is a short film from 1959 released on 16mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.

It begins sensationally, with the torching of a palm tree. But this flashy introduction isn't typical of this thoughtful and compassionate film. Unlike many of Sid Davis's films from the Fifties, where theatrics often seem to triumph over reason, the two he made with writer/director Arthur Swerdloff (Gang Boy and Age 13) explore the inner world of troubled adolescent boys with sensitivity and liberalism.

"The gang boy is a phenomenon of youth. He belongs to every race, every creed, and every color. He is a symptom of a sickness in society." Said to have been based on a true incident that occurred in the city of Pomona, Calif., Gang Boy shows how one young man (Danny) comes to terms with "the angry world around him" and renounces violence. Using real Chicano and white working-class gang members as actors, the film shows vignettes of late-fifties gang culture.

Compared to the present, this was an innocent time. There are no hints of guns or drugs in this film. But there are also no hints of pathology or demonization; unlike today, gang boys are considered worthy of redemption.

Gang Boy
Produced byDavis (Sid) Productions
Production
company
Davis (Sid) Productions
Distributed byDavis (Sid) Productions
Release date
1959
Running time
26:56
LanguageEnglish
Thumbnail
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