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How true it is!
The sad thing about this film is that it drags up all the buried feelings of betrayal and decay and resentment that linger inside those of us who remember Asbury Park as it used to be, before corruption, greed, and apathy allowed the fabled boardwalk and beachside streets of Springsteen songs to fall prey to the aborted attempts at Yuppification, with unfinished highrise buildings, trash-strewn empty lots, and then a godforsaken SEWER Plant the corrupt city fathers allowed to be built right across Ocean Avenue, effectively dead-ending the beachfront road with a cement block building full of POOP!
The great thing about this film is that it is accurate and honest, with no holds barred shots of the decay in all of it's shocking decrepitude, striking a universal chord of saddness in all of us who see this film and who knew and loved the sights and sounds of the "old" Asbury.
Those of us who remember the sounds of family laughter, amusement rides, and music sneaking out from the open doors of arcades and nightclubs, the smell of hot dogs and saurkraut and Philly Cheesesteaks wafting from the open grills, infused with the smell of auto polish and gasoline as cars and bikes rumbled along the mile long circuit that once stretched from one end of Asbury's beachfront, west a block and then back down to the other end on Kingsley Ave. Glory Days, indeed!
I well remember the cars jamming the streets, racing from light to light, the long lines of choppers parked in front of Mrs. Jay's in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, kids squeeling in delight as the little boats went round and round in 8 inches of water with them as boat captains....until the town condemned and closed or tore down everything, ride by ride, building by building leaving only the Stone Pony to keep the Circuit alive.. The destruction of the beachfront that began in the early 70's now, all but for the Pony, complete.
This 8 minute film is a must-see for anyone who remembers, and with Stan Parratt's commentary, a must-hear for those who weren't there in Asbury Park's heyday. Sometime in the future the city of Asbury Park will rise again. This documentary should be required viewing for all town fathers and residents everywhere, so that they never allow what happened to Asbury Park to ever happen again.... anywhere...
A tip of the hat to the filmmakers. Visit their website at www.jointfilms.com for information on how you can obtain this video. If you live at the Jersey Shore, know it only through Springsteen songs, or ever visited there, this is a worthy short film to keep in your film library. It is a good reminder of what apathy and corruption can do...
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