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DOCKS OF NEW YORK

1928

Josef von Sternberg

Docks of New York

SYNOPSIS

A rough ship stoker saves a woman from suicide on the foggy waterfront, leading to an impulsive marriage in a crowded dive bar. What begins as a drunken whim slowly transforms into a genuine emotional bond between two lonely souls. Josef von Sternberg elevates this simple melodrama with atmospheric lighting and visual poetry, creating a moving study of redemption. It stands as a visual masterpiece of the late silent era, renowned for its mood.

CRITIQUE

Josef von Sternberg’s Docks of New York is the visual pinnacle of late silent cinema. It elevates a simple melodrama about a stoker and a prostitute into a symphony of fog, shadow, and light. Sternberg’s mastery of atmosphere creates a claustrophobic, dreamlike world where emotional truth supersedes plot. It is a masterclass in visual storytelling, proving that mood and lighting could carry a film as much as the actors. As a precursor to his work with Marlene Dietrich, it stands as a testament to the power of purely cinematic poetry to redeem the mundane.

SCREENING AVAILABILITY

  • Theatrical screenings

  • Non-theatrical screenings

  • Festivals and cinematheques

  • Educational screenings

  • Television broadcasting

  • Digital platforms and streaming

  • Promotional and editorial use

  • Licensing of graphic and visual materials

AVAILABLE FORMATS

  • DCP

  • DCP with subtitles

  • Apple ProRes

  • MP4 Screening File

  • MP4 Rehearsal Copy for Musicians (silent films)

  • Blu-ray

  • High-resolution archival masters

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

  • Posters

  • Press stills

  • Promotional assets

  • Screening support materials

AVAILABLE SUBTITLES

  • English

  • Spanish

  • French

  • Portuguese

  • Italian

  • German

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