The Corner (Robert Ford, 1963)

New 16mm restoration (thanks to a grant from the National Preservation Foundation)! A documentary presentation from the point of view of the Vice Lords, a group of boys on Chicago's West Side, a description of their world as they know it, and their own evaluations of their codes and attitudes. Portrays life on the streets.
Credits: Robert Ford (Director)
Original: 16mm., B&W, Optical Sound, Found in Chicago Film Archives' Robert Ford Collection (www.chicagofilm...)
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[@Frawls42]

Twenty years after this film was made, I ran into many Vice Lords in Austin usually on the Lake St. EL , 91 Austin or 85 Central Ave bus. The Vice Lords were really violent. I speak from experience from 1979 to 1983 as I would travel to Fenwick High School in Oak Park just west of Austin and Washington Blvds! Traveling through north and south Austin was very dangerous then. I had a few scrapes with the Vice Lords from Austin HS. Thank God I was never hurt or worse!

[@marcusjones1432]

I grew up out west. Trips me out to see how it was way back then.

[@gintasindreika933]

This film is precious. Lake Street El in Garfield Park, the year before the Beatles. When teenagers still showed some respect to their mothers, dressed neatly and looked for a job. No stupid Smartphones, no daily shootings or carjackings. Chicago, what happened to you?

[@matrox]

Exactly.

[@keepsk8boardingreal476]

I kinda respect these guys they have principles, and don't shoot each other all day. They're also not wimps. And they try to be themselves.

[@JDX28]

Chris has more sense than a lot of grown folks I know. I hope he’s doing good 🙏

[@bardavidtaxodysmas2212]

The lad could see they were not tough just hurt misguided young men.

[@mechelinekelly763]

Brother Chris is the little guy... I was about 8 years old...Yep, Chris was about 13-14 years old. P.s. I loved this neighborhood!

[@Jay-jp4nv]

I'm interested in knowing how Chris' life unfolded, he was brilliant for being so young

[@matrox]

This is 1963...could have easily been 1933, 43 or 53'. This can't hold a candle to the filth, carjackings, murders, robberies and other foul decadence we see in 2003, 2013 or today in 2023. Like night and day.

[@kakashi101able]

Actually by the late 1960s and 70s the homicide rate was much worse than today.

[@matrox]

@@kakashi101able Not really, the numbers are skewed because of medical technology by a lot! The crime rate is much worse today but the victims of crime today are saved by the latest advances in medical tech. Today people survive attacks that were unheard of in the 60s and 70s. Crime rates in the 50s 60s and 70s can't get close to the crime happening today. People being saved from gun shots that would have been impossible 50 years ago.

[@TM-em9ij]

Wow, what a beautiful film. Thank You :)

[@matrox]

Chicaaaagoo!...Chicaagoo!!!...Its My kinda town!☝🤓

[@joedermilio8924]

Growing up in south Philly there was corners every were everybody protected their neighborhood some corners where older than others if you where youg on the you had to listen to the oldheads u had to survive if you wanted to hang there 70s 80s peace ✌ out

[@jusgee8784]

All is well

[@jusgee8784]

@I am who I am You could hate it or love it peon shit

[@perrymason4208]

This is great footage, thanks for the upload.

[@frankbolton1532]

The system really did a job on us Lord have Mercy.

[@bobbyg433]

The system made you pick up guns and kill 600 people a year?

[@Moneyg73]

Fax

[@matrox]

@@bobbyg433 Chicago run into the ground by DemocRAT Mayors. No republican Mayor since 1927!

[@matrox]

@@bobbyg433 Its the DemocRAT System.

[@jaygoodwin5809]

Yup for sure it got me too

[@KennethDAstonJr]

See it was a "club" and they had rules to the "game" and had real respect for the game. The real "Cooley High"

[@shawnmalone9711]

Good time capsule of early 1960s Chicago. I see guys wearing" do" rags and stingy brims and processed hair. " On a cold and gray Chicago morn another little baby boy is born in the ghetto...." No serious , I'll bet a lot of these guys were drafted and some probably served in Vietnam.

[@georgiodukes4741]

That shit looked depressing back then.

[@minns5515]

Georgio Dukes Looks worse now though

[@Chingon_Autentico]

Didn't look, was

[@sinbad3892]

I would have loved to been in those days then now

[@sinbad4887]

​@@sinbad3892me too

[@waynewright2886]

That's the way it was with the Colored Folk in Chicago... Standing on the Corner or Under the El Track, Singing A Harmony Group of R&B Songs, Passing that Cheap Wine, Just Plain Bulls**tting Around on the South & Westside of Chicago!

[@onlyplayaseattacoswiththei9433]

Same in Philly

[@stonergamerdavis7720]

Taylor's port

[@marcus2rell187]

Everybody looked so old back in the day

[@sinbad3892]

I would like an update on these people seeing whatever happened to most of them and where are they now the ones that still living

[@richnoble3577]

Ain't we lucky we got em...Good times 😌

[@cle-chi]

Hangin Out West!

[@gmerent]

wow. this is currently my property.

[@ecallic100]

Which one is your property

[@fulton92503]

I think there was more Job opportunity then than there is now in Chicago guys most didn't stay in gangs' past 18-21 but I was only 7 then

[@heinmrichvandergraaf3456]

That child at the start of the documentary has more brains an commen cense then all those men on the corner

[@motowngirl5891]

Excellent Film

[@jamesnevitt9293]

These guys sure could dress back then.

[@KennethDAstonJr]

That was the style back then. There were no designer clothes, leather sneakers, or marketing of clothing like today

[@lkxnqno]

@@KennethDAstonJr they still had Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and kappa back then. Even Adidas and nike

[@beverageguzzler6791]

Ronald Washington And how do you know whether that person was alive back then or not to know what was available ? So, you should be the one to shut the fuck up. Besides, you know that you're living in the modern 21st century, right ? and that there's this thing available in this modern day and age called the Internet, right ? Which lo and behold you've used here to spout off your asinine comment. You can use that same instrument to look up and research brands and other things. There you go, dumbass.

[@ithinkihaveebola5238]

@@KennethDAstonJr wrong!

[@david-lm7iu]

@@ithinkihaveebola5238 they had Adidas in the 60s,look at ail boxing shoes people wore Nike and stuff back then 🤡

[@spuzzlightyeartoo]

I was about to ask if things are better now than they were then... But I guess you all answered my question lol

[@ecallic100]

It’s crazy how the state of young men in Chicago is pretty much the same

[@matrox]

50xs worse now. This dude at least seems like he has some sense. No car jackings, driveby shootings and his pants are hanging halfway down his ass like the crack babies we see today.

[@lonniejolly5882]

Slap boxing. Wow!!!!

[@kennethwilhoite892]

Them was some nice cars

[@rwr773]

Strolling, cool cap and some timbs. Time change but people don't.

[@ncpoloboy]

RW R right with the shades hanging from the shirt collar

[@matrox]

Yeh...cool caps.

[@sinbad3892]

This is where Eric Monte got the idea for Cooley High I think anyway

[@yosimtybred1762]

Cooley high was based on monte's life

[@PinkyPuff69]

People surviving and thriving, Made In The U.S.A

[@Embassy97]

Youth is wasted on the young with that mentality the older ones never want to help the youth just like TODAY think of how we are looked at for hanging on the corner when we go to get jobs we are rejected to the point of embarrassment to this very day the older guys in position see the youth as a threat in the work force

[@Embassy97]

The brush off hurts alot

[@KennethDAstonJr]

Damn those are some long ass Newports lol

[@Themaddprof]

Back then most Black people who smoked smoked Kools.

[@davidblackwell6914]

This film was used for many scenes in b.e.t's American Gangster

[@minns5515]

Then we all die...

[@fratzogmopars]

The west side looks the same now as it did in 1963, and it will look the same 100 years from now.

[@beverageguzzler6791]

24:36 is where I have to differ with that statement of his. Some people can live alone and many prefer to do so, they're called introverts. So, I just wanted to counter argue his one sided extrovert narrative that he tried to project on everyone else here.

[@334cobra5]

He's right in a very deep and absolute sense though.

[@ecallic100]

He was speaking relative to the times they were in

[@TheJayblaze3]

What happened to Clarence?

[@matrox]

Where ever he is he's pushing 80.

[@devoradamaris]

🫂🌎🫂

[@The_straight_path55]

Vice Lord Vice Lord Vice Lord !!!!.

[@dtroyjones7229]

All is well

[@osoal-shabazz3804]

Almighty

[@lukewalker8484]

@@dtroyjones7229 i5 well 1*13*9*22*12*14

[@dtroyjones7229]

@@lukewalker8484 992212 LAH ⭐

[@lukewalker8484]

@@dtroyjones7229 one body 10 toes down

[@BarbaraPineda-v9p]

screw the words respected, abouts parental that's old school, depends of the parental, also big deals

[@oswaldreynolds5213]

Can anyone tell me what Westside corner that 🤔 is?

[@cbrownlee1]

Lake & Homan Ave.

[@citizenstranger]

looks like lake and laramie tbh

[@Themaddprof]

21:07, Twerking 1960s style.

[@chamboyette853]

When you compare to Chicago now, it looks so much better back then. No constant shootings, few people murdered ... People don't seem to talk much about them being black either. Compare all this to documentaries on Chicago now. Very very different and much worse.

[@FirstNameLastName-qq3de]

Chicago was a conservative city back then it's a liberal city now.

[@LoveTruth86]

Per 1000, the homicide rate in the 1960s is comparable to today. You can research this. It escalated into the 1970s.

[@thomasbrown3356]

The slums of Bronzeville was not much better then. What time capsule are you watching. Most of those neighborhoods have been gentrified and former residents pushed out to other crowded slums.

[@joelx3612]

it was bad back then dude

[@thomasbrown3356]

Who eats a hot dog with a fork🤷‍♀️

[@lauraveney1412]

If you have no bread you eat it with a fork

[@shotguntwan217]

2:34 Birdman

[@somenothing7914]

6:28

[@qwestt1304]

They dressed better back then

[@carstellamoore2407]

could you have found something more positive to look at try harder there has got to be more uplifting shows about blacks in this time period.

[@thefreedomtheatre9723]

Carstella Moore you find something..He found what interested him and I thank him for it. Looking forward to your positive upload tho.

[@carstellamoore2407]

First of all may I humbly suggest getting a security license then start working for allied universal the company I work for you will keep a job the license cost about 200$ option 2save money come to California jobs are plentiful here

[@RicardoHernandez-tc3ob]

Shut you ass up Castellan! You don't know caca

[@lauraveney1412]

It is not sugar coated

[@allonedalit2124]

This is it, about the cold hard streets

[@themako990mako9]

Wah crybabies. So did everyone else.

[@deitalionlewis5006]

Trolling black videos but still unemployed

[@edreal4361]

Maybe the dude was French..Foo/say, English..fosters

[@somenothing7914]

6:50