Select delivery location
See All Buying Options

Dark Days [DVD]

Marc Singer (Actor, Director) Rated:
Unrated
Format: DVD
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 253 ratings
IMDb7.7/10.0
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
DVD
July 19, 2011
Anniversary
2
$9.99
$9.99 $11.14
DVD
August 26, 2003 		— —
$14.98
$14.98 $2.80
DVD
February 10, 2014 		—
1
$10.68
$10.68 $9.27
DVD
September 25, 2001 		—
1
—
$29.01 $2.92
Watch Instantly with Rent Buy
Dark Days $3.99 $4.99
Genre Documentary
Format Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC, Black & White, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Anamorphic
Contributor Marc Singer
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 34 minutes

Product Description

"Dark Days" is the multi-award winning documentary from Marc Singer about a community of homeless people living in a train tunnel beneath Manhattan. The film depicts a way of life that is unimaginable to most of those who walk the streets above. In the pitch black of the tunnel, rats swarm through piles of garbage as high-speed trains leaving Penn Station tear through the darkness. For some of those who have gone underground, it has been home for as long as twenty-five years. The director abandoned life on the outside to spend all of his time in the tunnels, making it his home for two years. Surprisingly entertaining and deeply moving, "Dark Days" is an eye-opening experience that shatters the myths of homelessness with the strength and universality of the people the film represents.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 5 x 0.6 inches; 6.4 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Marc Singer
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC, Black & White, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Anamorphic
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 34 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2001
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Marc Singer
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Palm Pictures / Umvd
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005NSY6
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 253 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
253 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Documentary
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2002
Verified Purchase
"Dark Days" is a wonderful documentary and is mandatory viewing for anyone interested in those who make their homes beneath the streets of NYC. "Dark Days" offers up a visual tour of this subterranean landscape. As someone who lives in NYC, and has been interested in this phenomenon for sometime, "Dark Days" is a fascinating work. Although I must admit that I have a definite attraction to the perverse and mysterious nature of the underground, Singer reminds us that there is much humanity to be found within the sooty vermin-infested underbelly that lies just beyond the subway tracks.
Singer is enamored with the people who live underground and portrays them as complete human beings. He conducts a sort of Anthropological approach in dealing with them. He is their friend, he's lived among them and has established their trust, he speaks their language, and he understands their needs and concerns. The most important element of those who live underground that Singer brings to the forefront are that they are part of a large subculture that thrives on relationships and human compassion. Yes, a lot of these people are living underground because of choices that they made, many are hiding from addiction, family, the law, and life ON the streets. Living underground in the vast tunnel network of the NYC subway system, many of these individuals have found their home. Many of them have even built their homes underground. There is electricity to be found down there, as well as water. It is not uncommon for those living underground to have TVs, cooking stoves, makeshift toilets, and multi-room dwellings. "Dark Days" shows all of this, as well as showcasing the relationships cultivated between those living underground. Through Singer, we become attached to these individuals. After watching this, I found myself wanting to know where these people are now.
The DVD offers a selection as part of its special features that contains small write-ups of everyone featured in the film and where they were shortly after the film was completed. If also offers a great glimpse into how the film was made and the immense efforts on both the part of Singer and of those living underground to complete this effort. The soundtrack by DJ Shadow is great and well worth noting.
Living in NYC, one of the most informative segments of this documentary were those that addressed how the city attempts to deal with this "problem of homelessness." One has to wonder why, if someone is content living underground and simply cannot make it "upstairs," it is such a problem to let them stay. Offering help is wonderful, forcefully extracting people from their homes is a horrible act of cruelty. Much along the same lines as forcing someone into a shelter where they will be robbed, raped, and beaten. The only way to "help" those who live underground is to respect them. "Dark Days" is an excellent example of giving this respect and of extending care and friendship to a group of people most of us refuse to acknowledge. It is because of people like Marc Singer that in the days since Times Square has been sanitized, and while the Bowery is shrinking more and more every day, those who live in NYC without a "proper" home will not be overlooked completely.
15 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Michael L. King
5.0 out of 5 stars Reality Hits Hard!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is a hard-hitting documentary that sheds light on a group of people that lived underneath the subway system in New York. Its a hard life but the documentary shows us a people who not only managed to adapt to the near dark living condition but thrive and survive in it. The indomitable human spirit to live wins out and the people show us all that humanity in all its weakness and errors will survive, no matter what. A great documentary.
Helpful
 Report
Frank Lopez
5.0 out of 5 stars Learn something about yourself and the realities of life
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is about as real as you get. Honest, biting look at our fellow citizens, the homeless and suffering, being ignored by the mayor of NYC. Marc Singer spent an important period of his life to give us an insight that would otherwise not be possible.
He is a modern hero, and we all owe him for this project, bringing some light to darkness.
I am reminded of Louis CK, the extremely talented comedian, and his stand-up in which at one point, he told the story of picking up a lady friend who had come for her first visit to our largest, and most proud city, at a bus terminal (Port Authority) in NYC, and as they came up to the surface street, she spotted an obviously homeless man in bad condition lying on the stairs.
She asked Louis what they could do, how could they help this man, with the most beautiful human sympathy we all should have when we see this.
He responded - "We don't help those people. Let's keep going."
It is part of the genius of Louis CK. Such a disturbing, visceral, touching situation made into a joke.
We as a society ignore our fellow human beings who suffer so greatly.
I only hope that the kind advocates of the homeless that were in this movie are continuing their noble efforts.
And, finally, I hope that the next billionaire mayor of NYC will not be so callous and cold to the homeless, both as individuals and homeless families.
We are all responsible for this shameful state of affairs. Perhaps this movie will move you to do something.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ravenous
5.0 out of 5 stars Must watch
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
I got the movie from reading Tunnel People by Teun Voeten. I help out in homeless encampments and I wanted to see the movie and what homeless was like back in the 90s vs today. Wasn't but a few dollars so I bought the movie. And was good to have faces with some of the people I have read about.
Helpful
 Report
Paul Haspel
5.0 out of 5 stars A grim descent into a modern heart of darkness
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2011
Verified Purchase
Marc Singer's documentary "Dark Days" (2000) takes us into the lives of a group of homeless people who live in the underground railroad tunnels beneath New York City. The murky, black-and-white photography captures well the dim and grim world within which these people live; trains hurtle forward into the frame, seemingly out of nowhere, and one gets a strong sense of how precariously the men and women of this subterranean world are living. As the film progresses, we learn about how each of these people came to be a tunnel dweller, and we see how they scratch out a living in the topside world before returning to their underground homes. The film takes a startling turn when Amtrak, the owner of the tunnel, announces its intention of evicting the tunnel dwellers, creating a crisis situation for the tunnel community. The pervasive harsh language, and the film's footage of drug use, may be upsetting to some viewers, but I for one find it more upsetting to reflect that there are people living this way in the wealthiest country in human history. The soundtrack music by DJ Shadow accompanies perfectly what we see on screen -- the pessimistic quality of much of the film, as well as its surprisingly hopeful conclusion. A disturbing, powerful film, and one that worked particularly well for me as a companion piece to Jennifer Toth's book "The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City."
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
JPG
5.0 out of 5 stars ENLIGHTENING
Reviewed in Canada on January 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
This was a very eye opening movie for me. Originally I saw it on one of the movie channels - but have been watching to purchase my own copy which I have watched a few times now. Sometimes it's hard to realize people can actually survive in this environment. But Marc shows us that the underground world is a community not unlike our own where the people work together - and not only survive but for the most part they thrive.
Report
さかまり
5.0 out of 5 stars 面白い
Reviewed in Japan on October 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
アメリカで見たことがあって、ずっと気になっていたドキュメンタリー映画だったので、手に入れることができて良かったです。
Report
Dead Pistol
5.0 out of 5 stars Großartig
Reviewed in Germany on July 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
Grandioser Film über grandiose Menschen. Mit Audiokommentar und vor allem der Bonus DVD doppelt so gut. Unbedingt und vor allem ALLES ansehen.
Report
The Truth
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opening film about a world we do not to see
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2010
Verified Purchase
Dark days is an extraordinary piece of work that take you into another world. A world that's all around us, but, either don't notice as we're all too consumed in our own lives, or because we choose not to see it; because of our own selfishness, or preconceived thoughts and prejudices; prejudices which will be shattered by the time this film will be over.

It's a film about homelessness and homeless people - or rather - it's a film about their world; because extraordinary as it may seem (forgive me, it's been a while since I saw it as my copy was lent out and never returned, so I forget which city it was in - maybe New York?) but in a certain American city - underneath the streets and subway - is a whole other city. A shanty town of cobbled together homes, powered by the current from the perilously close train tracks that run through it and surround it. But these hastily erected huts are still homes. Castles in fact. Places the characters we meet and follow are immensely proud of. Places they've lovingly built and put together over the years, building, improving and adding extensions too, just like us everyday folk, and decorated with what few personal belongings they've gathered together over the years in an effort to salvage some sort life, worth, or dignity, which the world - at first glance - it seems has taken away... or has it?

The people we meet are truly extraordinary, and their stories as inspiring as they are upsetting. From the 17 year child to the oldest and wisest amongst them - Dark Days shines a light on the plight of these people and you realise that 'there but for the grace of God go I' and in fact, far from being above them (as some of us may or may not think) would we manage to cope as well if we were in their boots? Are they in fact above us in many, many ways.

I also seem to remember a lot of good extras on the DVD too - particularly about the struggle to get the film made, and for those who are into music - the quest to get DJ Shadow involved too. He supplied the soundtrack. Ultimately, Dark days is a film that everyone should be forced to watch at least once in their lives. Sadly, I see the price people are asking for this film now means that may not happen.

An other really good thing about this film is - is as much as it is sad and upsetting to watch - it's ultimately up lifting and there's a good, happy outcome. Watch it. Be amazed. Be inspired. Be thankful. And be enlightened by a film called Dark Days. Special recognition should be mentioned here to the film makers for having the guts to make this film. It took bravery on many levels I think.

If this review was helpful please give it the thumbs up.
11 people found this helpful
 Report
Froggy
5.0 out of 5 stars (import)
Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
This item says [Import] but works on Canadian Blue ray/dvd players. Region [0] DVD
Great movie worth the purchase!
Report