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Released by: Scorpion Releasing
Released on: February 21, 2012.
Director: John Dexter
Cast: Jordan Christopher, Lois Nettleton, Elaine Stritch
Year: 1970
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The Movie:
Originally released as The Sidelong Glances Of A Pigeon Kicker and then re-released under the alternate title Pigeons (the title seen on the opening of the print used for this DVD), John Dexter's oddball slice of life/coming of age dramedy hits DVD for the first time thanks to Scorpion Releasing's efforts bringing strange little films like this to light for a modern audience.
The movie itself follows the exploits of a young man named Jonathan (Jordan Christopher) who has just gotten out of college and isn't really sure what to do with his freshly educated self. He makes a meager living as a taxi cab driver in Manhattan and spends his spare time hanging out with his slacker roommate, Winslow (Robert Walden). One day while hanging out in Central Park, Jonathan opines to Winslow that he sees pigeons as a metaphor for the stupidity of man and so the two go on a rampage, kicking any pigeon then can get close enough to lay the boots to.
Jonathan's family life is no better than his personal or professional life, his parents have issues of their own and are of no use when it comes to curbing their son's destructive tendencies. He and Winslow hit up a party but when he's accosted by the randy hostess, Jonathan splits - but eventually he meets a pretty hippy chick named Jennifer (Jill O'Hara) who moves into the apartment building where he lives. As they get to know one another they find they have much in common and eventually their fondness grows into legitimate love for one another - but Jonathan is still a cynical asshole in a lot of ways, and who knows for how long Jennifer will put up with that.
The Sidelong Glances Of A Pigeon Kicker is as interesting as it is very flawed. The biggest problem with the movie stems from the character of Jonathan himself, who more often than not, comes across as a pretty sour guy and more than a little unlikeable. As such, we have trouble seeing what Jennifer sees in him and understanding their relationship the way we need to. On the flip side of that coin, we can definitely see why he likes her, but he's got a very antagonistic vibe to him and doesn't at all come across as the type of person you'd want to be around, let alone for prolonged periods of time. The rest of the cast are all fine and to Christopher's credit he plays the part well, but the part, as written, is just not a very good one and we have a lot of trouble sympathizing with him.
Where the movie excels is in its location photography. As a cab driver Jonathan zips all around early seventies New York City, a very different animal than it is today, and the movie captures a lot of great footage in that regard. It also presents some interesting supporting characters throughout its running time, many of whom are more interesting and amusing than the lead. There's also kind of an interesting stagey vibe to the movie that makes it a little more endearing than it would be otherwise, as it's got a nice low-fi charm to it. As such, it's worth checking out, just be prepared to be a little frustrated with some of it by the time it ends.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Aside from some scratches and moderate grain that simply serve to remind us that this is a film sourced transfer, Scorpion's transfer for Sidelong Glances Of A Pigeon Kicker is a good one. Detail and color reproduction aren't mind blowing but they are solid and skin tones look nice and natural.
The sole audio option for the feature is a no-frills English language Dolby Digital Mono track, there are no alternate language dubs or subtitles provided. Clarity is fine, the levels are well balanced and there's only some minor hiss in a few scenes to note. No serious issues here.
Extras are slim, limited to a simple menu and chapter selection options and trailers for a few other Scorpion Releasing titles available on DVD.
The Final Word:
Sidelong Glances Of A Pigeon Kicker has got more than its fair share of problems but it makes for an interesting watch in spite of itself. There's a fine cast at work here and the movie has got some great time capsule footage of early seventies New York City - both of which make it worth a watch in spite of the weak narrative. Scorpion's disc hasn't got a lot going on in the extras department but it presents this obscurity in the best condition we're like going to see it in any time soon.
