Benching: The Art of Watching Trains

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

June 1896 •French

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

September 1927 •German

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

Roadsworth: Crossing the Line

November 2008 •English

Roadsworth: Crossing the Line details a Montreal stencil artist's clandestine campaign to make his mark on the city streets. As he is prosecuted at home and celebrated abroad, Roadsworth struggles to defend his work, define himself as an artist and address difficult questions about art and freedom of expression. - Written by Loaded Pictures

The Strait Guys

June 2022 •English

THE STRAIT GUYS follows Czech-born mining engineer, George, and his fast-talking protégé, Scott, along the proposed route of the InterContinental Railway through Alaska, to the Bering Strait and onward to Russia. The “Strait Guys” endeavor to convince international governments, corporations, and indigenous tribes to green-light their $100 billion railway project, which would provide ground-based infrastructure across the continents, relieve overcrowded Pacific ports, improve global supply chains, and ease tensions between the superpowers. The US and Russia have been successfully collaborating in space for decades. Now the Strait Guys are out to prove it is also possible down here on earth.

Bomb It

April 2007 •English

Through interviews and guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action on five continents, the documentary tells the story of graffiti from its origins in prehistoric cave paintings thru its notorious explosion in New York City during the 70’s and 80’s, then follows the flames as they paint the globe.

Rocco and His Brothers - Radical Action Art from Berlin

July 2023 •German

They are known as "shock activists", surprising again and again with radical-provocative, often illegal art actions. Up-close insights into the work of the artist collective and the Berlin graffiti scene.

TGV, 30 ans de vitesse

December 2011 •French

TGV, la réussite française

June 2017 •French

La saga du rail

June 2020 •French

Trains

February 1976 •English

After shooting more short films and documentaries, Deschanel wrote, directed and shot Trains, a short film that won the Silver Bear at the 1976 Berlin Film Festival. Trains is an exquisitely filmed short format documentary on passenger trains throughout the course of one day.

Beautiful Losers

April 2008 •English

This documentary follows the lives and careers of a collective group of do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world.

We

February 2022 •French

An urban train link, the RER B, crosses Paris and its outskirts from north to south. A journey within indistinct spaces known as inner cities and suburbs. Several portraits, all individual pieces that form a whole. We.

When Giants Roamed: The Golden Age of Steam

January 2005 •English

In the first half of the 20th century, America's railroads were radically transformed by the innovation of gargantuan steam locomotives. Pushed by the need to haul ever longer and heavier trains, the nation's locomotive works responded with the invention of awe-inspiring articulated engines. Delivering up to 7,500 horsepower, these steel behemoths could haul mile-long, 15,000-ton trains. In this riveting program, journey back to the golden age of steam for an up-close look at these legendary locomotives. See the Union Pacific's famed "Big Boy" in action and ride the rails of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western railways. Meet the men who drove engines like the Allegheny and Yellowstone, and visit the museums and yards where the largest steamers ever built remain preserved in time. THE HISTORY CHANNEL' proudly presents this rollicking retrospective, sure to set any rail fan's heart pounding

Journey to the East

May 2021 •English

Could our mounting modern problems have ancient solutions? Travel to the depths of China to find out.

Area 08 Vol. 2: The Journey Continues

January 2003 •English

The journey continues, and once again the target is Stockholm city… The 2nd episode of Area 08 features many whole trains and live backjumps from Stockholm, Sweden. There's a lot of tagging and painting of trains and metros from WUFC-SDK, PMS, FAME, HNR. The style and a soundtrack were inspired at the time by the famous Dirty Handz 2.

Affitti Gray Vol. 1

January 2007 •English

This one is dedicated to all writers. The long awaited and much anticipated Affiti Gray #1 is now available, feat. A solid variety of bombing, freights and walls along with a good amount of live painting actions. Containing new as well as classic footage, this video is pure graffiti – no filler content. Featuring tons and tons of quality fr8s from writers around the U.S., this video will surely please. Classic SF Graffiti. Throw ups, pieces, and tags from various writers. Live piecing on walls, live fr8 painting, live bombing and live transit painting and more. Check this one out, and enjoy the great music aswell!

Berlin Kidz: Fuck The System

December 2017 •German

Paradox presents "Fuck the System", the second movie from the legendary daredevil Berlin Parkour crew "Berlin Kidz", released as a limited collector DVD edition in December 2017, sold out in a month, and now available as an exclusive on demand video. 4 years after the first DVD, "Fuck the System" is an adrenaline-fuelled 70' action documentary filmed by the Berlin crew with drones and go-pro cameras to closely capture the essence of parkour, train surfing, urban climbing & risk-taking graffiti in a gripping cat-and-mouse chase in the heart of the german metropolis. With "Fuck the System", we follow the Berlin Kidz from the very inside in their unrelenting quest for freedom.

Things I Learned at 30

Invalid date •Turkish

Things I Learned at 30 is a short documentary about graffiti artist Chek's process of remaking his understanding of art through a chain of events he encountered during a difficult period in his life.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

March 2010 •English

Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.

London's Railways in the 1960s

April 2010 •English

The British Railways modernisation programme of the 1960s radically changed the rail network, and the British Transport Films unit and the TV news were there to capture it. Compiled here is never before released colour footage of Southern steam at Waterloo (with Nine Elms depot), all the major London stations, The Blue Pullman and early diesels, The Golden Arrow and Night Ferry service, goods and mail, steam on the Metropolitan Railway and building the Victoria Line.