The Devil is a Condition (1973, Carlos de Jesus)

A slummy travelogue about a burning city, depicting the violent rumblings of discontent over the unbelievably heartbreaking housing conditions of the Puerto Rican and Black communities in New York during the 1960s. These conditions, i.e., the Devil, are part of the knot that tie the destinies of the two communities inextricably, and it is in their joint efforts against this fundamentally oppressive situation where, amidst decay and filth, exaltation is found. A film, which humbly reminds us of the history of a certain Lincoln Center, uses music much like the theater does, poignantly and in suspense. I’ve never gotten over its images: of motion, protest, and dilapidation amongst children who have not yet lost their illusions. A documentary that plays more like a poem, one about a fire starting to ignite.