Riding the Rails (1997)

What is Riding the Rails about?

Riding the Rails offers a visionary perspective on the presumed romanticism of the road and cautionary legacy of the Great Depression. The filmmakers relay the experiences and painful recollections of these now-elderly survivors of the rails. Forced to travel more by economic necessity than the spirit of adventure, the film's subjects dispel romantic myths of a hobo existence and its corresponding veneer of freedom. Riding the Rails recounts the hoboes' trade secrets for survival and accounts of dank miseries, loneliness, imprisonment, death, and dispossession. Sixty years later, the filmmakers transport their subjects back to the tracks, where the surging impact of sound and movement resuscitates memories of a shattered adolescence and devastating rite of passage. Riding the Rails is a Documentary movie, released on 1997-01-01, runtime 72 minutes.

Is Riding the Rails worth watching?

TMDB users rate Riding the Rails 6.2 out of 10 from 12 ratings. Reception is mixed-to-positive.

Where can I watch Riding the Rails?

In the United States, Riding the Rails streams on PBS Documentaries and can be rented from Amazon Video. The table on this page lists 1 more country. Movie World also lists online streaming sources and links to external sources on this page.