The Cruise (1998 film)

The Cruise is a 76minute documentary released in 1998. It was the debut film of Bennett Miller, who became prominent after directing Capote 2005. The film records the worldview and personality of Timothy Speed Levitch, who was then a guide for bus tours of New York City. Levitch had become popular for his unconventional narrative about the city that he delivered at a frenetic pace.

The film was in production for 3.5 years and Miller worked as a oneman camera crew, solely operating a handheld video camera, a wireless microphone on Levitch, and a Sennheiser shotgun microphone which was collapsable and thus easily transportable. Miller discarded the first 80 hours of footage he captured of Levitch only to start from scratch. Levitch reportedly chose not to sit in on the majority of the editing process, choosing instead to stick to his core principles to succumb to the chaos of the universe. The production team, including editor Michael Levine, spentmonths editing the film. The Cruise was initially rejected by many film festivals. It premiered at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1998 and was later screened at New Yorks Docfest. On October 14, 1998 The Cruise was released in New York City at the Angelika Film Center. After being picked up by distributor, Artisan Entertainment, The Cruise was released nationwide on November 6, 1998. ........

Source: Wikipedia