An equally gritty past includes being the setting for the hbo documentary high on crack street. The documentary takes place about 30 miles northwest of boston in the. Watch the true story behind the fighter in this riveting and critically acclaimed documentary, which features christian bales character from the. Exboxer dicky eklund, brenda a street prostitute and boo boo.
Lost lives in lowell is a 1995 american documentary film directed by richard farrell, maryann deleo and jon alpert. Brenda, dicki and booboo have grown up in and around lowell. Nestled in the heart of new england, lowell, massachusetts is a city in middlesex county. Lowell earned an ugly reputation in the early 1990s due to drug and gang issues, but since then a dramatic downtown revival has. Lost lives in lowell which showed his fall from boxing grace because of his addiction to crack cocaine. The history of lowell, massachusetts, is closely tied to its location along the pawtucket falls of the merrimack river, from being an important fishing ground for the pennacook tribe to providing water power for the factories that formed the basis of the citys economy for a century. In bluecollar lowell, massachusetts, where disappearing industry has produced high unemployment, some residents have turned to crack for relief only to see their dreams of a better life go up in smoke. While lowell is generally known for its central role in the industrial revolution as the first. You might add a related video or a pic or two to grab readers excited about what youve got to say. Once a thriving manufacturing center, lowell, ma provides a case study in the disturbing aftermath of industrial collapse. I actually remember watching it it on hbo in the 90s i wonder if half the people in the movie are still alive also the people in the hollywood movie the fighter were certainly much better looking than this cast of characters not only does lowell massachusetts have a crack problem but someone has been through that town with the ugly stick this.
Unlike the depiction in the fighter, the real documentary followed two additional crack addicts from lowell, massachusetts in addition to eklund. While the title of the documentary in the film is crack in america the real title was high on crack street. Book your tickets online for the top things to do in lowell, massachusetts on tripadvisor. Original link while the 1995 documentary high on crack street.
Lost lives in lowell was a critically acclaimed victory for hbo, it was a curse upon the fourth largest city in massachusetts. A fictionalized version of the documentary is featured in the 2010 feature film the fighter wiki plot. Apr 18, 2017 for instance, thomas jefferson, when seen through the eyes of john lowell jr. Eklund was also featured on the hbo documentary high on crack street.
Deb becker of wburfm, richard farrell and maryann deleo at iffboston 2016. Lost lives in lowell and directed by maryann deleo and richard farrell, it was transmitted on us tv in 1995 and is now available for free on the web. Nov 27, 2016 the hbo documentary dramatized in the movie has been added to youtube. Lost lives in lowell is a 1995 american documentary film.
Lowell is a little city 30 miles northwest of boston, massachusetts. Bostoncocainedocumentarydrugmassachusettsmoviestreet. High on crack street lowell massachusetts hbo full. After a moment of hopeful revival in the 1980s lowell suffered a spike of crime in the 1990s and its reputation as a hub for the drug trade was further cemented by media reports and the documentary film high on crack street. The city of lowell was started in the 1820s as a moneymaking venture and social project referred to as the. His documentary won the dupontcolumbia award in 1996 for excellence in broadcast journalism. Lost lives in lowell, directed by richard farrell, maryann deleo and jon alpert. Recently, i was with actor christian bale and former worldclass boxer dickie eklund in a crack house on smith street in lowell, massachusetts.
The fighter true story reveals that this really happened, and it resulted in the hbo documentary high on crack street. High on crack street lost lives in lowell directed by. Adelbert ames, governor 18681870,18741876 and senator from mississippi 18701874, union general in the civil war and the spanishamerican war, soninlaw of benjamin franklin butler. The hbo documentary dramatized in the movie has been added to youtube. Today were going to watch a documentary on lowell, massachusetts. Gary booboo giuffida, 58, of high street in lowell was also told never to come to new hampshire again. The 2018 lowell crime rate fell by 7% compared to 2017. The fighter turns hollywoods admiring eyes on lowell. This documentary served as the basis for the film the fighter 1. Lowell itself has a population of 108,861 and is the forth largest city in the state, it is home to former professional boxer dick ecklund and his brother mickey ward. Lost lives in lowell, the citys crime rates have plummeted in recent years. Footage clips used under fair use policy from the 1995 hbo documentary high on crack street. This documentary follows the lives of a number of heroin addicts in the u. The 2010 biopic the fighter is based on the two brothers fall and rise to the boxing title.
Aug 02, 2009 as lowell healed and rehabbed itself, many moved on, including farrell. Lost lives in lowell follows three longtime lowell residents who exemplify the citys decline. Locations of boo boos apartment, mikes apartment and where brenda went hooking. Wahlbergbale in lowell, ma for the fighter photo shoot. Dicky eklund, brenda, and booboo have grown up in and around lowell. For instance, thomas jefferson, when seen through the eyes of john lowell jr. Laconia the lowell, massachusetts man who was featured in a hbo production about crack cocaine and former boxer dicky eklund was given suspended sentences in state prison for spitting on a belmont police officer. Congress, 4 march 1885 3 march 1889, secretary of the navy 18981900, governor of puerto rico 19001902. Lowell has come a long way from its past as a city notorious for drug trafficking and gang activity. List of people from lowell, massachusetts wikipedia. As lowell healed and rehabbed itself, many moved on, including farrell. Encyclopedia of forlorn places lowell, massachusetts. Known as the pride of lowell, he held the usa new england welterweight title twice between 1979 and 1983.
Throughout the fighter, an hbo documentary camera crew follows dicky ecklund christian bale around his hometown of lowell, massachusetts. Dickey is heavily profiled throughout this film as he struggles with a crack. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother. This hbo film was shot over an 18 month period and documents the daily life of crack addicts living in the american city of lowell, massachusetts. This documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. The film followed three longtime lowell, massachusetts residents, who exemplified the citys decline from a once thriving manufacturing center to a depressed community littered with. Watch the real documentary about the characters from the. Dec 28, 2017 locations of boo boos apartment, mikes apartment and where brenda went hooking. The awardwinning documentary that inspired the oscar winning film, the fighter, starring christian bale, melissa leo and mark wahlberg, high on crack street. Revisiting this documentary shadowing 3 lost souls with a harrowing crack addiction in lowell, massachusetts in 1993 just put a whole new perspective on thanksgiving day for me. It was a coproduction of hbo and dctv, produced by farrell, deleo, and alpert. The 2018 crime rate in lowell, ma was 172 crime index, which was 1. An hbo documentary film crew did follow the real dicky eklund.
Established in 1826, lowell has its roots in manual labor and blue collar work. Actual hbo documentary from the fighter high on crack. Jan 06, 2011 during that specific period of time, as seen in the film, dicky was a part of a documentary about crack addiction, called high on crack street. Lowell itself has a population of 108,861 and is the forth largest city in the state, it is home to former professional. You should glance at yahoos front page and see how they write article headlines to grab people to click. He is the halfbrother and former trainer of former wbu champion micky ward.
But we follow dicky around lowell, too, and we see how lost he is to crack addiction. In the documentary, eklund was sentenced to a long prison term for crimes he committed to feed his crack addiction. Lost lives in lowell 1995 documentary following the lives of addicts in the city of lowell massachusetts, including former professional boxer dicky eklund. The film followed three longtime lowell, massachusetts residents, who exemplified the citys. The number of homicides stood at 4 an increase of 3 compared to 2017. Crack street director turns spotlight on own lost life. Others work at local small companies, hospitals or the university of massachusetts lowell campus. Dickey is heavily profiled throughout this film as he struggles with a crack addiction. During that specific period of time, as seen in the film, dicky was a part of a documentary about crack addiction, called high on crack street. The fighter true story real micky ward, dickie eklund. Crime rates in lowell have generally decreased since 2012, and actually fell by 10% in 2016 alone. The 15 best things to do in lowell 2020 with photos. Lost lives in lowell is a harrowing documentary chronicling 18 months in the lives of three crackhouse friends whose addiction has let them to crime and despair.
If anyone is interested, i thought posting the link to the documentary here might be. Filmed in the mid 90s, high on crack street the shows how drugs slowly destroyed several lives in lowell, massachusetts. In the 1990s, lowell had been locally notorious for being a place of high drug trafficking and gang activity, and was the setting for a real life documentary, high on crack street. Documents 18 months in the lives of three crack addicts in lowell, massachusetts. Dicky eklund, portrayed by christian bale, is shown smoking crack and. Lowell city hall 375 merrimack street lowell, ma 01852 phone. Once the location for a documentary titled high on crack street. Lost lives in lowell watch the true story behind the fighter in this riveting and critically acclaimed documentary, which features christian bales character from the. He believes or he claims to believe the documentary is about his impending boxing comeback.