Stefan Nadelman’s Terminal Bar, documents the photographer Sheldon Nadelman’s work that he created within the bar in which he bartended, during the period of 1972 to 1982. The work consists of 1500 portraits, of those who spend their lives within the Terminal Bar of New York.
The unconventional style of the documentary involves the series of photographs, mixed in with newspaper scans describing the over the years. The documentary is voiced over by Sheldon Nadelman (the photographer) who also doubles up as the bartender who served those who entered Terminal.
Within the bar, an eclectic mix of characters whom which spend their hours drinking from the array of over 200 bottles of liquor, were a peculiar mix from all over the city, varying from actors to sportsmen and cooks, with the overriding common denominator being their sexuality: most men whom which resided within the Terminal bar, were gay. Although Terminal wasn’t specifically labelled as a gay bar, the documentary explores the themes in which the bar merged into throughout its life until its very end, including the closure,which also coincides with the deaths of some who were documented. Due to the personal touch of Sheldon’s connections with those being photographed, his voice-over has a personal tone, which gives the documentary more depth. The way in which each person was numbered, yet Nadelman refers to said person by both their name and number, steps over the line of documentary and the film being a personal recollection of those who came into his life.