Many films have portrayed the plight of homelessness in different ways. Here are a few that we recommend:
You can search for these titles and more at your local Blockbuster or Video Video rental store. 
"Wednesday Play, The" (1965)
Series of one-off plays made by BBC television which gave breaks a wide
range of writers and directors in the late 60s, such as Dennis Potter,
Ken Loach, David Mercer, John Hopkins. Famous plays include 'Up the
Junction' , 'Cathy Come Home' , 'Stand Up Nigel Barton' , 'Vote, Vote,
Vote For Nigel Barton', 'On the Eve of Publication' and 'Son of Man'.
The series often addressed controversial issues such as homelessness and
abortion.
Summary written by D.Giddings darren.giddings@newcastle.ac.uk Amants du Pont-Neuf, Les (1991)
Set against Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, while it was closed for
repairs, this film is a love story between two young vagrants Alex, a
would be circus performer addicted to alcohol and sedatives and Michele,
a painter driven to a life on the streets because of a failed
relationship and an affliction which is slowly turning her blind. The
film portrays the harsh existence of the homeless as Alex, Michele and
Hans, an older vagrant survive on the streets with their wits. As they
both slowly get their lives back together, Michele becomes increasingly
dependent on Alex as her vision deteriorates further. Fearing that
Michele will leave him if she receives a new medical treatment Alex
attempts to keep Michele practically a prisoner. The streets, skies and
waterways of Paris are used as a backdrop to the story in a series of
stunning visuals which dominate the film.
Summary written by Anonymous Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
Photographer Keyes is given an old mirror from an homeless person he
photographs on the street, takes it home and gives it a friend. He
doesn't know yet that people see horrible things happen to themselves in
the mirror and later these things come true. Are these really suicides
or is there a demonic force behind the mirror?
Summary written by Tom Zoerner Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de Another Fine Mess (1930)
Homeless, penniless and one step ahead of the police, Stanley and Oliver
take refuge in the home of big-game hunter Colonel Buckshot while the
owner is on safari. When Lord and Lady Plumtree call to enquire about
renting the house, Oliver pretends to be Colonel Buckshot, while Stanley
masquerades as both butler and maid. All goes as well as can be
expected, with Lady Plumtree and Stanley, in his guise as "Agnes,"
engaging in girl talk, until the real Colonel Buckshot returns
unexpectedly.
Summary written by Paul Penna tterrace@calon.com Beggars in Ermine (1934)
John Dawson loses control of his factory when he is crippled in an
accident caused by a rival. Destitute, he travels the country organizing
the homeless to help him regain control of his steel mill.
Summary written by Arlene K. Witt arlene@inx.net Bye Bye, Love (1995)
This is a story about the breakup of the family. In particular, it
focuses on the lifestyle of three divorced men. The film is presented
from their perspective and it reveals their relationship with their
children, ex-wives, girl friends, male friendships, and their identities
as divorced men. In addition to dealing with divorce, the film touches
on spousal loss and young adult homelessness. The film can be considered
a social commentary that is both comical and emotional.
Summary written by Joel Schesser joelsd@aol.com Curly Sue (1991)
Bill Dancer and his young companion Curly Sue are the classic homeless
folks with hearts of gold. Their scams are aimed not at turning a
profit, but at getting enough to eat. When they scam the rich and
beautiful Grey Ellison into believing she backed her Mercedes into Bill,
they're only hoping for a free meal. But Grey is touched, and over the
objections of her snotty fiance, insist on putting the two up for the
night. As they get to know each other, Bill becomes convinced that this
is where Curly Sue belongs - in a home, cared for by someone that can
give her the advantages that his homeless, nomadic existence lacks. He
plans to leave the young girl in the care of Grey and take off.... but
Curly Sue has other ideas!
Summary written by Rick Munoz rick.munoz@his.com Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman are very rich but not
happy Dave is a hard working business man, his wife is only interested
in yoga, aerobics and other meditation classes, and he sleeps with the
house maid. Their teenage son is confused about his sexuality and their
daughter is suffering from eating disorders. While they are celebrating
thanksgiving having plenty of food, street tramp Jerry is hungry,
homeless, sleeping rough and has lost his dog. Jerry decides to end his
life by drowning himself in their swimming pool. Dave rescues him and
invites him to stay for a while. How does this stranger change the life
style of this family?
Summary written by Sami Al-Taher smmat@ukc.ac.uk Face of a Stranger (1991) (TV)
After the death of her husband, Pat learns that he gambled away all of
their savings and that she's now destitute. She may even have to leave
their apartment. Much to the embarrassment of her daughter Tina, who
wants to marry a rich snob, she helps the homeless Dollie, who lives in
a cardboard box near her building, and they become friends.
Summary written by Tom Zoerner Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de Family for Joe, A (1990) (TV)
To keep from being separated, four orphans get a homeless maverick to
pose as their guardian.
Summary written by John Sacksteder jsack@ka.net Fighting Father Dunne (1948)
St. Louis, 1905 Parish priest Father Dunne becomes aware of the plight
of the city's newsboys, living on pennies and often homeless, and
resolves to help them. Through inspired finagling and the gift of the
blarney, he organizes a sort of "co-op" orphanage for increasing numbers
of boys. Then he's faced with the tougher problem of stopping the
escalating violence in inter-paper rivalry for "good corners"...
Summary written by Rod Crawford puffinus@u.washington.edu Gefundenes Fressen (1977)
The homeless Alfred lives on the streets, sleeps under a bridge. Since
years he has a dream for which he puts by a vacation in the South,
possibly Mallorca. One day he meets police patrolman Erwin in a bar;
after they realize that Alfred is from the same village as Erwin's
family, an unusual friendship develops. Erwin is disgusted with his life
his thoughtless wife and his overly rigorous colleagues. So he tries to
at least help Alfred.
Summary written by Tom Zoerner Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de Hard Target (1993)
Chance Boudreaux is a tough, out of work seaman trying to find work in
New Orleans, where troubles are growing higher every minute. The police
are picketing and the law enforcement is at a minimum. Meanwhile,
Natasha Binder has come to the city in an attempt to find her father,
who has not been heard from in some time. Natasha has been unaware that
her father was homeless, and in a bleak attempt for money, became the
prey in a human hunting "game". Natasha then hires Chance to protect
her, as well as solve the mystery of who killed her father. But when
Chance becomes involved in the hunting, as the prey, the risks have been
doubled.
Summary written by David Landers dml@gwis.com Journey for Margaret (1942)
An american newspaperman and his wife, caught in the London blitz, lose
their unborn child in an air raid. Outraged, they visit a shelter for
homeless children where they fall in love with orphans Margaret and her
brother Peter. They eventaully adopt the children and bring them to
America.
Summary written by Herman Seifer alagain@aol.com Korczak (1990)
Account of the last days of life of the legendary Polish pedagogue
Janusz Korczak and his heroic dedication to protecting Jewish orphans
during the war. Jewish doctor Henryk Goldszmit, known also as Janusz
Korczak, is a man of high principles. He is unafraid of shouting at
German officers and frequently has to be persuaded to save his own life.
His orphanage, set up in a cramped school in the Warsaw ghetto, provides
shelter to 200 homeless kids. Putting his experimental educational
methods into practice, he installs a kind of children's self-government,
whose justice is in a big contrast to what is happening in the outside
world. Right in front of the school, dozens of kids are dying or being
killed everyday and their naked bodies lie on the street unattended.
Ghetto's mayor assures Korczak that the orphanages will be saved.
Korczak raises food and money for the orphanage from the rich Jews. In
the final roundup he refuses to accept a Swiss passport and boards the
train to Treblinka with his orphans.
Summary written by Polish Cinema Database http://info.fuw.edu.pl/Filmy/ Little Men (1935)
The former Jo March and her husband Professor Bhaer operate the
Plumfield School for homeless boys. One of the boys, Nat, invites Dan, a
street kid, to come to the school, where the boys are all loved and well
cared for. Dan is a young tough, but his heart is good, and when he is
accused of theft at the school, Jo continues to believe in him and that
the true thief will be found out.
Summary written by Jim bajw32a@prodigy.com Magic Christian, The (1969)
Sir Guy Grand adopts homeless bum Youngman to be heir to his obscene
wealth, and immediately begins bringing him into the intricacies of the
family business, which is to prey upon people's greed by use of the vast
holdings of the Grand empire. They leave no stone unturned as sporting
events, restaurants, art galleries, and traditional pheasant hunts turn
into lurid displays of bad manners and profiteering. Things climax at
the social event of the season, the inaugural voyage of the new pleasure
cruiser The Magic Christian.
Summary written by Ed Sutton esutton@nortel.ca Midnight Cowboy (1969)
A "cowboy," Joe Buck, moves to New York City from Texas to make his
fortune as a hustler servicing rich Park Avenue women. Shortly after
arriving, he is hustled by homeless con man Ratzo Rizzo, who had said he
would manage him for a $20 fee. Bent on getting his money back, Buck
finds the rapidly deteriorating Rizzo, ends up feeling sorry for him,
and moving into Rizzo's room in an abandoned building to care for him.
The two remain hopeful of striking it rich with Rizzo managing Buck's
career, but it soon becomes obvious that they are no match for the urban
jungle.
Summary written by Bonnie Barber bonbar@mit.edu Miracolo a Milano (1951)
Once upon a time an old woman discovers a baby in her cabbage patch. She
brings up the child and, when she dies, the boy, Toto, enters an
orphanage. Toto leaves the orphanage a happy young man, and looks for
work in post-war Milan. He ends up with the homeless and organizes them
to build a shanty town in a vacant lot. The squatters discover oil in
the land and Toto sees a vision of the old woman who gives him a magic
dove that will grant him anything he wishes.
Summary written by Will Gilbert wgilbert@uwaterloo.ca Mother and the Law, The (1919)
Two young people are made homeless by a strike. They struggle valiantly
to survive their desolate situation, which grows worse as reform-minded
citizens remove the couple's child from their care and the young father
is falsely accused and convicted of murder.
Summary written by Jim Beaver bajw32a@prodigy.com My Fellow Americans (1996)
Kramer and Douglas, two former presidents from opposite ends of the
political spectrum, become reluctant allies when they become the target
of a conspirator in President Haney's administration. The two
ex-presidents realize they have an enemy within the government and set
out to find evidence that will clear their names. The search takes them
across the Southern Appalachians; along the way they meet a homeless
couple, thwart kidnapers in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant,
and find themselves marching in a gay pride parade.
Summary written by Dennis Lewis dsl@sprynet.com Naked (1993)
Johnny flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family
of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend, and spends
some time homeless, spending much of his time ranting at strangers, and
meeting characters in plights very much like his own.
Summary written by John Hartnup hartnupj@cs.aston.ac.uk Nights in White Satin (1987)
When her friend, a social worker, is killed in a drive-by shooting, the
young Lisa is thrown out of track she lives on the streets of L.A. There
she's found by the successful photographer Walker Jordan, who's working
on a new image book featuring homeless persons. He takes her home in his
stylish studio, makes her his assistant... and eventually falls in love
with her. Is she ready again to return such feelings?
Summary written by Tom Zoerner Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de Oliver & Company (1988)
Inspired by Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist". A homeless kitten named
Oliver, roams the streets of New York, where he is taken in by a gang of
homeless mutts who survive by stealing from others. During one of these
criminal acts, Oliver meets a wealthy young girl named Jenny Foxworth.
This meeting will forever change his life.
Summary written by Kelly One Good Turn (1931)
Homeless and penniless Depression victims Stanley and Oliver beg food
from an elderly woman. While eating lunch in her kitchen, they overhear
her begging the landlord not to foreclose her mortgage because her money
has been stolen. Vowing to help the old woman, the boys auction off
their rattletrap car, but the drunken purchaser accidentally puts his
wallet in Stanley's pocket. Oliver later finds it and exposes his friend
as the thief to the old lady, who then explains that what they had
overheard was nothing but a rehersal for her Community Players little
theater group.
Summary written by Paul Penna tterrace@calon.com Panic in Needle Park, The (1971)
This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts
who hang out in "Needle Park" in New York city. Played against this
setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and
small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her
relationship with Bobby the stability she craves. She becomes addicted
too, and life goes downhill for them both as their addiction deepens,
eventually leading to a series of betrayals. But, in spite of it all,
the relationship between Bobby and Helen endures.
Summary written by E. Schofield mailto:evescho@cafe.net Pickled Pink (1965)
An alcoholic is returning home from a night of partying and encounters
the homeless Pink Panther in a park. He invites the panther to come and
stay with him. But he has a wife who disapproves of him bringing in any
guests. So, he has to keep the Pink Panther hidden, which tends to be
rather painful for the hapless panther.
Summary written by Kevin McCorry mmccorry@nb.sympatico.ca Placido (1961)
In a small spanish town, a group of old ladies decide to celebrate
Christmas Eve with a "Sit a poor man at your table" dinner each wealthy
household of the town will have a homeless person dining with them that
night. The celebrations also include a parade, and in it we find
Placido, the humble owner of a three-wheeler, whose family is forced to
live in a public lavatory because of the lack of money to pay the rent,
and who has to pay the second bill of his vehicle before midnight or
else he will lose it.
Summary written by Pablo Montoya Poor Cow (1967)
A woman and her newborn child are thrown out of their rented
accommodation after her husband is put in jail. Her husband was no saint
but now she's really in trouble. This drama led to the setting up of
"Shelter" the charity for the homeless.
Summary written by Steve Crook steve@brainstorm.co.uk Reise in das Innere von Wien, Eine (1995)
The filmmaker goes on an expedition using a book by Gerhard Roth as
travel guide it is a voyage through the texts. He tells of an inner and
an exterior voyage, an essayistic trip along the itineraries laid out by
Roth 1.) The house of sleeping reason (house of the artists in the
asylum at Gugging) 2.) Leopold requiem (the fate of the Jews in Vienna)
3.) The gray house (the remand prison) 4.) "Hitler's Villa" (The
homeless asylum in the Meldemannstrasse) 5.) The "Narrenturm" (located
on the premises of the General Hospital; it was first an insane asylum
and is now a pathological-anatomical museum) 6.) The St. Stephen's
Cathedral 7.) The Museum of Army History 8.) The second city
(subterranean Vienna) 9.) Berggasse 19 The nine stories told by Gerhard
Roth are stories about Austria, encounters with people living on the
border, about outsiders and outcasts. These are stories of dreams and
illusions, of the other side of the golden dream which has been dreamed
in Vienna for so long until it dissolved in thin air. A travel guide
through the depths of the Austrian soul.
Summary written by Austrian Film Commission Rockford Files, The (1974) (TV)
Private investigator Jim Rockford is hired by a beautiful young woman to
solve the murder of her father, a homeless man found beneath a pier two
months earlier. The killing was never solved by the police.
Summary written by Marty McKee mmckee@wkio.com Saint of Fort Washington, The (1993)
Matthew, a young schizophrenic, finds himself out on the street when a
slumlord tears down his apartment building. Soon, he finds himself in
even more dire straits, when he is threatened by Little Leroy, a thug
who is one of the tough denizens of the Fort Washington Shelter for Men.
He reaches out to Jerry, a streetwise combat veteran, who takes Matthew
under his wing as a son. The relationship between these two men grows as
they attempt to conquer the numbing isolation of homelessness.
Summary written by Tad Dibbern DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu Sami swoi (1967)
Two quarreling peasant families, expatriates from the Eastern part of
Poland, after war homelessness are settled by accident on two
neighbouring farms.
Summary written by Polish Cinema Database http://info.fuw.edu.pl/Filmy/ Stanno tutti bene (1990)
Matteo Scuro is a retired Sicilian railroad worker, a widower with five
children, all of whom live on the mainland and hold responsible jobs. He
decides to surprise each with a visit and finds none as he imagined. The
film is a veritable travelogue across contemporary Italy, as Matteo
journeys to Napoli, Roma, Firenze, Milano, and Turino to search for each
of his children; he even spends one night on the streets among the
homeless. Scuro returns to Sicily, visits his wife's grave, and reports
with irony that "stanno tutti bene."
Summary written by jhailey@hotmail.com
Street Cat Named Sylvester, A (1953)
The title of this cartoon is a misnomer, because it is in fact Tweety
Bird who is the homeless one here, and Sylvester is Granny's pet. Tweety
seeks shelter from a blizzard and taps on Granny's house door. Sylvester
answers and grabs the canary. He tries to hide Tweety from Granny while
evading the attacks of Hector, Granny's bed-ridden bulldog, who wants
revenge on Sylvester for his broken leg. Tweety keeps escaping
Sylvester's clutches, with Hector's help.
Summary written by Kevin McCorry mmccorry@nb.sympatico.ca Suspect (1987)
A judge commits suicide, and his secretary is found murdered. A homeless
deaf-mute man, Carl Anderson is arrested for her murder. Public defender
Kathleen is assigned by the court as his lawyer. She sets to find the
real killer, and gets help from the congressional advisor, Eddie Sanger
who is called to be on the jury panel. Together they discover a
dangerous circle of corruption in high places.
Summary written by Sami Al-Taher smmat@ukc.ac.uk Toto Lost in New York (1996) (V)
Andrea, daughter of Glinda, who dresses like Ozma, accidentally sends
Toto 2 to New York in a hot air balloon made by Frank, the Wizard's son.
The other kids must follow the course set by Frank's computer to take
them to him. When they arrive, their balloon is trashed, and they meet
Rick, a homeless man who has adopted Toto. The strange appearance of
some of the kids keeps plans to return from going smoothly, but are
affected much more so by a clash of cultures.
Summary written by Scott Hutchins sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Trancers II (1991)
It is Los Angeles, 1991. Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) has become accustomed
to life with his new wife, Lena (Helen Hunt), in the six years since
they singed Whistler. Hap Ashby, a former pitcher for the California
Angels, had gotten his life out of the gutter and made quite a fortune
investing, which he uses to finance his collection of fire trucks, among
other things. But life is about to become a little more difficult for
Jack and the gang. Whistler's brother, E.D. Wardo, has gome back in time
and has started a trancer farm under the organization known as
GreenWorld. GreenWorld strives to 'clean up the world', but in reality
they are kidnapping homeless people and mental patients to become
'tranced'. And they're after Hap, the ancestor of a future Council
Member. Jack's quite ready to singe a few trancers, but he isn't
expecting his dead wife to show up. Through the power of technology,
Alice has been saved from death and sent back to 1991 to help Jack and
stop Wardo. The tension mounts as Lena becomes more distraught by the
thought of Jack leaving her for another woman, Hap slips back into his
alcoholic habits to deal with the stress, and Jack realizes that when
Alice returns to the future, she'll die the next day. But somehow,
Jack'll find a way to fix everything. He always does.
Summary written by Michael Silva silvamd@cleo.bc.edu Trust (1991)
When high school dropout Maria Coughlin announces her pregnancy to her
parents, her father drops dead on the floor. Her mother kicks her out of
the house and her boyfriend dumps her, so Maria is left alone and
homeless. This is when she meets Matthew Slaughter. Matthew is an
educated high school graduate with a great talent for fixing electronic
devices, but he can't hang on to a job because of his principled
attitude towards quality. When Maria accepts Matthew's offer to help
her, they begin to form a relationship with each other in which both of
them begin to change.
Summary written by Leon Wolters wolters@strw.LeidenUniv.nl Vibrations (1995)
Rising rock star, TJ Cray, gets the shot of a lifetime, an audition with
a A & R man. On the way into the city, a carload of drunks smash into
his car, severing his hands. He drops out of the business and becomes a
homeless drunk. Cray wakes up to a pulsing beat in an abandoned
warehouse, where a "rave" party is in full action. To his rescue comes
Anamika, a computer artist, who takes him outside for fresh air. They
become friends and eventually reinvent TJ's career. With the help of
friends, they replace his hands with prosthetics and design a metallic
cyber looking suit. TJ quickly becomes an overnight sensation, known as
Cyberstorm. The finale is a dramatic scenario where TJ has to make
crucial decisions about his new life.
Summary written by Joe Miller joe938216@aol.com White Banners (1938)
A homeless woman named Hannah (Fay Bainter) drifts into the lives of the
kindly Ward family, in a small Indiana town in 1919. Hannah makes
herself useful as a cook and housekeeper and stays with the Wards... but
her real interest is in meeting their neighbor, teenager Peter Trimble
(Jackie Cooper). It turns out that Peter is the son she bore out of
wedlock and gave up for adoption, and now Hannah has returned to town to
see what sort of young man her son has become.
Summary written by Dan Navarro eldorado@jetlink.net Who'll Save Our Children? (1978) (TV)
A childless couple provide shelter for a pair of homeless children. When
they try to adopt them the natural parents appear leading to the
inevitable court battle.
Summary written by Rick Hudson rick@actrix.gen.nz Xiongdi Zhenzhong (1991)
After spending 12 years in jail, Wu-shiung had found himself a homeless.
Thinking of the days in prison, it really mad him so regret about those
days in gangland. Anonymously, he earned his living at a metal plant.
Later, he won over not only the friendship of his colleagues but also
the peddler, Ali's love. One day, his colleagues had a quarrel followed
by a fight with gang people. Ali was seriously injured at the incident.
Wu-shiung dug into the gangster's haunt and captured the leader. However
when the leader's daughter kneeled down for her father's life he forgave
him, only because he came to realize vengeance is the source of vicious
circle.
Summary written by L.H. Wong as9401k56@ntuvax.ntu.ac.sg Zoo Gang, The (1985)
Homeless kids need a place to stay, so they rent the club "The Zoo" out,
from Old Leather Face. Later, a new gang attempts to take away their
home. A fight ensues with thumbtacks and staplers as the weapons.
Summary written by Evan and Tara Shenkman ejs15@cornell.edu With Honors
This is a story about a young Harvard student who learns more about life and love from a homeless man than he has learned in all of his years at Harvard.
Summary written by Nicole Corbin nibroc@earthlink.net 