The City (1939/I)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Directors:

Ralph Steiner
Willard Van Dyke

Writers:

Pare Lorentz (outline)
Lewis Mumford (commentary)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot:

Made by a group of people with, if not an axe to grind, a purpose in mind, which appears to be a plug...

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Morris Carnovsky

...

Narrator

Runtime:

43 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Company:

American Documentary Films Inc.

Trivia:

This film was made to be shown at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It was screened at the Little Theatre in the Science and Education Building.

Movie Connections:

Edited into This Is Tomorrow (1943)

Classic Thirties Documentary

A classic piece of Depression-era advocacy for a better life through garden city planning. Much of the theory behind it is anti-urban and sentimental, but it's a wonderful period piece nonetheless. Some of the era's major talents were involved in this short. Ironically the most interesting and impressive footage shows the tough gritty urban life that these idealists wanted to do away with (probably shot in Pittsburgh.)