As a neophyte New Yorker (five years this August, and many more to come!), my love affair with my city is still going strong. Anything relating to the history and culture of the city is catnip to me — and I’m full of recommendations! If you’re into food, the history of New York restaurant culture — from oysters to steaks to the origin of spaghetti and over-the-top theme restaurants — you’ve got to read Appetite City. Interested in Brooklyn of the early 20th century? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. E.B. White’s Here is New York is a given. And if you seek a feast for the eyes (and an avant garde approach to cinema), you must take in Manhatta. This short documentary, directed in 1921 by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand, takes a silent, non-narrative approach to city life. (Do yourself a favor and put the video on silent! Techno awaits.)
With the city as subject, the film consists of 65 shots sequenced in a loose non-narrative structure, beginning with a ferry approaching Manhattan and ending with a sunset view from a skyscraper. The primary objective of the film is to explore the relationship between photography and film; camera movement is kept to a minimum, as is incidental motion within each shot. Each frame provides a view of the city that has been carefully arranged into abstract compositions.
The surge of the morning commute looks pretty familiar, except with more hats. It’s good to know that some things never change.
What’s your favorite piece of New York media?
