Documentary filmmaker Ric Burns, of "The Civil War"
series fame, unveils the last two installments of his ambitious
documentary about New York City this weekend.
You can see episodes 6 and 7 of "New York: A Documentary
Film," on consecutive evenings Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at 9
pm on PBS (Channel 13).
Years in the making, Burns’ documentary is a thorough examination
of politics, architecture and commerce in the greatest city on
earth. These final two episodes – a total of four and a half
hours – have a particularly somber resonance in light of the
recent destruction of the World Trade Center.
Burns details the social and financial crises that New York has
weathered – and ends with a picture of how safe and vibrant New
York was by 2000. His documentary makes you feel again the sting
of how much we have lost every time a camera passes over the
great World Trade Center towers, offering glittering aerial views
of those former giant anchors of the Manhattan skyline. One wonders
what the future will bring.
Burns’ massive undertaking follows the city’s extraordinary history
from the arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th century, to the
construction of the Erie Canal, through Y2K.
This weekend’s final two episodes focus on the Crash of ’29 to
the dawn of the 21st century. Episode 6, "The City of Tomorrow"
(1929-1945), explores the demise of corrupt Mayor Jimmy Walker,
the coming of the New Deal, the rise of Fiorello La Guardia,
the fate of Harlem during the Depression and the impact of the
automobile on the city.
Never before seen footage of LaGuardia, discovered in city archives,
brings to vivid life the stories of this popular, animated mayor.
"The City and the World" (1945 to present), Episode
7, shows the construction of the United Nations, the destruction
of Penn Station, the great African-American migration and Puerto
Rican immigration from the 1940s through the ’60s, white flight
and suburbanization, and the physical changes of highways and
urban "renewal" directed by Robert Moses.
Burns heightens the drama every time Moses is on-screen with
a soundtrack of ominous string music; he uses interviews and
footage from press conferences to recount the highs and lows
of the career of Moses – a remarkable historical figure in that
he had so much power to transform New York City, but didn’t hold
an elected position.
Episode 7 also recaps the social and fiscal crises of the ’60s
and ’70s, the city’s transformation into a post-industrial economy
and New York’s miraculous revival in the last 25 years.
The series continues to be narrated by David Ogden Stiers (best
known for his role as Major Winchester on "MASH").
The riveting documentary also utilizes an extraordinary chorus
of distinguished New Yorkers who contribute commentary: authors
Fran Lebowitz and Pete Hamill; Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts; Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani; author Robert Caro; former mayor Ed Koch; architect-author
Robert A. M. Stern; journalist Ray Suarez; and urbanist Marshall
Berman among many others.
Episodes 6 and 7 of "New York: A Documentary Film"
by Ric Burns will be aired on consecutive evenings, Sept. 30
and Oct. 1 at 9 pm on PBS (Channel 13). The entire documentary
is available in a 7-video set ($99.98) and 7-DVD set ($139.98)
from Warner Home Video and PBS Home Video. A 2-video set of episodes
6 and 7 ($29.98) is available from PBS Home Video. All can be
purchased at (800) PLAY-PBS.
