Wonderful! The only thing that would have made it better would be to hear the sounds of the sights being shown. The sounds of the city are like music to my ears.
"Manhatta (1921) is a short documentary film which revels in the haze rising from city smoke stacks. With the city as subject, it 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 sky scraper.
The text is from a poem by Walt Whitman called "Mannahatta" written in 1860 and revised in 1881.
Considered by some film critics to be the first American avant-garde film."
The music isn't part of the movie as it's a mute originally. I turned the sound off because this seriously is the worst soundtrack after Arnulf Rainer.
This is a short dedicated to the filmmaker's love for New York City. It's essentially a bunch of shots of the city strung together. The problem is it's pretty grainy and lifeless. I love the idea of getting a glimpse of what the city was like in the early 1920's, but this really disappointed me.
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Comments 1 - 10 of 10
ClassicLady
Wonderful! The only thing that would have made it better would be to hear the sounds of the sights being shown. The sounds of the city are like music to my ears.Camille Deadpan
Charles Sheeler & Paul Strand are geniuses. I enjoy their paintings and photography - and this little movie is awesome too.jennicaligari
https://youtu.be/qduvk4zu_hsEmiam
"Manhatta (1921) is a short documentary film which revels in the haze rising from city smoke stacks. With the city as subject, it 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 sky scraper.The text is from a poem by Walt Whitman called "Mannahatta" written in 1860 and revised in 1881.
Considered by some film critics to be the first American avant-garde film."
6/10
the3rdman
A utopic lyric to NYC that succeeds in making it look implacably monumental, but also dynamic. Impressive camerawork.daisyaday
http://www.archive.org/details/ManhattaEddyspeeder
The music isn't part of the movie as it's a mute originally. I turned the sound off because this seriously is the worst soundtrack after Arnulf Rainer.MovieDearest
Available on the DVD "Unseen Cinema - Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941 (1910)", Disc 5.KatForsyth
The music really bugged me; it didn't seem to fit with the visuals at all. Maybe something more dramatic and emotional?BlueVoid
This is a short dedicated to the filmmaker's love for New York City. It's essentially a bunch of shots of the city strung together. The problem is it's pretty grainy and lifeless. I love the idea of getting a glimpse of what the city was like in the early 1920's, but this really disappointed me.