Product Details

• Actors: Gene Wilder, Claire Litton
• Directors: Mark Bussler
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Inecom Entertainment Company
• DVD Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Run Time: 116 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000977JBW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,697 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "EXPO - Magic of the White City DVD" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Narrated by Gene Wilder, "EXPO - Magic of the White City" brings the Chicago World s Fair to life! Experience the world of 1893 through a cinematic visit to Chicago's Columbian Exposition. Many of the world's greatest achievements in science, technology and culture were unveiled there. Fairgoers enjoyed the Midway Plaisance where a one-mile boulevard of fun offered camel riding, belly dancing, street fighting and beer drinking. Nearly 28 million visited the Fair. Dubbed the "White City," it inspired future innovators such as Henry Ford and Frank Lloyd Wright, debuted the Ferris Wheel and Cracker Jack®, and, in many ways, marked the beginning of the 20th century. Against the backdrop of 1893 s troubles with workers' rights, prejudice, discrimination and corruption, the World s Columbian Exposition cast a brief ray of hope for the future of humanity. Filmed in high definition, "EXPO - Magic of the White City" immerses viewers in one of the world s biggest extravaganzas and one of the most unforgettable events in American history. There will never be another event like it...or will there? Special Features: - Feature Length Commentary Track with World s Fair Historian David Cope - "Making the Fair" - "Art of the Fair" - "Storyboards of the Fair" - "Pictures of the Fair" - Commentary tracks on Special Features by Director Mark Bussler and Writer Brian Connelly - Deleted scenes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this DVD!, February 7, 2006

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: EXPO - Magic of the White City DVD (DVD)

Having grown up in the Chicagoland area, I always heard passing references to the great Columbia Exposition, the 1893 World's Fair. This two hour documentary, narrated by Gene Wilder(!), tells the story of the Columbia Exposition from its conception down to final closing and aftermath. Chockfull of interesting pictures, it gives the modern day viewer something quite close to a guided tour of that great event of more than a century ago!

Overall, I must say that I loved this DVD. It gave a very interesting and highly informative look at the Fair, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to everyone! The one thing I must say is that the documentary did make me a little sad. Living in the early 21st century, it's hard to believe that people once dreamed so big. I have never before realized what a smaller, meaner world we now live in.

This is a great DVD, and I give it my highest recommendations!

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great to see a documentary about this fair, September 18, 2005

By 

Mad Midwest Maggie "MMM" (Southeastern, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: EXPO - Magic of the White City DVD (DVD)

If you have only read "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson and want to see and know more about the fair you will be happy with this documentary. If you have read many books about the fair and taken advantage of all the resources at the Paul V. Galvin Library Digital History Collection online you may find yourself wanting more.

The focus of this documentary was mostly a tour of the fair. In recent books on the fair there seems to be either a "horray for progress/wasn't the fair pretty?" or a "damn American imperialism, racism, and sexism" route. The tone of this documentary was neutral/celebratory as it largely omitted discussion of racism and sexism (with only a few passing mentions). There were photos I hadn't seen before, and the narration (Gene Wilder) was superlative.

I do have quibbles with the film, which are most likey not the fault of the creators. See, what I really want is a bigger-budget version of this, full of computer reproductions of the fair so that we can "walk through" it instead of just scenes of a camera panning over a still photograph or painting. The live reinactments were limited to a belly dancer, beer drinking, and the murder of Mayor Harrison. There was also some live footage of fish and animals that the fair goers would have seen, which I am ambivalent about. But don't just tell me that the great pyramid would fit inside the Palace of Manufactures and Liberal Arts, drive the idea home with a little graphic, even a simple one, of the pyramid sitting inside it.

All that said, this was worth every penny and contained a lot of great material which I am bound to watch over and over again.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Documentary of the Year, September 16, 2005

By 

Meredith Towbin (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: EXPO - Magic of the White City DVD (DVD)

The Columbian Exposition was vast in every way - from the sheer size of its physical location to the number of its visitors to the diversity of its exhibits - yet this film covers it all using a historically responsible and entertaining approach. "EXPO" treats its viewers to a detailed "behind-the-scenes" look into the Exposition with Gene Wilder as a guide. The tour is chock-full of fascinating tidbits, and the period photographs add a whole other dimension that is often absent from texts on the subject. The film truly drops the viewer smack in the middle of the Fair. The quality of the high-definition transfer is stunning, and the picture looks as clear and crisp as a high-definition broadcast. The sound is enveloping and adds depth to the documentary; you actually feel as if you're surrounded by the Fair's bustling crowds. The film is without a doubt satisfying for everyone from the amateur history buff to the well-read historian.