Customer Reviews

New York (5 Episode PBS Boxed Set) [VHS]

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Burns family has come up with some fine work, from Baseball, to the Civil War; and now the latest, New York. A fine successor.
Ric Burns explores the early history of New York, starting with the God-created attributes of the region and one of the world's finest natural seaports. But the treasure is found in what man has added to the Apple, starting with the Erie Canal, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Subway system. The Bridge's history has itself been the subject of much scholarship, and Burns does it well also. The creation of the skyline, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are some of the series best moments, filled with some of the fascinating type of information that fans of Burns' documentaries have come to expect and enjoy.

The history of New York is the history of immigrants, and the interaction of Irish, Italians, Africans and other groups is splendidly examined. The politics of the City, such as the rise and demise of Al Smith and Jimmy Walker are well explored also.

My few complaints are minor, and don't detract from the work. F. Scott Fitzgerald seems to have become a demi-god to Burns, and after awhile, I found the continued references to him and his
work tiring. More than a few minutes on the early history of Harlem would have been a welcome replacement.

I purchased the DVD version, although I had the videocassettes. Am I glad I did! It has two additional discs, which try to bring the series up to date. Fiorello LaGuardia and Robert Moses, the two most pivotal figures in the history of the City, are splendidly explored. More examination of the development and contribution of Harlem (which I lamented in the review of the VHS version) is also welcomed. New York's post W.W. II predominance as the true center of the Earth is made plain. As the series progresses, we see the value of the City (any city), the destruction of the great and old in the name of urban renewal, and the slow cancer of suburban sprawl.

Even those not from New York will find it to be a rich, interesting history, worth of the length of time one must devote to its viewing. The rest of the world will understand some of why New Yorkers love their home as they do. Those expatriate New Yorkers will be tugged to head back home. All in all, brilliant, brilliant work.

The Burns family has come up with some fine work, from Baseball, to the Civil War; and now the latest, New York. A fine successor.

Ric Burns explores the early history of New York, starting with the God-created attributes of the region and one of the world's finest natural seaports. But the treasure is found in what man has added to the Apple, starting with the Erie Canal, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Subway system. The Bridge's history has itself been the subject of much scholarship, and Burns does it well also. The creation of the skyline, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are some of the series best moments, filled with some of the fascinating type of information that fans of Burns' documentaries have come to expect and enjoy.

The history of New York is the history of immigrants, and the interaction of Irish, Italians, Africans and other groups is splendidly examined. The politics of the City, such as the rise and demise of Al Smith are well explored also.

My few complaints are minor, and don't detract from the work. F. Scott Fitzgerald seems to have become a demi-god to Burns, and after awhile, I found the continued references to him and his work tiring. More than a few minutes on the history of Harlem would have been a welcome replacement. Of course, history is harder to write the closer we are to it, but I would have liked to have seen the series end later (perhaps at the end of the 1960's).

Even those not from New York will find it to be a rich, interesting history, worth of the length of time one must devote to its viewing. Those expatriate New Yorkers will be tugged to head back home. All in all, very worthwhile.

When I first sat down and watched this tremendous film on DVD, I was stunned at the magnitude of information it contains. I learned so much about New York's origins, I felt ashamed I knew so little about the world's greatest city.

As I got deeper into the film, I realised just how riveted I was at the musical score. What a tremendous soundtrack! The drawings, photos, camera sweeps and interviews come alive in a way that's hard to describe, when combined with the music.

I was taken aback by the weight of emotion (mostly sadness) that the documentary was able to well up inside of me; there were so many incidents I was unaware of in the city's history that are just heart-breaking. I learned so much about the city's lowlights but there are also a great deal of highlights too. I was extremely proud of the Statue of Liberty segment - tears literally filled my eyes as the inscription on the statue was read. That's the kind of emotion the film brings.

These are stories I'm not likely to ever forget. Because of the way Ric Burns and his team put them on film in a way that's more than watchable; it's simply stupendous.

This is the finest film I have ever witnessed.

Released in two stages (parts 1-5 in 1999 and parts 6-7 in 2001), Ric Burns' NEW YORK, to a new viewer, might feel sadly outdated. There's a lot of buoyancy and, as others have noted, a lot of "rah-rah-ism" going on. After all, the series was filmed during Wall Street's dotcom-induced high of the mid-90s, and all those smiles on the faces of former mayor Rudy Giuliani, writer Brendan Gill, and historian David McCullough are blissfully ignorant of what the economic collapse of 2000 and the events of 9/11/01 would do to Gotham and America. And the dozens upon dozens of shots of the World Trade Center are almost unbearable, at least to this New Yorker.

But try, please, please try to look at this remarkable documentary from the point of view of a pre-Y2K American or, for that matter, from an American of the future not so horribly close to 9/11. I stress American because the documentary is so U.S.-focused it would bristle non-Americans. (Actually, it might even bristle non-New Yorkers.)

If you can do that, you'll be in for one of the most insightful, poignant, monumental, and nothing less than brilliant films on the history of New York City ever made. I'm going to take that a step or two further--it is one of the best histories of NYC in any medium and one of the best documentaries on any subject ever made. The pacing is incredible. Part 1 which covers, roughly, the first 200 years of the city's existence reveals just how far back New York's roots extend. And yet, the minutes (and hours) go by quickly in spite of the extraordinary amount of information that's covered. The same can be said of the other six parts, as well. It's all so informative and brisk. And you'll be surprised how much native New Yorkers can learn about their own city!

And not everything is so rah-rah, by the way. The film is brutally honest about the downsides to New York's history. From the Dutch war with the natives to the Draft Riots, from Jacob Riis' revelations about the horrors of tenement life through the Triangle Fire, from the Jimmy Walker scandal through the scandalous plans of Robert Moses, New York is rightfully indicted for the many atrocities commited within its borders.

To examine each of the episodes here would be pointless--it would take too much time and still wouldn't express the importance of this film. I won't do that here. Ric Burns has created a brilliant installment to the brilliant American Experience series that I urge all New Yorkers, Americans and history-lovers to see.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points Concluded

(PS--As for the glimpses of the World Trade Center, Ric Burns did produce an eighth chapter (in 2003) to describe the rise and fall of those towers to bring this all up-to-date. The tone and timing were appropriate and I recommend that along with this set.

Somewhere in the middle of NEW YORK'S ten hours of "lyrical historical documentary film," or whatever you want to call it, there are a few minutes where lines from a Walt Whitman poem are read over a series of shots of New York harbor. The combination of music and poetry and image comes about as close, I think, to perfection as filmmaking can get. There are a thousand stories in the naked city and this is just one of them, just one way of conceptualizing the history of the Americas' great city. I am not suggesting it is "true" or the whole story. I thought of things that might have been included but were not (Brendan Gill's insightful commentary on McKim, Mead & White's Villard Houses at Madison and 51st, to take just one example). But no one, in any medium, will ever craft a more powerful, brutal, or telling account of how New York has come to be. The film is so elegantly put together, so magical, you are constantly pushed to ask yourself whether this is not the film that Arthur Dove or W.C. Williams would have made, had their generation turned from painting and poetry to film. Just like New York or the nation's history, this documentary can break your heart.

There are few cities like New York City and there are few documentaries like this one. Most documentaries are centred on an event/a building/a person, but here the city and its development are at the centre. While this might be very difficult to do and stay focused, it is what makes this documentary so special. Burns too the time it needs to tell the story of NYC, it took him 7 DVDs and one special about the WTC and how it fitted more or less perfect into NYC, in total about 17,5 hours. So if you are really interested in NYC and want to know its history and which development took place why, this DVD-Set is what you are looking for. The only feature I'm missing is that there are no optional subtitles, which might be helpfull for for a number of people.

This is an astounding series that not only puts New York, but the very heart of this nation into a fascinating perspective. It's so well done... every minute detail, including songs and personal diaries, gives one a perspective that is extremely tender without being overly sentimental. The talking heads are all appropriately inspired, profound and enthusiastic, and one can thoroughly appreciate the painstaking hours of research that went into this, despite that fact that it obviously was a labor of love! This is one of those documentaries that will be as valuable a hundred years from now as it is today, which in a sense makes it priceless, but still...

I would give a hundred stars if allowed for the quality of the production but it's extremely maddening that the fourteen hours of material are spread out among seven discs for a whopping $140.00 list price. The material could have easily fit on four discs, and with a little frugality, even both sides of two discs. It's SUCH an important documentary for all to see, PBS should really have tried to make it more accessible to those who can't afford it. The DVD packaging and price really gets just one star, but I don't want to detract viewers from at least renting this by giving it a lower rating.

I love New York. I love its history, its streets and its people. I've read Mike Wallace's Gotham cover to cover. Yet, this series of interviews, photographs, films and information about my favorite city made it complete. Well done from beginning to end with quotations from famous New Yorkers, a great sound track and thoughtful editing make this entertaining and informative through all 14 glorious hours. DVD format with sharp images and digital sound are the only way to go with such a long series especially knowing it will be watched a dozen times. However, given the events on September 11th the documentary can be a somber experience at times. Yet, knowing that New York and America have suffered similar horrors in the past (especially with New York City burning down at least twice) and have rebuilt and recovered colors that sadness with inspiration that the people of New York City and America will have their spirit soar once more. This documentary is a tribute as well as informative.

Ric Burns' New York is the best documentary film to exist - period.

This insightful work uses incredible interviews, photos and perhaps best of all - a beautiful musical score - to provide everyone who views this the true flavor of The Big Apple.

Don't forget about Volume 8 that's available seperately - it's a MUST-HAVE to compliment this great set. If there were a way to give this film 100 stars, I would do just that.

Granted, a 14 hour documentary is lot to watch. But I found this epic, comprehensive chronicle of New York to be so compelling that I'm heartily recommending it to everyone. Even die-hard New-Yorkers will learn a historical detail or two, and see how their lives in the city fall into wider historical, social, political and cultural contexts. Burns brings out the idea that New York has been a social laboratory for over 300 years, and so many issues -- from commercialism, rich vs poor, immigration, multiculturalism, density, transportation, urban renewal -- have been experienced by New Yorkers before the rest of the nation. As a result, New York has a rich history.

The city's story is told historically, through a mosaic of images, interviews, music, and narrative. There are, however, multiple recurring themes as the city's history unfolds:

One theme is that New York is a unabashedly commercial city, and that brings with it both energy and rapid change. Burns follows the economic changes of the city, starting with its start as a Dutch trading colony that gave NY it's distinctly commercial culture, to the economic leadership of Alexander Hamilton, to the economic boom resulting from the opening of the Erie Canal. The story then moves on to the rise of NYC as a manufacturing center, to the "Guilded Age" of robber barrons, through the 1929 stock market crash & the depression, to the 1970's fiscal crisis, and on to the economic boom of the 1980's.

Another theme is the physical development of the city. The early vision for a grand city was first seen under Mayor DeWitt Clinton, who oversaw the audacious plan to create the "grid" of numbered streets across the entire island of Manhattan. Burns tells the story of the rise of the great buildings -- the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the UN, and others -- which at the time were seen as soaring symbols of modern urban life & the hope for the future. In contrast, we also see the fall of great buildings, such as the old Penn Station building, and witness the backlash of historic preservation as people try to hold on to the city's past.

The influence of the automobile on urban planning makes for a surprisingly fascinating story. Robert Moses, a powerful city administrator who oversaw the creation of NYC's public works projects for 50 years, built many highways that made a suburban "commuter-culture" possible. City residents rose up and stopped some of his later projects, however, since they leveled buildings and broke up long-standing communities of city residents for the sake of better traffic flow to the suburbs.

Burns also tracks the social & political development of the city. For example, he shows how New York multiculturalism is the result of massive immigration over the past 200 years, from the massive influx of Irish & Italian immigrants passed through Ellis Island, mixing with others in Manhattan, such as blacks & Puerto Ricans. There are interesting sections on politics as well, from the rise of Boss Tweed & the corrupt Tammany Hall "political machine" in the 1800's, to Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who oversaw the creation of city-wide social programs (programs that, incidentally, FDR used as a partial blueprint for the New Deal).

Finally, Burns also shows New York as a cultural center. He brings us through the Harlem Renaissance and jazz, through the "Cosmopolis" described in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, through Walt Whitman's poems describing busting street life in his "Manhatta" and many others.

Love it or loath it, New York has an important story to tell. As a symbol, NY has been both a city of ambition, energy, opportunity and culture for some, but also a symbol of decadence & depravity for others. Regardless, the city has a long rich history, and in Burns' epic, compelling narrative brings through it all, with the touch of a master storyteller. I'm recommending it highly, and rate it 5 stars.