No.4165
I've been watching old "city movies" recently, by which I mean movies (preferably documentary) that focus on the daily life of a city. Some favorites so far have been Duoro Faina Fluvial, Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, and A Propos de Nice. Any recommendations of similar films would be appreciated, maybe we could even work on a city-core chart
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No.4167
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I like the term "city symphony" for an early version of this. Some related titles are mentioned here … a few are a bit off-topic but could be interesting anyway.
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2003/1/03.01.11.x.htmlManhatta (1921)
Rien que les heures (1926)
The Bridge (1927),
Rain (1929)
Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
Moving Image Materials (1988)
Berlin Symphony (2002)
I also thought of
Belfast, Maine (1999) by Frederick Wiseman. I haven't seen it but I'm sure it's worth watching.
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No.4176
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No.4183
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http://www.ubu.com/film/harris_organism.htmlBefore KOYAANISQATSI, there was ORGANISM. Hilary Harris actually contributed some of his innovative time-lapse footage to Godfrey Reggio’s art-house blockbuster but his ORGANISM remains a singular achievement. Shot over the course of fifteen years, the film deepens its splendid visual investigations of how New York works by likening the city’s complex systems to those of a single biological organism. Harris is hardly the first to suggest this metaphor but it registers with fresh life in his canny montage: the flickering lights of the skyline at night correspond with descriptions of neurons firing and the flow of traffic is brilliantly juxtaposed with the microscopic movement of blood cells. Within the time-lapse frame, Harris carefully engineers continuous zooms and layers the composition so as to realize several concurrent elements of circulation. Time itself registers in many guises here: the routinized movements of a cafeteria at lunch, the precise intervals of planes touching down at LaGuardia and the long haul of a construction site. The wondrous view may be technologically enhanced but ORGANISM is unmistakably cinema with a human touch. - Max Goldberg
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No.4239
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http://www.criterion.com/films/674-calcutta
> When he was cutting Phantom India, Louis Malle found that the footage shot in Calcutta was so diverse, intense, and unforgettable that it deserved its own film. The result, released theatrically, is at times shocking—a chaotic portrait of a city engulfed in social and political turmoil, edging ever closer to oblivion. Disclaimer: this post and the subject matter and contents thereof - text, media, or otherwise - do not necessarily reflect the views of the 8kun administration.
No.4245
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>>4165Here's one made for Edinburgh
Waverley Steps (1948)
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No.4425
Jean Vigo's À propos de Nice really impressed me. It differs from the other city symphonies that I've seen of that time as it attempts to display the seedy undercurrent of the city rather than a modernist celebration of it, showing it in a subversive manner the hedonistic livelihood of the bourgeois in contrast with the workers holding it all up.
There's also a distinct blending of the real and surreal characteristic of Vigo that I've never seen replicated before in documentary form. a mix of capturing the immediate and gags and smart use of cuts to create second meanings.
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No.4427
21-87
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No.4430
>>4425Thanks for the review. I still need to see Vigo's earlier works.
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No.6221
>>4165
> maybe we could even work on a city-core chart
I will try to make one. So speak up if you have more ideas!
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No.6233
Shame? I really love everything that takes place in NY or New Orleans. The jogging and restaurant scenes in Shame were heart
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No.6236
>>6233
Do you mean the Steve McQueen movie? Too much fiction. For the most part these city movies are documentaries with some experimentation.
I collected 25-30 for a list. I might not include these two shorts but you can still watch them...
Reflection (2012) https://www.nfb.ca/film/reflection_2012
>>4427 21-87 (1964) https://www.nfb.ca/film/21-87
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No.6248
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No.6959
I want to update with more... at least 2 for a new row of 5
Any ideas?
>>6248
not close enough to documentary, sir
watch the titles mentioned in OP
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No.6973
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>>6959
maybe include some that feature the largest cities -
http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/largest-cities-population-125.html
or maybe Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles
(you might have to buy it to see all of it)
http://www.modcinema.com/categories/4-music-doc/486-reyner-banham-loves-los-angeles-1972-dvd
this web store has a lot of exclusive rare material
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No.6974
>>6973
> (you might have to buy it to see all of it)
oops, the full video is right here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlZ0NbC-YDo
also a clip from Anatomy of Los Angeles (French TV) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-R1b2Tz9fY
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No.6988
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No.7002
>>6973
>>6988
Thanks
I will add both of these when there's a better poster available for I am Belfast
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No.9860
London Symphony (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pENDHytRIWI
>LONDON SYMPHONY is a brand new silent film - a city symphony - which offers a poetic journey through the city of London. It is an artistic snapshot of the city as it stands today, and a celebration of its culture and diversity.
>The film has been nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2017, and it will be released in the UK on September 3rd 2017.
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No.9869
>>9860
>They'll probably misinterpret the original "Symphony." series and make a generic film with no good cinematography at all.
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No.9870
>>9860
>30 seconds in
>Souley just close up shots and Muslims.
>Nothing using cinema to express the city.
Pic related.
It's worse, so, so much worse than I thought it couos ever be.
Never again.
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No.9873
>>9869
>>9870
Yeah I must agree that trailer doesn't look so hot
Only posted because it fits the bill of "city symphony"
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No.10127
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Nice 3 min. timelapse of San Fran
not bad for an iPhone!
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No.12226
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The City (1939)
Music by Aaron Copland
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No.12229
>>12226
Well-made bit of social propaganda. The exaggerated portrayals of country life and city life are intriguing. I was very interested in the utopian planned city at the end of the documentary. I never knew about "greenbelt" cites before - planned by the Feds as one of the expansive New Deal social engineering projects. Planned cities often have unforeseen flaws, however I couldn't find major problems with Greenhills OH or Greenbelt MD (though it's funny they were whites-only).
Obviously the greenbelt idea did not spread as much as the documentary envisioned, but the lifestyle of these communities bears plenty of similarities to suburbs which became very popular without central planning.
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No.12235
>>12229
I really like that one. I'm surprised at the low imdb rating though (5.9/10!). I guess it rates poorly because of the way it unrealistically maligns cities like New York.
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No.12333
Vimeo embed. Click thumbnail to play. I submit Genoa - More Than This as of the best short city movies. Tell me if you agree.
The director says
<Genoa is one of the most underrated cities in Europe. City reveals its charm if you decide to explore it. Here's a short visual poem exposing my memories that left with me after my short stay there. Place that is free of crowds and chaos you may observe all around.
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No.12337
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No.12880
Synopsis
<Monrovia, Indiana explores a small town in rural, mid-America and illustrates how values like community service, duty, spiritual life, generosity and authenticity are formed, experienced and lived along with conflicting stereotypes. The film gives a complex and nuanced view of daily life in Monrovia and provides some understanding of a way of life whose influence and force have not always been recognized or understood in the big cities on the east and west coasts of America and in other countries.
Director’s Statement
<I thought a film about a small farming community in the Midwest would be a good addition to the series I have been doing on contemporary American life. Monrovia, Indiana appealed to me because of its size (1,400 residents), location (I have never shot a film in the rural Midwest) and the shared cultural and religious interests within the community. During the nine weeks of filming the residents of Monrovia were helpful, friendly and welcoming and gave me access to all aspects of daily life. Life in big American cities on the east and west coasts is regularly reported on and I was interested in learning more about life in small town America and sharing my view.
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No.15016
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Look at Life - Down London River, 1959
A trip down the Thames tothe Port of London and "2000 acres of docks".
Interesting comment section about the ways London has changed -- some negative comments about immigration as you might expect, also people noticing how prominent buildings were filthy from pollution back then. The London docks no longer exist as they could not facilitate large vessels carrying shipping containers.
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