A City Symphony Underground
Be swept up on a journey on the New York City Subway, never knowing what will happen next.
Overview
Genre
Portrait, Cultural History, Reality, and Culture
Synopsis
'A City Symphony Underground' provides a view of the New York City Subway as never seen before. Blending footage shot in 1905, six months after the subway opened, with present day subway scenes, the film evokes the magical moments that occur daily underneath the sidewalks of New York.
This film is as an homage to the “City Symphony” documentary film genre introduced in the 1920s. These films were called “City Symphonies” because the filmmakers sought to create different “movements,” as in a musical symphony, to evoke a city’s changing moods. Not following the traditional narrative documentary approach, these films sought to catch "life unawares" within a "day in the life" of a city. 'A City Symphony Underground' attempts to do this with the world that exists below the great city of New York.
With neither narration nor dialog, this film is a visual "tone poem:” a moveable feast of images and sounds, set up as the backdrop for slices of life played out daily in a public place.
Stage
finished
Running time
12 minutes
Links
Official Website
A City Symphony Underground Official Website
Credits
Catherine Stratton
... Director, Cinematographer, Editor
Babette Wielenga
... Sound Assistant
Jeremy Cohan
... Additional Cinematography
Lisa Trusiani
... Composer
Production Details
Country
United States
Production years
2010
Locations
New York City
Distribution Details
Release year
2010
Festivals
Big Apple Film Fest 2010; Black Maria Film Fest 2011; NewFilmmakers Film Fest 2011; SENE Film Festival 2011; New York No Limits Film Fest 2011
Awards
Director's Choice Award, Black Maria Film Festival
Language
Silent with Music and Ambient Sound
Overview
Genre
Portrait, Cultural History, Reality, and CultureSynopsis
'A City Symphony Underground' provides a view of the New York City Subway as never seen before. Blending footage shot in 1905, six months after the subway opened, with present day subway scenes, the film evokes the magical moments that occur daily underneath the sidewalks of New York.
This film is as an homage to the “City Symphony” documentary film genre introduced in the 1920s. These films were called “City Symphonies” because the filmmakers sought to create different “movements,” as in a musical symphony, to evoke a city’s changing moods. Not following the traditional narrative documentary approach, these films sought to catch "life unawares" within a "day in the life" of a city. 'A City Symphony Underground' attempts to do this with the world that exists below the great city of New York.
With neither narration nor dialog, this film is a visual "tone poem:” a moveable feast of images and sounds, set up as the backdrop for slices of life played out daily in a public place.