The City
Directed by Ralph Steiner, Willard Van Dyke- Features
- USA
- Documentary
- English
- 1939
- 43 mins
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shareProduced for the 1939 World’s Fair, The City is a problem-solving documentary that announces the “age of rebuilding is here.” As music mirrors blacksmiths and trains, adding drama to the horse and buggy being replaced by machines, the film proclaims that Americans must find a balance between working, living, and the land.
“Smoke makes prosperity” and children grow up in slag heaps, with congested danger areas, traffic jams, accidents, and fast food. The answer lies in smaller cities planned for living, working, and playing where machines serve men. “Take your choice” the film concludes, between fresh air and sun or smoke and sludge.
