The City
Identifier
F.2019-08-0004
Date Of Production
circa 1961
Abstract
"A neon wilderness of shoppers where mounting tensions added to frustrations, scurrying pedestrians, sadistic drivers, sex mad movie displays, hamburgers, questionable bargains and no money down add to a psychotic beat seeking a tranquilizing cocktail." – Filmmakers Distribution Catalog, Center Cinema Co-op, 1969.
Description
An experimental silent film made in the early 1960s providing an intimate look at the citizens of Chicago. The film combines tongue-in-cheek footage of street advertisements, movie theatres, and other signifiers of city life, with scenes depicting the daily goings on of Chicagoans. The City borrows from traditional documentary film aesthetics, yet the narrative is complicated towards the end by fictional flourishes in what can be best described as a post-modernist take on the stressors and violence inherent to city life. Major thoroughfares and landmarks are heavily featured, such as Maxwell Street and Lincoln Park.
Run Time
17 min 9 sec
Format
16mm
Extent
338 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Reversal Positives
Genre
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Main Credits
Bailen, Maurice (is filmmaker)
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