New York at the Movies (2002)

Directed by: Nick Davis | 90 minutes | documentary

The city of New York has played a prominent role since the very beginning of the film. Hollywood may be on the west coast of the United States, but the Big Apple on the east coast has always been much more popular as a movie set. Whether this is due to the recognizable skyline – which has been badly damaged since 9/11 – or the five bustling city districts, each with their own landmarks and ambiance, the melting pot of people and cultures or the sum of all these pluses – the television documentary ‘New York at the Movies’ (2002) tries to find an answer to this. Much more than an analysis of film in New York, this is an ode to the city that so often plays a leading role on the silver screen and against which many an actor has to lose out in terms of screen presence.

‘New York at the Movies’ is put together by none other than Meryl Streep and many of her colleagues – both in front of and behind the camera – provide explanations. The approach of the film is fairly standard for a documentary: image fragments from films and from the set are alternated with the well-known ‘talking heads’. For film lovers it is a feast of recognition, although the expected extensive analysis is actually not forthcoming. Peter Bogdanovich is the well-known exception to the rule; he offers some historical insight with his commentary. Also director Sidney Lumet, who in the seventies with films such as ‘Serpico’ (1973), ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ (1975), ‘Network’ (1976) and ‘Prince of the City’ (1981) presented a rawer and more realistic picture. boasts of The Big Apple than its predecessors (which mainly depicted the city as a breeding ground for straightforward crime), offers a fascinating glimpse into New York from the film world. It should be clear: with such an enormously versatile and colorful city you can go in many directions as a filmmaker. No wonder the diversity of films that have been shot there is so impressive.

In addition to Bogdanovich and Lumet, Spike Lee, Lauren Bacall, Tim Robbins, Liza Minelli, Ellen Burstyn, Edward Burns and Martin Scorsese will also be featured. The latter, we know after seeing ‘A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies’ (1995) and ‘Il mio viaggio in Italia’ (1999), is the true film historian among directors and can tell wonderfully and endlessly about his big passion. That’s why it’s a shame to see that he gets a bit snowed in here by less interesting types like Ephron, who stay much more on the surface. Director of the documentary, Nick Davis, should have limited himself to the films that put New York on the map in the 1970s, those of Scorsese, Lumet and Woody Allen. ‘New York at the Movies’ shows fragments of films from all decades. Not the directors, but the mostly Jewish producers who ruled in the 1930s and 1940s, provided an early and indestructible connection with New York: every self-respecting film producer had a studio in The Big Apple, even if the film world is increasingly turning to Los Angeles and Hollywood.

To understand the appeal of New York as a film city, you must have seen two films next to this documentary: Jules Dassin’s ‘The Naked City’ (1948) and Alexander MacKendrick’s ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ (1957). the complete picture should certainly also see Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976), Allen’s ‘Manhattan’ (1979) and ‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989) by Spike Lee. Unfortunately, the last two decades remain underexposed. The list of films is of course never complete, and ‘New York at the Movies’ does not pretend to be. The interviewees genuinely love their city and try to explain why it is such a great city to live, work and live in. ‘New York at the Movies’ takes the viewer by the hand and shows in several chapters how the city manages to play a leading role in films in a different way every time. It may not be the most complete and in-depth analysis, but for film buffs this documentary – just like The Big Apple on the big screen – is a feast of recognition.