Manhatta is a 1921 short film directed and shot by painter Charles Scheeler and photographer Paul Strand.
The film, only ten minutes long, is as the title implies a documentary film of Manhattan Island. Interestingly, the film does not show any of the people of Manhattan, except as tiny specks far below seen from skyscrapers, and as an undifferentiated herd arriving on the ferry. Instead, the film dwells on the impact man has had on the island, showing views from atop skyscrapers, showing ships coming in and out of the harbor, and showing the bridges and railroads that link the island to the rest of the world.
Compare A Bronx Morning, a similar short film from 1931 that shows a working-class neighborhood from ground level, rather than the grand skycrapers of downtown New York.
Tropes:
- Big Applesauce: New York certainly does look impressive. Lots of tall buildings and wide bridges.
- Book Ends: Sunrise at the beginning, sunset at the end (see A Day In The Life below).
- Cool Boat: A huge ocean liner is shown coming in to port. This is later contrasted with the tiny tugboats that pull the Cool Boats into port.
- Day in the Life: A day in the life of Manhattan. The film opens with the sunrise and morning commuters arriving via ferry. It ends with a shot of the sun setting over New Jersey.
- Documentary: Thought to be the earliest example of the "city symphony
" genre that later included Berlin: Symphony of a City and Man with a Movie Camera. - Leave the Camera Running: A series of static shots. Maybe not surprising since the filmmakers were a painter and a photographer.
- Skyscraper City: Manhattan is definitely shot to look this way. Practically every shot inside the city is from high up, showing little dots of people scurrying about below.
- Take It to the Bridge: The Brooklyn Bridge is featured, including a shot from the bridge itself, showing a suspension tower.
