Empire City

1985 / 89 min. / color
Directed by Michael Blackwood
Written by Frances FitzGerald

Guided by seasoned New Yorkers, political figures, and cultural connoisseurs, “Empire City” examines Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs in order to paint a portrait of the ever-evolving metropolis. Appearing to be both adaptable and stubbornly stagnant, New York is a city of juxtapositions. As our narrator notes, “The city is too big, too diverse, and too complex for anyone to comprehend. New York is many cities interlaced with one another, each in constant independent motion.” In “Empire City” we see proof of this dynamic through both footage and discussion of extreme wealth, economic success and increasingly expensive real estate versus the hardships faced by the city’s minorities such as people of color, immigrants, and the lower class. Leaders and residents such as David Rockefeller, Edward Koch, Norman Mailer, Jane Jacobs, and Herman Badillo offer their insight into the best and worst of New York while tenderly noting the pride and loyalty it’s inhabitants hold onto.

Directed by
Michael Blackwood

Writing Credits
Frances Fitzgerald … (narration written by)

Cast
Brooke Astor
Louis Auchincloss
Herman Badillo
John Davis
Victor Gotbaum
Jane Jacobs
Philip Johnson
Elia Kazan
Ed Koch
Henry Livingston
Norman Mailer
Arthur Miller
Sidney Morgenbesser
Joseph Papp
Richard Ravitch
David Rockefeller
Felix Rohatyn
Rita Smith
Mary Sprague
Donald Trump

Produced by
Michael Blackwood … producer
Peter Brugger … executive producer
David Schmerler … associate producer

Music by
Philip Glass

Cinematography by
Mead Hunt

Film Editing by
Ned Bastille

Production Management
Ben Batchelden … production team
Thomas Jacobs … production team
Peter Margonelli … production team
George Nugent … production team
Ian Woollen … production team

Sound Department
Tom Fleischman … sound mixer
Thomas Holaday … sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Pamela Katz … assistant camera

Additional Crew
Stuart Rickey … Script Consultant

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827402/

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