Unseen cinema. 5, Picturing a metropolis. Skyscraper symphony / by Robert Florey.

[United States] : Filmmakers Showcase, 1929.

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PICTURING A METROPOLIS is part of the film retrospective UNSEEN CINEMA that explores long-forgotten American experimental cinema. The most fantastic effects were secured in shooting sheer heights .... It was partly the architectural wonder of New York that made the film so stirring, but, really, it was the artist's touch that moved one, the catching of mood, line, color, and feeling in the strange, walled city. --MARGUERITE TAZELAAR 1929. The hard-edged "Skyscraper Symphony" stands in contrast to other New York scenic newsreels produced during the 1920s. Composed of skewed perspectives, Robert Florey's camera looks straight up the domineering concrete behemoths. And it is hard to determine if he succeeds to mime symphonic form as the title suggests. --BRUCE POSNER French cinéaste, journalist, author and film and television director Robert Florey came to Hollywood in 1921 and worked as an assistant director before collaborating on "The Life and Death of 9413 - A Hollywood Extra". He made at least three other short experimental films and directed over 50 Hollywood features during the 1930-40s. In 1953, he moved to television. --BRUCE POSNER Alternate title: "Symphonie der Wolkenkratzer". 35mm 1.33:1 black and white silent with music 20fps 10:58 minutes. New music by Donald Sosin.

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November 02, 2020

New music: Donald Sosin.