Unseen cinema. 5, Picturing a metropolis. Manhattan medley / by Bonney Powell for Magic Carpet of Movieton, Fox Film Corporation.

[United States] : Filmmakers Showcase, 1931.

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PICTURING A METROPOLIS is part of the film retrospective UNSEEN CINEMA that explores long-forgotten American experimental cinema. The film was made more or less on a hobby basis by a man named Bonney Powell, who was a cameraman/editor for Fox Movietone News. --DAVID SHEPARD. One of the most stylish of the 30s' New York City newsreel symphonies, the ever-popular "Manhattan Medley" was most probably a silent collection of shots with music added by the distributor. The roots of the form were fostered by the radical Film and Photo League, who favored a streetwise approach to cinematography similar to that used by documentary still photographers. The dusk-to-dawn time frame provided a container to display the dynamic views of city life. --BRUCE POSNER Bonney Powell, a cameraman and editor for Fox Movietone News, made "Manhattan Medley" and companion films "Broadway By Day" and "Meet Me Down at Coney Island" more or less on a hobby basis. Powell was sent by Fox to film Japan's war in China and was killed in action. --DAVID SHEPARD 35mm 1.20:1 black and white sound 10:04 minutes.

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November 02, 2020