New York – The Center of the World (Part 8)
$20.00
Price: $20.00
(as of Oct 19, 2024 04:44:07 UTC – Details)
In this final chapter of Ric Burns’s acclaimed series New York: A Documentary Film, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE presents a powerful portrait of the events leading up to and away from the fall of 2001. It chronicles the construction of the towers and explores the astonishing expansion of American economic power during the second half of the twentieth century.
Aspect Ratio : 1.78:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 3.2 ounces
Media Format : Closed-captioned, DVD, Color
Run time : 10 hours
Actors : David Ogden Stiers, John Steele Gordon, Kenneth Jackson, Robert A.M. Stern, Mike Wallace
Studio : PBS
ASIN : B0000AQS6X
Number of discs : 1
9 reviews for New York – The Center of the World (Part 8)
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Sean Brenner –
An extraordinary film
I was there. Half a mile away. Saw the whole damn thing.I was on the street within 2 or 3 minutes of the first plane hitting. I saw the second plane hit tower 2.No matter what you saw on TV, you can’t imagine.It was a day of extraordinary power and emotion, fear, sorrow and loss, surreal – the knowledge that you’d seen something as profound as the JFK assination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Epic in scale, gobal in impact, yet inherently intimate. Your own personal disaster movie.Even still,This Ric Burns film is an amazing thing. It’s just great. I’ve watched it a dozen times and I don’t get tired of it – the writing, the music, the history, the wisdom – the personal feelings of a diverse and meaningful group of New Yorkers. It’s historic, epic, emotional – up to the task of documenting the impact of 9/11 on New York.It represents all the things that make New York great: ambition, literacy, reflection, humanity, wonder, perspective. The use of Philippe Petit – the French high wire man – as a linking device…was inspired.A stunning thing.
Amazon Customer –
New York.
As David Stier Ogden would describe it: a mess.
Smart Blonde –
An AWESOME account of a TERRIBLE day in American history
My husband had taped this with our VCR years ago and has shown it to all of his classes every September 11th to make sure his students NEVER FORGET the attack we suffered in 2001. We decided to buy the DVD to have it in our personal library and also make it easier to navigate to certain segments (instead of fast forwarding through a VCR tape).This particular video shows a timeline from morning until evening that really gives a breath-taking perspective of the events of that day. No one can watch this and not be moved. We recommend this video to everyone whenever we get the chance–buy it, you won’t be sorry!
Jerry C –
New York WTC documentary
It is a very well done documentary by Ric Burns of the WTC from planning construction up to 9/11 and the 1st year anniversary memorial.
Future Watch Writer –
A brilliant view of recent New York history
I’m from New York and think it’s one of the greatest cities in the world.This video is very realistic. I lived in New York while the World Trade Center was being planned and built. This video really captures a lot of the spirit of the times. A lot of people don’t realize that the World Trade Center was a near total financial disaster when it opened and was considered by many a giant mistake. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller saved the day by moving a lot of New York state offices into the complex.Paradoxically, the World Trade Center represented little of the “free enterprise” vision that many see as gospel today. It was the creation of a government agency, the Port Authority – not free enterprise.Nevertheless, I think it was a big plus for New York, and it eventually became a financial success.
Eric V. Moye –
A logical end to the Series
Ric Burns gives us the final chapter in his masterpiece series New York: A Documentary Film. Indeed, it is more the history of the World Trade Center, leading up to the tragic events of September 11. In this way, it is more like a stand alone documentary about the W.T.C., than it is the end of the history of New York series.It chronicles the construction of the towers. Somehow, to me this feels much less compelling than the masterful section of disc 5 of the Series, which chronicles the competition between the construction of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State.However, even though anyone who can operate a DVD player knows the inevitable conclusion, it is incredibly troubling (even painful) to watch, and as another reviewer says, it is almost impossible to turn away form the screen. As another reviewer has correctly said, it is still painful to watch.I did give this only four stars, though, because while this was indeed a epoch – switching event, there was an AWFUL lot of New York history in between the late sixties and 2001 which I thinkwas given the short end of the stick in Vol. 8. The decline of the City after its pre-WWII preeminence, the turbulence of the decade of the sixties and the anti-war movement, the racial awareness and concomitant strife, the ravages of drug proliferation, welfare reliance and then somehow the resurgence of New York economically in the ’90’s were too briefly touched upon in Vol. 7 and I think could have explored here in greater detail. I think that few would assert that until 9-11, the W.T.C. would not have merited such attention. But given the context of this single cataclysmic event which it did chronicle, perhaps I judge too harshly…There are fewer characters presented than in the rest of the series, including former Governor Cuomo, Former Mayor Koch (staggeringly poignant in his description an encounter with the family of a 9-11 victim) and still-journalist Pete Hamill (it seems to me that he has aged a ton since the earlier episodes).We are still way too close to the event to be able to determine the long term effect on New York, America or the world. Nonetheless, this is a fitting end to the Series.
David –
This is an awesome video; so well produced
This is an awesome video; so well produced; a work of art. A must for intelligent people who appreciate history, NY and 9-11Wish I could buy the soundtrack as well!!
Stu Goldberg –
Came sealed and on time.
Just as advertised.
Clare Wells –
Ric Burns continuing documentary of New York explores the sometimes controversial history of the original World Trade Centre and how it was completed at a time that many believed was a huge white elephant and proceeded with the objections of many New York officials. It also retells the horrific moments when members of Al-Qaeda flew passenger jets into it. Some conspiracy believers will continue to have a great deal of debate among each other and anyone else willing to listen the real meaning of what is behind the documentary as there is much details the documentary covers and one would expect nothing else when watching a something from one of the Burns brothers.