My Hometown
jen | 05/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a native New Yorker I was very pleased with this collection of older films about The Big Apple. It's nice to see that the St. Patrick's Day Parade has not changed very much over the past 60 years. It's also interesting to see footage of the city when it was much less crowded than it is today. I thought the clip on how well different immigrant groups get along in the city was instructive even with today's different immigrant groups. My favorite parts were the great shots of the old skyline."
Vintage Footage
Deacon | America | 05/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is not the "many faces" of modern New York City - it's something a good deal more interesting.
Back in the 1940s immigration was still going strong, America was still a true melting pot and Manhatten was made up of many ethnic neighborhoods (that were still affordable to live in.)
The documentary footage here captures the spirt of those different neighborhoods (the St. Patrick's Day footage is very moving) and how hard they worked to assimilate into American life.
There is also a second, less uplifting, documentary about how poor many of these immigrants were and how hard it was for them to find a better life here.
Overall this gives a decent and balanced perspective on the City before it became an expensive non ethnic metropolis."
A Great Overview Of Ethnic Diversity
Bart | Montpellier, France | 07/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For once this DVD is very well titled. What you will see is a great overview of the different ethnic festivals in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s. My favorite was the Chinese festivals, but my wife thought it was interesting to look at the early Puerto Rican Pride festivals (which are much bigger today.) Of course you get great St. Patrick's Day footage as well. The movies really make you realize what a great melting pot New York City is."