Search - The 1964 World's Fair on DVD

Disappointing

R. Riis | 04/07/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Half of the 52 minutes of this DVD is spent on aging baby boomers reminiscing in their living rooms about their experiences at the fair. Then there's the obligatory fair "expert and social commentator". (This guy really needs to find a job). By the time we get to the actual sights and sounds of the fair -- all that's left is the construction of the Unisphere, a shot of a middle-aged couple eating the famed Belgian Waffles, and finally...a few minutes spent inside the GM pavillion. We might have seen more of the fair if those aforementioned baby boomers had showed us their scrapbooks. This video just has no soul. Should be in the dollar bin next to the checkout counter."

How to make a great Fair look mundane

R. Riis | NY | 05/17/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For those who remember the 1964 World's Fair with great fondness will be enjoy this DVD while being greatly disappointed at the same time. While it's great to see the Fair again in these vintage films, there is too much time spent on the personal recollections of a small group of Fair-goers (filmed in the 1990s) and not enough good-quality footage of the exhibits themselves. I remember the Fair as a great, exciting, colorful experience - here it comes across a bit as a grainy, pastel, pleasantly-remembered weekend."

A SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENT FOR REAL '64 FAIR BUFFS

Greg Walker | Los Angeles, CA | 05/02/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'd have to give this video a C minus- for anyone who cherishes the '64 World's Fair the way that I do, it's a severe disappointment. There were SO many sights and sounds to relive, they could have filled the entire video with glorified home movies and still photographs for 2 hours, and it would have satisfied fair buffs better than this. (Too much time was spent on the history of the fair's planning, interviews with fair attendees, etc..) Apparently, the "filmakers" were obsessed with only using actual "moving film footage" and had to hedge the rest with the interviews, etc. (Perhaps they should have taken a cue from Ken Burns, since there is a MOUNTAIN of still photographs from this memorable event that could have been used.) If you want to relive the fair, try to only rent this video if you can, and supplement it by finding old "Viewmaster" reels and collectible fair photo books- this video brings back a few memories, but not enough."

Not exactly what I wanted.

Ferd Burfle | Eastchester, NY | 04/14/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Instead of alot of video of the Fair itself, this DVD depended upon the recollections of many visitors, who were interviewed.While it was nice to hear their stories, it would have been nicer to actually see video of what they were talking about. Perhaps more audio of the Fair would have been good as well.Albeit was 1964/65, I'm sure this PBS Special could have gone back to the News Archives of the time and showed what type of coverage the World's Fair had been getting.I'll give it 1 star, because it brought back some nice memories, but is was not quite worth the price."