The Big Apple on the Big Screen

For my first foray into the world of film on this blog, I've selected a rare title that is truly suitable for The Mysterious Vault. The film is entitled Only One New York, a documentary about New York City made in 1964 by obscure French director Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau. This lost gem was screened in Toronto last week courtesy of local film collector Dion Conflict, as the main attraction of an evening billed as "Midweek Mondo Madness". I hadn't heard of Only One New York before this screening came up, but that's not really too surprising. The film is not available on home video, and it apparently hasn't been shown for decades. In fact, according to Dion, his print may be the only copy in existence, so it is a true obscurity.

I've known Dion since the early '90's, and we've worked together on numerous projects and screenings over the years. He's been collecting unusual and neglected film and video for longer than I've known him, and he's developed a bit of a reputation for his oddball film nights, selecting strange trash and treasures from his "Conflict Archives". These screenings range from feature length films, such as Only One New York, to programmes of short subjects, such as his infamous "Hunka Junk" series (a mix of vintage educational films, commercials, trailers, shorts, etc.), "Trailer Trash" (film trailers), and "Christmas Kitsch-A-Roo" (bizarre Christmas films). As a graphic designer, I've put together posters and promotional material for quite a number of Conflict Archives screenings, and I was asked to help out with a poster for "Midweek Mondo Madness" (see below). It turned out quite well, despite the tight deadline.

"Midweek Mondo Madness" took place at my neighbourhood repertory movie theatre, The Revue Cinema. The evening opened with a short performance by local paranormal sensation Mysterion the Mind Reader (adding to the thrill-seeking "Mondo" vibe), followed by some shorts, and then the feature. Before I get into the film, I should just note that Mysterion's big stunt for the evening involved the potential risk of hanging himself by the neck, unless he could use his mental powers to select the one "safe" noose from a group of lethal ones. Needless to say, he is still with us – the show must go on...

Only One New York is a joyful and entertaining film to behold, a time capsule that transports the viewer to another era, a somehow more optimistic and simple time. Indeed, there is almost a naive quality to some of the voice-over narration in the film, but this is also a product of the time, which adds an element of humour for present-day audiences. While Only One New York is perhaps loosely associated with the whole "Mondo" film sub-genre, the similarities are mostly on a surface level. Mondo films are generally more lurid and sensationalistic, offering a glimpse into the unusual and shocking (Mondo Cane, Mondo Topless, etc.). Only One New York is quite tame by contrast, being more of a look at the great metropolis and its people from the point of view of a fascinated outsider, as opposed to a thrill-seeking celluloid joyride.

What emerges in Only One New York is a portrait of both the physical structures of the city, and a sampling of the many diverse cultures living within the great melting pot. As someone who loves New York City, I am always happy to look at images of the city on film, and there were a great many stunning shots throughout Only One New York to please any viewer. The buildings of downtown Manhattan are presented in long, poetic shots, filmed at odd angles and gracefully edited to some great swingin' Hammond organ music. The glass fronted skyscrapers are awe-inspiring spectacles on the big screen, reduced to almost abstract dancing geometric shapes by the inspired cinematography. The physical structure and architecture of NYC is one theme running through the film, and scenes of buildings being constructed and demolished provide some memorable imagery. The narrator reflects, "How beautiful these shining towers are. Architecture expresses an attitude. It reveals the psychology of the builder. It occurs to me that people who expect a bomb to fall don't build their walls of glass. A city of glass is like a declaration of peace." These words certainly possess an unintentional poinancy for a post-9-11 audience.

Within this considerable setting, the viewer is taken on a multi-cultural journey, and a portrait of the residents of NYC is painted, captured on film for future generations to look back on. For the most part, different ethnic groups are shown in some sort of distinctive celebration or gathering. Several weddings, parades, banquets, and religious ceremonies are shown, along with more candid and intimate footage. Hence, the Irish St. Patrick's Day parade, a religious gathering in Harlem complete with gospel choir, a Japanese Buddhist celebration, a gypsy wedding, a traditional Jewish meal and religious practises, Ukrainian sword dancing, a voodoo ceremony, and much more along these lines. This study in cultural diversity is balanced out by some other colourful footage – Playboy bunnies playing football (and a glimpse inside the famed Playboy nightclub), a parade of elephants walking down the street, native Indian construction workers relaxing at their local watering hole during their off-hours, an art world happening (complete with action painting), and more.

In retrospect, it all seems a bit wide-eyed and overly optimistic (particularly in a post 9-11 world), but perhaps this is part of the charm of Only One New York. The world is a much smaller place in 2008, thanks to advances in transportation and communications, and the 'Global Village' is in a way almost a worldwide equivalent of the metropolis presented in Only One New York, although certainly not living in harmony. This celebratory survey of one of the world's greatest cities is something of a breath of fresh air in today's cynical, war-torn, scandal and disaster ridden world. Sometimes the past looks brighter than the future, even in black and white.