New York: A Documentary Film

- Season 1

(1999)

The first of 8 shows of the history of New York City. This one starts with the first Europeans and how the city started to grow.

The period of 1825 to 1865 in the history on New York City is narrated by David Ogden Stiers. We see the rise of the city as a cultural centre, to influx of blacks, Italians and Germans. This show concludes with the Civil War Draft Riots, American's bloodiest civil disturbance.

This period in New York's history covers many local characters and the corruption but also the building of the Brooklyn bridge and the erection of the Statue of Liberty.

This episode covers the period from 1898 to 1914, and documents the rise of Al Smith to governer after he enacted laws to protect working people in the state of New York after the terrible fire of the Shirt Waist Garement Factory of 1911. This episode is emotional, sad and poignant.

Episode five tells the African-American experience, the birth of the new media industries and the incredible array of human and cultural energies converge, ending with construction of the world's tallest building.

Episode six reveals the immense new forces were unleashed in New York, from the Depression to the New Deal, which permanently altered the city. Along the way, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and master builder Robert Moses attempted to create a bold new city of the future.

Episode seven chronicles the history of New York from the end of the Second World War to the present, exploring the complexities of the modern city and the turbulent years of physical, social and cultural change in the decades following the war.

This final chapter provides a powerful portrait of the events leading up to and following 9/11, reaching back to when the idea of a "world trade center" was first conceived and the towers were constructed. Explore the physical, economic, and symbolic aftermath of the attack and what Americans can learn from the recovery effort.