Manhatta

Plot

Manhatta is a groundbreaking silent documentary that captures a day in the life of New York City, from dawn to dusk. The film opens with morning light revealing the bustling harbor, wharves, and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, followed by scenes of commuters disembarking from ferries and moving through the city streets. The camera observes the stark contrasts between frantic activity on Wall Street and quiet contemplation in a cemetery, while towering skyscrapers release columns of smoke and steam into the sky. The film showcases the city's vertical growth through shots of construction cranes and ironworkers perched precariously on high beams, alongside the mechanical ballet of trains and ships in the transportation hubs. As day fades to evening, the final shots capture the sunset's reflection on the harbor waters, with the entire visual journey punctuated by intertitles featuring Walt Whitman's poetic celebrations of urban life, though the poet himself is never named.

Historical Background

Manhatta was created during a period of tremendous transformation in America, known as the Roaring Twenties. This era saw unprecedented urbanization, technological advancement, and social change as the country emerged from World War I and entered the modern age. New York City was rapidly becoming the world's financial and cultural capital, with skyscrapers reshaping its skyline and immigrants continuing to flood its neighborhoods. The film captures this moment of American ascendancy and the growing fascination with the modern metropolis. Artistically, the 1920s was a period of experimentation across all media, with modernism challenging traditional forms in literature, painting, photography, and cinema. The film also reflects the post-war rediscovery of Walt Whitman as a distinctly American poetic voice, whose celebration of democracy and urban life resonated with contemporary artists. The creation of Manhatta coincided with the early development of documentary as a film form, with filmmakers exploring how cinema could capture reality in ways that other media could not.

Making Of

Manhatta emerged from the collaboration between two of America's most important modernist photographers, Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand. The project began when Strand, who had recently returned from Europe with new ideas about cinema, approached Sheeler about creating a film that would capture the essence of New York City. They worked without a formal script, instead developing a visual treatment based on Whitman's poetry and their own artistic vision. The filming process was challenging, as they had to haul their heavy 35mm camera up stairs and onto rooftops to achieve the elevated perspectives that characterize the film. They often had to shoot quickly and discreetly to avoid drawing attention from authorities or disrupting city life. The editing process was equally meticulous, with the filmmakers splicing together shots to create rhythmic patterns and visual harmonies. The intertitles, featuring Whitman's poetry, were carefully chosen to complement the visual imagery and create a dialogue between word and image. The entire project was self-funded, reflecting the independent spirit of the American avant-garde movement of the 1920s.

Visual Style

The cinematography of Manhatta represents a masterful translation of photographic modernism to the moving image. Sheeler and Strand employed numerous innovative techniques that were revolutionary for their time. They made extensive use of high-angle shots, filming from rooftops and elevated positions to capture the city's verticality and geometric patterns. The camera work emphasizes sharp focus, strong contrasts between light and shadow, and carefully composed frames that echo the Precisionist painting style. The filmmakers utilized natural light to dramatic effect, particularly in the opening and closing shots that bookend the film with harbor scenes at dawn and dusk. They experimented with perspective, using foreground elements to frame distant views of the city, creating depth and visual interest. The camera movements are minimal but deliberate, with pans and tilts used to reveal the scale of the urban landscape. The cinematography also includes striking close-ups of industrial machinery and architectural details, abstracting urban elements into forms of pure visual design. The overall visual aesthetic balances documentary realism with formal abstraction, creating images that are both recognizable and artistically transformed.

Innovations

Manhatta achieved several technical milestones for its time. The filmmakers successfully adapted still photography techniques to motion pictures, creating a distinctive visual style that bridged both media. They demonstrated sophisticated understanding of film editing, using rhythmic cutting and visual matching to create continuity between disparate shots. The film's use of intertitles was innovative, integrating poetic text as an integral part of the visual composition rather than merely as exposition. The technical execution of the shots was particularly impressive, given the cumbersome equipment of the era and the challenging urban shooting conditions. Sheeler and Strand achieved remarkable image quality and clarity in their footage, utilizing available light and careful exposure to create visually striking results. The film also represents an early example of location shooting in difficult urban environments, setting a precedent for documentary filmmaking practices. The preservation and restoration of Manhatta has also been technically significant, demonstrating advanced techniques for recovering and enhancing deteriorating nitrate film stock.

Music

As a silent film, Manhatta was originally presented with live musical accompaniment that varied depending on the venue. The filmmakers did not specify a particular score, leaving musical interpretation to individual pianists or small ensembles. In contemporary screenings, the film has been accompanied by various musical interpretations, ranging from classical compositions to modern electronic scores. Some presentations have used period-appropriate music from the 1920s, while others have commissioned new scores that reflect the film's modernist sensibilities. The Museum of Modern Art's restoration includes a suggested piano score that draws on American classical music of the early 20th century. The absence of synchronized sound actually enhances the film's visual poetry, allowing viewers to focus on the interplay between image and text without the distraction of dialogue or sound effects. The silence creates a contemplative space that aligns with the meditative quality of both the visuals and Whitman's poetry.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening sequence showing dawn breaking over New York Harbor, with the Brooklyn Bridge emerging from morning mist and steamboats moving across the water.
• The high-angle shot looking down on Wall Street, capturing the frantic movement of people and vehicles in geometric patterns.
• The dramatic shot of an ironworker balanced precariously on a high steel beam, exemplifying both the danger and daring of urban construction.
• The abstract composition of smokestacks releasing columns of smoke against the sky, creating a visual rhythm of industrial forms.
• The final sunset sequence with the harbor waters reflecting the fading light, providing a poetic conclusion to the day's journey through the city.

What Critics Said

Upon its release in 1922, Manhatta received limited attention from mainstream critics, as it was primarily screened in avant-garde circles and art venues. However, those who did see it recognized its innovative qualities. The New York Times noted its 'striking visual beauty' and 'poetic sensibility.' European critics, particularly those associated with the avant-garde film movement, praised its formal experimentation and modernist vision. Over the decades, critical appreciation of Manhatta has grown substantially. Film historians now regard it as a seminal work in both documentary and experimental cinema. Critics have highlighted its sophisticated visual composition, its innovative use of intertitles, and its successful synthesis of photographic and cinematic techniques. Modern critics often describe it as remarkably prescient in its understanding of film's potential as both documentary and art form. The film is frequently cited in scholarly works about early American avant-garde cinema and the development of documentary film as an artistic medium.

What Audiences Thought

Contemporary audience reception to Manhatta was limited due to its specialized nature and lack of commercial distribution. It was primarily viewed by artists, intellectuals, and members of avant-garde film societies who appreciated its experimental qualities. These early audiences were struck by the film's poetic vision of New York and its departure from conventional narrative cinema. In the decades since its creation, audience appreciation has grown significantly, particularly after its restoration and inclusion in the National Film Registry. Modern audiences, familiar with both documentary and experimental film traditions, often express surprise at the film's sophistication and contemporary feel. The film now regularly appears in film festivals, museum exhibitions, and cinema history courses, where it continues to captivate viewers with its timeless images of the city and its artistic achievement. Many contemporary viewers note how the film's vision of New York remains relevant despite the passage of nearly a century.

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