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7.0/10 • 9

1959-11-110h 22m

Documentary

Nominated for an Academy Award, this live-action short film playfully chronicles the construction of the Tishman Building at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Directors
Shirley Clarke, Willard Van Dyke
Writters
John White
Editors
John White, Shirley Clarke

Top Billed Cast

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    CinemaSerf Avatar

    CinemaSerf

    Feb 10, 2024

    6/10

    Somehow I couldn't help but think, here, that the buildings that were being demolished were considerably more characterful than the glass and concrete structures that were replacing them. Anyway, this short documentary introduces us to a building crew and to the activities of those tasked with the construction and assembly involved in putting up New York's Tishman Building on 5th Avenue. From the surveyors, architects, draughtsmen through the entire excavation and occasionally quite perilous construction process we see it rise like the proverbial phoenix. It's quite watchable this, but the director has a bit of a penchant for too much crooning and what might even pass for some early rap, before we get some natural sound and images of the site-clearing and the building. Interestingly, they take the debris to New Jersey to help infill the marshland there. Technology and manual labour work closely together and luckily we cram most of this extended process into a 20 minutes that is peppered with a lively narration from those responsible for doing the work - indoor and out. I still get slightly acrophobic watching these folk walking tight-rope shaped steel girders hundreds of feet in the air. Not a job - or a watch - for the feint hearted! Who knew 20% of the costs went on the air-con installation, or that the fitting took as long as the frame?

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    • Skyscraper poster
    • Skyscraper poster

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    Status
    Released
    Original Language
    English
    Budget
    --
    Revenue
    --
    Keywords
    architectureconstructionwoman director