SuperBorrowNet

New York (7 Episode PBS Boxed Set)

Reviewer: Seattle, eh?

Rating: 5.0/10

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In short: I think your opinion of this will strongly depend on your pre-existing sentiments about New York City. If you have positive associations (as I do), then you will overlook the flaws and enjoy the languorous pace. I personally enjoyed this film, but my rating attempts to factor out my predisposition.

If you are undecided or negative, then I think the minuses outweigh the pluses:
-It is slow. 14 hours!
-It is bombastic. It feels like every topic covered is "the (insert superlative here) the world has ever seen", or that many events "are like nothing the world had ever seen" and "will change the city forever". With 14 hours, you'd think you'd have some perspective. And even if it's all true, at least mix up the language a bit.
-It feels a bit myopic. Maybe this is the result of 14 hours(!!) about New York, but I rarely got much of a feel for where NYC fit into the national scene, or what the rest of the nation felt about NYC. It was very much from the inside looking inward; maybe not all the time, but most.

That being said, I like NYC, so I still enjoyed this despite its flaws. :)

Date Reviewed: August 19, 2005

Last modified: February 6, 2006