Everyday street life becomes a kaleidoscope of surreal images in this wonderful masterpiece of experimental filmmaking by Francis Thompson. Visually stunning, whimsical, and truly engaging from start to finish, this film has long been one of my very favourite short films.
It has been rumoured that it took Thompson over 20 years to both film and manufacture the special lenses used to create the fantastic and fractured images that dominate this film. He has refused to reveal his secrets to the present date. What is evident though is a mastery of visual tone and composition. Distorted objects and scenes, some recognizable and others not, blend and flow in a loosely based time line chronicling a typical New York City day, from sun-up to sundown. No narration or story to speak of, N.Y., N.Y. tells its tale through the bustling pace, the familiar city sounds, and the well-married musical score that accompanies it. Phantasmagoric, geometric, ultra-dimensional, and sometimes just plain weird, New York City has never told so many tales in so little time.
Some of the standout images that come to mind are cars folding in on themselves as they drive by; bodiless, rubbery legs appearing to walk on their own; and entire buildings, twisted and deformed, just seeming to hang about in mid-air. Every frame is a complete picture, and each rendered with an eye to pristine and endearing fullness. I can't recall how many times I've seen this amazing little gem of a film now, but with each successive time I see something new, and I do so with the same sense of excitement that I did when I first viewed it. It is such a fully realized piece of work I must laud both the film, and it's maker, whole- heartedly. It must be seen to be believed! 10/10. N.Y., N.Y. will not disappoint!
It has been rumoured that it took Thompson over 20 years to both film and manufacture the special lenses used to create the fantastic and fractured images that dominate this film. He has refused to reveal his secrets to the present date. What is evident though is a mastery of visual tone and composition. Distorted objects and scenes, some recognizable and others not, blend and flow in a loosely based time line chronicling a typical New York City day, from sun-up to sundown. No narration or story to speak of, N.Y., N.Y. tells its tale through the bustling pace, the familiar city sounds, and the well-married musical score that accompanies it. Phantasmagoric, geometric, ultra-dimensional, and sometimes just plain weird, New York City has never told so many tales in so little time.
Some of the standout images that come to mind are cars folding in on themselves as they drive by; bodiless, rubbery legs appearing to walk on their own; and entire buildings, twisted and deformed, just seeming to hang about in mid-air. Every frame is a complete picture, and each rendered with an eye to pristine and endearing fullness. I can't recall how many times I've seen this amazing little gem of a film now, but with each successive time I see something new, and I do so with the same sense of excitement that I did when I first viewed it. It is such a fully realized piece of work I must laud both the film, and it's maker, whole- heartedly. It must be seen to be believed! 10/10. N.Y., N.Y. will not disappoint!
