The technique and material in this short feature are both interesting, and they fit together much better than might be expected. Jay Leyda's avant-garde technique works surprisingly well in conveying the sights and atmosphere of the Bronx of his era. For the rather arty methods to blend together with the down-to-earth nature of the Bronx is rather an achievement.
Leyda's use of the camera combines rapid montage of loosely-related images, similar to that in the features of Vertov and other Soviet directors of the era, with the basic 'city symphony' approach exemplified by Ruttmann's excellent Berlin feature. The beginning and the end also feature some of Leyda's own abstract ideas. The actual material, by contrast, shows everyday scenes from a lot of different Bronx businesses and neighborhood activities.
It's worth seeing a couple of times, since the technique is rather distinctive, and since it also does well in preserving an interesting neighborhood as it was in the 1930s.
Leyda's use of the camera combines rapid montage of loosely-related images, similar to that in the features of Vertov and other Soviet directors of the era, with the basic 'city symphony' approach exemplified by Ruttmann's excellent Berlin feature. The beginning and the end also feature some of Leyda's own abstract ideas. The actual material, by contrast, shows everyday scenes from a lot of different Bronx businesses and neighborhood activities.
It's worth seeing a couple of times, since the technique is rather distinctive, and since it also does well in preserving an interesting neighborhood as it was in the 1930s.