New York: A Documentary Film facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New York: A Documentary Film |
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| Written by | Ric Burns James Sanders Ron Blumer (episode 5 only) |
| Directed by | Ric Burns |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Distributor | PBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS |
| Original release | November 14, 1999 – September 8, 2003 |
New York: A Documentary Film is a long TV series that tells the amazing story of New York City. It has eight parts and runs for about 17 and a half hours. Ric Burns directed this documentary, and it first aired in the U.S. on PBS.
The show was made by Steeplechase Films, working with WGBH in Boston, Thirteen/WNET, and The New-York Historical Society. Ric Burns and James Sanders wrote the series. Many famous historians who study New York City, like Mike Wallace and Kenneth T. Jackson, helped out and appeared in the film. The voice you hear narrating the series is David Ogden Stiers.
Lots of other well-known people also appeared in the series. These included Rudolph Giuliani, who was the mayor of New York City at the time, and former mayor Ed Koch. You might also see former New York governor Mario Cuomo and former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Other famous faces include poet Allen Ginsberg, director Martin Scorsese, and even Donald Trump, who later became President.
Making the Film: How It Was Created
In 1987, Ric Burns and James Sanders first thought of making a TV series about New York City's history. By 1993, they received a grant to start writing the script. Lisa Ades and Steve Rivo helped with the early research.
The TV station Thirteen joined the project to help raise money. The first five episodes cost about $9.8 million to make. At its busiest, more than 20 people worked on the series. The team worked from two offices in New York City.
New scenes and pictures for the film were shot using 16mm film. The first half of the series was edited in a traditional way. However, Ric Burns decided to edit the second half using computers. He later realized that computers were very helpful for managing all the old photos and videos used in the film.
Ric Burns first planned for the series to be 10 hours long. But this changed, and the first 10 hours (five two-hour episodes) only covered New York City's history up to 1931. These episodes came out in 1999. They then planned for a sixth episode, but this also changed. Instead, they made two more episodes, Episode Six and Episode Seven. These were released in September and October 2001, just a few weeks after the September 11th attacks.
After the terrible events of September 11, 2001, Burns and his team decided to make an eighth episode. This episode focused on the World Trade Center and its place in New York City's history.
Burns and his team are also making a ninth episode. This new film will explore how New York City deals with big issues today. These issues include immigration, different cultures, growth, and climate change. The film will show how New York is like a testing ground for how people from all over the world can live together.
Episodes: A Look at New York's History
The first five episodes of the series aired in November 1999. Episodes Six and Seven were shown in September and October 2001. The eighth episode, which told the story of the World Trade Center, aired in September 2003. A ninth episode about New York since 2001 is planned for the future.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "The Country and the City (1609–1825)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | November 14, 1999 | |
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This episode shows how New York grew from a small Dutch settlement in the 1600s. It covers the city's early history, including its time under British rule. You'll learn about New York's role in the American Revolution. It even served as the nation's capital for a short time. The episode ends as the Erie Canal helps New York become a major city.
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| 2 | "Order and Disorder (1825–1865)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | November 15, 1999 | |
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This part shows New York changing from a trading city to a big industrial center. Many immigrants arrived, and new problems appeared in the city. Big ideas for the city's future emerged, like Central Park. By 1860, New York was a very powerful but divided city. The episode ends with the terrible Draft Riots during the Civil War.
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| 3 | "Sunshine and Shadow (1865–1898)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | November 16, 1999 | |
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After the Civil War, some people became very rich, while others lived in poverty. The city's government, led by William M. Tweed and Tammany Hall, faced a lot of unfairness. As the 1900s approached, New York City grew much larger. It added areas like Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
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| 4 | "The Power and the People (1898–1918)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | November 17, 1999 | |
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This episode shows New York building its famous skyscrapers. About 10 million immigrants came to the city during this time. Many lived in poor conditions and worked in difficult jobs. In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory killed 146 women. This event led to new laws for factory safety and workers' rights.
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| 5 | "Cosmopolis (1919–1931)" | Ric Burns | Ron Blumer, Ric Burns & James Sanders | November 18, 1999 | |
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After World War I, Manhattan became a global center for culture. New industries like radio and advertising grew here. Famous artists like George Gershwin and Duke Ellington made their mark. The Harlem Renaissance saw a huge burst of creativity from African American artists. The episode ends with the completion of the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building as the Great Depression began.
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| 6 | "City of Tomorrow (1929-1941)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | September 30, 2001 | |
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This episode covers the time after the 1929 stock market crash. The Great Depression brought hard times to the city and nation. Two important New Yorkers, Fiorello La Guardia and Robert Moses, tried to build a new city for the future. The episode shows how cars changed the city. It also highlights the huge public building projects that reshaped New York.
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| 7 | "The City and the World (1945–2000)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | October 1, 2001 | |
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After World War II, many African Americans and Puerto Rican immigrants moved to New York. Robert Moses planned many new highways, which led to people moving to the suburbs. The destruction of the old Penn Station in 1963 caused protests. These protests helped create the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. This group helps protect important buildings and neighborhoods. The city faced tough times in the 1960s and 1970s, but it has since made a strong comeback.
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| 8 | "The Center of the World (1946–2003)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | September 8, 2003 | |
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This episode tells the story of the World Trade Center. It covers its rise and fall. The episode was made after the terrible September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
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| 9 | "The Future of Cities (2003–2018)" | Ric Burns | Ric Burns & James Sanders | TBD | |
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This episode looks at how New York City has changed since 2003. It explores the growth, challenges, and opportunities the city has faced. It shows how New York continues to be a leading example for cities around the world.
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Home Video Releases
The first VHS release of this series was on November 23, 1999. Later, two VHS sets and a DVD set were released on September 25, 2001. Episode 8 was released separately on VHS and DVD on September 30, 2003.
