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90% Critic Match
Empire City
“The City That Never Sleeps”
9.0 / 10• 1985• 1h 29m•G• English
DocumentaryHistory
Storyline
A film essay contrasting the modern metropolis with its "golden age" from 1830-1930, with the participation of some of New York's leading political and cultural figures. Made at a time when the city was experiencing unprecedented real estate development on the one hand and unforeseen displacement of population and deterioration on the other. Empire City is the story of two New Yorks. The film explores the precarious coexistence of the service-based midtown Manhattan corporate headquarters with the peripheral New York of undereducated minorities living in increasing alienation.
Cast & Crew
Donald Trump
Self
Lead
Ed Koch
Self
JJ
Jane Jacobs
Self
Elia Kazan
Self
Norman Mailer
Self
Arthur Miller
Self
Jason Robards
Self - Narrator (voice)
What People Are Saying
5.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Michael Blackwood's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
5.0
“Every frame feels alive. Empire City is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
