American Experience: Grand Central
by Michael Epstein
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DVD details
Director: Michael EpsteinBrand: PBS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 60 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-03-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS (Direct)
DVD Reviews of American Experience: Grand Central
DVD Review: Not much actual look-see. Sounds like someone reading their thesis paper.
Summary: 2 Stars
This 50-minute study of GCT suffers from the same shortfall of the other major treatment [National Geographic's Inside Grand Central], that being it's way too long on history lesson and way too short on visual appreciation of GCT's architectural details.
Between minutes 13 and 44, there is less than 2 minutes total viewing of current Terminal imagery. Rather, that entire section of the film plods along as though it were a college lecture titled "Historical Events Influencing the Construction of Grand Central Terminal: 1902 through 1913," with visuals mostly composed of talking heads and faux-animated historical stills, many of which are not of GCT proper but rather trains, tracks, newspaper headlines and other such whatnot.
That lecture is bookended with some scraps of decent look-sees, including some detail shots, in the first two minutes and final five minutes.
Neither any other historical period nor a drop of operational background of GCT is ever addressed during the film. At least it can be fairly said that NG's treatment is much broader in scope than this.
All in all, this film makes for a rather disappointing visiting of one of New York City's greatest architectural gems. Amazing any director wouldn't realize that most anyone wanting to view a film about GCT would be primarily interested in, well, viewing GCT. All this history would be of no interest, lest the building be as lovely and majestic as it is. And given even an on-site tour cannot provide an individual close look at most of the building's interior and exterior details, it seems reasonable a director would realize that this is exactly how the viewer can best be served.
Unless GCT is your life's obsession/passion - or your thesis topic - the film does not merit viewing.
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Description of American Experience: Grand Central
Studio: Pbs Release Date: 05/04/2009 Run time: 60 minutesBestsellers in DVD
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