Manhatta 1920

from city skip

In 1920 Paul Strand and artist Charles Sheeler collaborated on Manhatta , a short silent film that presents a day in the life of lower Manhattan. Inspired by Walt Whitman's book Leaves of Grass , the film includes multiple segments that express the character of New York. The sequences display a similar approach to the still photography of both artists. Attracted by the cityscape and its visual design, Strand and Sheeler favored extreme camera angles to capture New York's dynamic qualities. Although influenced by Romanticism in its view of the urban environment, Manhatta is considered the first American avant-garde film.