Expo: Magic Of The White City
The Chicago World's Fair of 1893
"Narrated by Gene Wilder (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), EXPO: Magic of the White City brings the Chicago World’s Fair to life. Experience the world of 1893 through a cinematic visit to Chicago's Columbian Exposition.
Nearly 28 million visit the Fair. Dubbed the "White City," it inspires future innovators like Henry Ford and Frank Lloyd Wright, debuts the Ferris Wheel and Cracker Jack®, and, in many ways, marks the beginning of the 20th century. Against the backdrop of 1893's troubles with workers' rights, prejudice, discrimination and corruption, the World's Columbian Exposition casts a brief ray of hope for the future of humanity.
Nearly 28 million visit the Fair. Dubbed the ""White City,"" it inspires future innovators like Henry Ford and Frank Lloyd Wright, debuts the Ferris Wheel and Cracker Jack, and, in many ways, marks the beginning of the 20th century.
Filmed in High-Definition, EXPO: Magic of the White City immerses viewers in one of the world’s biggest extravaganzas and one of the most unforgettable events in American history. There will never be another event like it...or will there?
Member Reviews
I Found the Subject Interesting, the Presentation Fair - whynot2
This documentary is well worth the time and effort; for the more casual audience, the presentation won’t compensate for the niche nature of the material.
This hour show presents period photographs and drawings, showing the illusory grandeur of the event and grounds. It’s is fascinating to see.
I found the period material to be interesting, but the inclusions of modern footage of animals, fish, and re-enactments, shot in brilliant, bright color, was disjunctive. I am not a fan of re-enactment to begin with, and these just don’t seem to fit. The narration Gene Wilder is adequate; but definitely not as captivating as a Mark Steel, or Morgan Freeman.
I listened to some of the commentary and I’m not sure that the concept of a commentary isn’t redundant in a documentary. The commentary provided here really just provides an alternative narrative about the fair. It is annoyingly unmatched to the images on the screen: additional discussion of the Chicago labor riots are on screen as the commentators discussed previous Paris expositions; what sounds like a first hand account of a visit to the fair is read over the re-enactment of the mayor’s assassination.
I visited the ‘Art at the Fair’ special feature. My options included ‘with music’ or ‘with commentary’—selecting the latter revealed that this is where the producer and writer chose to discuss their sources for material in general. I might have thought that the commentary might have dealt with the ‘Art at the Fair’.
This feature provides, without comment, an illustration of how the pendulum swings. This feature is shown as rated PG for nudity and violence. The art on general display at the fair included a lot of fully nude and frank statuary and paintings, albeit in a classical style. It amused me to contemplate this brazen display visited by millions of people in 1893, now requiring a PG warning, in this age of morbid horror over 9/16 of a second of breast exposure.
Member Reviews
Read All...
I Found the Subject Interesting, the Presentation Fair - whynot2
This documentary is well worth the time and effort; for the more casual audience, the presentation won’t compensate for the niche nature of the material.
This hour show presents period photographs and drawings, showing the illusory grandeur of the event ...