ABSTRACT
Ralph Steiner and Willard Van Dyke's The City is the film which brings the cycle to an end because of its savage critique of the modern metropolis and because of the significant role it played at the "anti-Manhattan" that was the New York World's Fair of 1939–40. What's radically different about The City is the way it highlights environmental destruction, including air pollution and white-hot waste being dumped down hillsides. The film was a very popular and well-received attraction at the New York World's Fair, and when the fair closed its doors in October 1940 the film remained a sought-after rental that was screened widely, especially in non-theatrical venues. Many viewers were sympathetic to The City's loosely historical critique of urbanization, and its vision of a vast network of carefully planned Green Cities held appeal to many who had just experienced the desperation of the Great Depression.
