This film is part of Free
Metropolis
This ode to New York from March of Time shows us how seven and half million people from every race and nationality in the world, live, work and play together in ‘the greatest metropolis of the New World’.
Overview
March of Time's ode to a city :a rush of images and words communicates the excitement and modernity of New York City in 1939. The central section of the issue ventures inside the New York Police Department, showing how Mayor LaGuardia and Commissioner Valentine have rooted out corruption and smashed the link between the police and organised crime. Despite a brief mention of slums and poverty in Harlem, the overwhelming message is one of assertive confidence and pride in ‘the greatest variety show on earth’.
For this issue, the New York Police Department allowed cameras behind the scenes, letting viewers see New York’s Finest at work for the first time. We see evidence analysis in the research lab, a crime scene investigation and the fingerprinting of a suspect. The footage of, and commentary on, the city’s 166 women police officers show attitudes that were very much of the time: the women officers are chosen for ‘poise and personality’ and ‘most effective when they look least like officers of the law’. The fast-cutting March of Time montage style is taken to the limit in this issue: the cumulative effect of hundreds of shots gives an overwhelming sense of the city’s teeming vitality.
Related
Inside Nazi Germany Inside Nazi Germany
Documentary 1938 16 mins
A genuinely historic film, which caused much controversy at the time: the first commercially -released American motion picture to explicitly attack Hitler and Nazism.
Presidential Year Presidential Year
Documentary 1948 15 mins
‘Crisp and sincere’,‘carefully trained’ or ’resonant and vibrant’? Which voice would appeal to you if you had to pick the Republican candidate for the 1948 Presidential Election?
Great Britain Coronation Great Britain Coronation
Anthology 1937 24 mins
Weatherproof bunting, fog, clockwork dolls and a Hollywood exodus to London: this sideways look at preparations for the Coronation of George VI provides a wry American take on a very British ceremony.
Irish Free State Irish Free State
Anthology 1936 23 mins
How Ireland turned herself into a self-sufficient powerhouse - plus a study of the "lunatic fringe" in US politics.
America Thinks It Over America Thinks It Over
Documentary 1939 17 mins
In a world on the verge of war, will America support the democracies of Europe, or turn inwards and embrace isolationism?
Movies March On Movies March On
Non-Fiction 1939 21 mins
Charlie Chaplin relaxes on the tennis court in this potted history of Hollywood, which looks back fondly to the early days of film, in a world on the brink of war.
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.