Series synopsis
New York: A Documentary Film is an American documentary television series that premiered on PBS on November 14, 1999. It ended on September 8, 2003. It was created by Ric Burns. It stars David Ogden Stiers, Kenneth Jackson, Mike Wallace and John Steele Gordon.
This eight-part, 16½-hour television event explores New York City's rich history as the premier laboratory of modern life. A sweeping narrative covering nearly 400 years and 400 square miles, it reveals a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals.
Premise
This eight-part, 16½-hour television event explores New York City's rich history as the premier laboratory of modern life. A sweeping narrative covering nearly 400 years and 400 square miles, it reveals a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals.
Premise: A compelling portrait of the greatest and most complex of cities
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- David Ogden Stiers as Narrator
- Kenneth Jackson as Self - Commentator
- Mike Wallace as Self - Commentator
- John Steele Gordon as Self - Commentator
- Robert A.M. Stern as Self - Commentator
- David McCullough as Self - Commentator
- Allen Ginsberg as Self - Commentator
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan as Self - Commentator
Supporting cast
- Fran Lebowitz as Self - Commentator
- Robert Caro as Self - Commentator
- Rudolph Giuliani as Self - Commentator
- Martin Scorsese as Self - Commentator
- Donald Trump as Self - Commentator
- Ed Koch as Self - Commentator
- Mario Cuomo as Self - Commentator
Guest cast
- David McCullough as Self - Commentator
- Allen Ginsberg as Self - Commentator
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan as Self - Commentator
- Fran Lebowitz as Self - Commentator
- Robert Caro as Self - Commentator
- Rudolph Giuliani as Self - Commentator
- Martin Scorsese as Self - Commentator
- Donald Trump as Self - Commentator
- Ed Koch as Self - Commentator
- Mario Cuomo as Self - Commentator
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 10 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 10 | November 14, 1999 | September 8, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Country and the City (1609–1825) The series begins by identifying the key themes that shaped New York's history: commerce and capitalism, diversity and democracy, transformation and creativity. The episode charts the development of the city founded by the Dutch as a purely commercial enterprise, first as New Amsterdam, a freewheeling enclave of trade and opportunity; then as the British New York, a colony fueled by slavery which was bestowed as a birthday gift upon the Duke of York by his brother, King Charles; soon after as a strategically pivotal locale in the American Revolution; and ultimately as the city of New York: the nation's first capital and the place destined to define urban life in America -- and American ideals. |
November 14, 1999 |
| 2 |
Order and Disorder (1825–1865) Already established as America's premier port, New York City swelled into the nation's greatest industrial metropolis as a massive wave of German and Irish immigration turned the city into one of the world's most complex urban environments, bringing with it a host of new social problems. Episode Two reveals how the city's artists, innovators and leaders, from poet Walt Whitman to Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (the designers of Central Park) grappled with the city's growing conflicts -- which culminated in the catastrophic Civil War Draft Riots of 1863. |
November 15, 1999 |
| 3 |
Sunshine and Shadow (1865–1898) Now the spotlight shines on the growth, glamour and grief of New York during America's giddy postwar "Gilded Age." Exploring the incomparable wealth of the robber barons and the unabashed corruption of political leaders, such as Tammany Hall boss William M. Tweed, the episode examines the era when the expansion of wealth and poverty -- and the schism between them -- built to a crescendo. The program ends as the city itself dramatically expands its boundaries, annexing Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island into a single massive metropolis -- Greater New York. |
November 16, 1999 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | PBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | November 14, 1999 |
| Last aired | September 8, 2003 |
| Runtime | 120 minutes |
| Status | ended |