A "city symphony" directed by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strang, Manhatta is considered the first American avant-garde film. Inspired by Walt Whitman's poem "Mannahatta," which is quoted in one of the intertitles, the film portrays life in New York City in sixty-five shots from extreme camera angles that capture the dynamic qualities of the new metropolis. Rien que les heures was Alberto Cavalcanti’s first film as director. It documents the life of Paris from dawn until dusk, including the beautiful and the ragged, the rich and the poor. Generous and lyrical, these city symphonies resonate with the Paper Cities exhibition. (Manhatta run time: 10 minutes, Rien que les heures run time: 45 minutes)

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. 



Image: Rien que les heures, Alberto Cavalcanti, 1926