I don’t think it would be too crazy to say that in many ways a neighborhood is its own little planet. Although every block is part of a bigger community, each one is different based upon the people living there. This is why even though every film we’ve watched is set in New York City, each one has a very different feel.
First we watched The Jazz Singer, which is set in the Jewish ghetto of the Lower East Side. Jakie’s neighborhood has a decidedly traditional feel to it because of his father’s prominent role as the synagogue’s cantor. Religion is obviously important to the Rabinowitz family, given its central place both in their lives and in the film’s narrative. Another reason why it feels traditional is because it is black and white, although this is out of necessity rather than choice. The makers of Hester Street, however, deliberately chose to shoot it in black and white. This gives the film an interesting sense of conflict—the story centers around Jake’s desire to reinvent himself as a “Yankee” in his new homeland, yet the neighborhood surrounding him is still very much a traditional Jewish area, reflected by the cinematography.
With Brother From Another Planet we left the Lower East Side and traveled to Harlem. The film presents the neighborhood in a mixed manner—on one hand, it becomes a place of belonging for The Brother; on the other, we are shown the instability caused by drug addiction. It’s an interesting clash of ideals to say the least. This dual aspect of the neighborhood gives it (to me at least) a very genuine and open feeling.
Next was West Side Story, which contains more violent conflicts than the previous films. This neighborhood feels fast-paced due to the very frequent cuts. It also feels like a dark, unsafe place to live because of the conflict between the Sharks and the Jets. The Pawnbroker, which takes us back to Harlem, also shows its neighborhood as a dark place, mainly through the use of flashback. Like Hirsch discussed in the article “The Pawnbroker and the Posttraumatic Flashback”, these numerous flashbacks to the horrors Sol witnessed in the concentration camp unsettle the viewer by constantly flipping between a concentration camp and Harlem. Additionally, there are many shots in Sol’s pawnshop from behind the metal bars, making the shop itself feel like a sort of prison for Sol.
So we’ve definitely seen some dark, conflicted views of New York so far this semester. And looking ahead to films like Do The Right Thing and Goodfellas, it doesn’t look like the movies are going to be idealizing New York any time soon. Oh well…at least we have Sesame Street to look forward to!
