Will Hines Dot Net

9/11/2001 was so crazy and big and scary and world-changing, certainly New-York-City changing, that I would not think to try and explain it.

What I CAN explain is 9/11/2002 — because on that day, when everyone was super-conscious it had been JUST ONE YEAR SINCE 9/11 — the Brooklyn Academy of Music offered free screenings of the movie “Manhattan” as a sort of “let’s just see a movie and feel good about our city” thing. So I went. My life was a mess. The city was a mess. But the opening to this movie really did put me in the best mood. Rhapsody in Blue, great shots of the city and funny narration from Woody Allen, in that order. So here it is.

There’s only one shot of the World Trade Center in this montage — in the fog at about :40 seconds in — but it’s more the spirit of just being amped about the city that matters. If you don’t enjoy this montage I think you should move out of New York City forever and that is fair.

P.S. I can’t find a GREAT copy of this clip. This one has good quality but is the wrong aspect ratio. I found one with the right aspect ratio that was too blurry. I blame yellowjacket bees.

P.P.S It’s also somehow very entertaining watching a scene in another language (Italian? Spanish? I am a rube) with no subtitles.