The 1964 World's Fair

Starring:Narrated By Judd Hirsch
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Fast on the heels of the Seattle World's Fair, New York's bid to hold another fair in 1964 was turned down by the international commission. That didn't stop Mayor Robert Wagner, who stubbornly launched the symbolic 250-ton "unisphere" stainless steel globe onto its pedestal in Flushing Meadows, Queens, for the two-year fair. While including fond remembrances from visitors who reminisce about sneaking in, indulging in first kisses in the Coca-Cola Pavilion, and the like, much of this 52-minute video is dedicated to examining the fair's failures. Dubbed "an old fair in new time," it was criticized for being the opposite of the city's 1939 fair: rather than predicting the future, it floundered in the postwar boom of the decade prior. Shots of its construction, promotional films, and news footage provide the documentary with its visuals, while historians and fairgoers examine the fair that ran the gamut from Michelangelo's Pietà to General Motor's Futurama exhibit. --Kimberly Heinrichs
Description
Relive the dazzle, wonder and fun of The 1964 World's Fair. An extraordinary documentary, narrated by Judd Hirsch, that takes a fresh look at the sights and sounds of this once-in-a-lifetime event. Part futuristic exhibition, part glittery strip mall, the 1964 New York World's Fair was planned amid the optimism of the late 1950s, but the Fair's two-year run often mirrored the chaos of the 1960s. The Fair was a brawling, costly and altogether chaotic event, but few of the 52 million people who attended noticed. So jump in that old station wagon and take a ride back to the 1964 New York World's Fair!

Average customer rating:

If you didn't grow up in Queens in the 60's, don't bother

The 1964 World's Fair

Don't buy it

The 1964 World's Fair
Starring: Judd Hirsch
Director: Rich Hanley
Manufacturer: Janson Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

Relive the dazzle, wonder and fun of The 1964 World's Fair, an extraordinary documentary narrated by Judd Hirsch that takes a fresh look at the sights and sounds of this once-in-a-lifetime event. Part futuristic exhibition, part glittery strip mall, the 1964 New York World's Fair was planned amid the optimism of the late 1950s, but the Fair's two-year run often mirrored the chaos of the 1960s. The fair was a brawling, costly and altogether chaotic event, but few of the 52 million people who attended noticed. Acclaimed public television producer Rich Hanley draws on the delightful memories of fairgoers who found a hope for the future, an understanding of other cultures, and a delicious Belgian waffle for just a dollar.

So jump in that old station wagon and take a ride back to the 1964 New York World's Fair!

Customer Reviews:

If you didn't grow up in Queens in the 60's, don't bother.......2007-06-03

The positive review here should be a clue: if you grew up in Queens in the 1960's, you may enjoy this movie. Otherwise don't bother. This film turns the World's Fair into a neighborhood home movie, padding even its short length with a lot of purposeless, meandering footage and even more purposeless, meandering music. Watch your own home movies: they're probably better made.

The 1964 World's Fair.......2007-05-12

Great memories. Many home movies combined into one DVD. I went to the World's Fair 18 times in 1964 and saw myself walking along in this DVD!

Don't buy it.......2006-12-29

I was expecting to see the 1964 World's Fair, instead I heard only people talking about the World's Fair. You only see the outside of the Buildings. If you like to hear people TALK about the World's fair and see home movies of people talking about the World's fair then by all means buy it but if you are expecting to see the rides , etc. don't waste your money. We were very disappointed.

Worlds Fair Films, New York 1964 DVD: Films & Footage of the New York Worlds Fair in 1964 Including Construction, History, Aerials, & Footage From Around The Fair Including The Unishpere

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Home-movie quality & features that "jump" and are cut-up!

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Product Features:

Table Of Contents:
(1) Birds Eye View (1965) - 1 Minute (2) Night Aerials (1963 - 64) 1 Minute
(3) World Fair Report (1964) 11 Minutes (4) Unisphere (1964) 14 Minutes
(5) To The Fair (1965) 26 Minutes
(6) Out Of This World (1964) 13 Minutes

ASIN: B000JR6CQA

Product Description

Historical footage of the Worlds Fair, New York 1964 including construction of the fair, the Unishpere, water works, music, architecture, night aerials, and so much more. Table Of Contents: (1 Worlds Fair Films, New York 1964 DVD: Films & Footage of the New York Worlds Fair in 1964 Including Construction, History, Aerials, & Footage From Around The Fair Including The Unishpere) Birds Eye View (1965) Amazing footage of the fair from the sky - 1 Minute (2) Night Aerials (1963 - 64) - Amazing footage of the fair from the sky, but this time at night 1 Minute (3) World Fair Report (1964) - Follows the construction of the buildings and exhibits of the 64 worlds fair in New York with interviews with the director of the project, Robert Moses 11 Minutes (4) Unisphere (1964) - Follows the construction of the Unishpere for the fair 14 Minutes (5) To The Fair (1965) - Amazing footage from the fair including night footage, water works, architecture, the Unisphere, music, amusement park rides, and more 26 Minutes (6) Out Of This World (1964) - This is a Frigidaire produced film featuring a housewife as she visits the Futurama exhibit at the fair 13 Minutes

Customer Reviews:

Home-movie quality & features that "jump" and are cut-up!.......2007-02-06

I would strongly suggest NOT buying this product! Despite its relatively inexpensive price, it is definitely NOT worth the money, and the DVD is of VERY POOR quality! Many of the films "jump-around" as if they were actually being viewed with a Super-8 on a movie screen. The "From the Air" shots have no music, which would suggest that they actually are indeed somebody's home movies! The "To the Fair" segment is very much a disappointment, it is in B&W! I have owned for many years a VHS copy taped directly off an original film that is indeed in color! The "World's Fair Report" abruptly terminates half-way through the feature! The packaging is a very austere plastic DVD "clamshell", and there is no notation on it whatsoever! The United States Steel Unisphere and the Frigidaire segments are both in color, and both appear complete. These would certainly be the highlights amongst the numerous other disappointments.

Let's hope that somebody in the future can do justice to these films and make a really nice DVD out of them. I would have gladly paid a little more for a much better quality DVD. Peace Through Understanding...

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(5) Films packed with Footage From The Worlds Fair, San Francisco 1939 - 1940, including architecture, music, dancing, aerials, parades, speeches, and more. Table Of Contents: (1) Dead Fair (1940) 1 Minute (2) Golden Gate International Exposition (1940) 19 Minutes (3) Farewell To Treasure Island (1940) - 3 Minutes (4) Golden Gate International Exposition (1940) 8 Minutes (5) Treasure Island (1939) 10 Minutes (6) Frisco Fair (1940) 17 Minutes

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Product Description

Historical footage from the Worlds Fair, Chicago 1933-34. Table Of Contents: (1) Century of Progress Exposition Wings of a Century (1933) Great footage from the fair including dinosaurs, escape artist, architecture, and the hall of science - 13 Minutes (2) Chicago World's Fair (1933-34) General scenes from around the fair including a submarine, a temple, aerial views and more - 13 Minutes

Average customer rating:

Not exactly what I wanted.
Disappointing
Great but incomplete
How to make a great Fair look mundane
A SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENT FOR REAL '64 FAIR BUFFS

The 1964 World's Fair
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ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Amazon.com

Fast on the heels of the Seattle World's Fair, New York's bid to hold another fair in 1964 was turned down by the international commission. That didn't stop Mayor Robert Wagner, who stubbornly launched the symbolic 250-ton "unisphere" stainless steel globe onto its pedestal in Flushing Meadows, Queens, for the two-year fair. While including fond remembrances from visitors who reminisce about sneaking in, indulging in first kisses in the Coca-Cola Pavilion, and the like, much of this 52-minute video is dedicated to examining the fair's failures. Dubbed "an old fair in new time," it was criticized for being the opposite of the city's 1939 fair: rather than predicting the future, it floundered in the postwar boom of the decade prior. Shots of its construction, promotional films, and news footage provide the documentary with its visuals, while historians and fairgoers examine the fair that ran the gamut from Michelangelo's Pietà to General Motor's Futurama exhibit. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Description

Relive the dazzle, wonder and fun of The 1964 World's Fair. An extraordinary documentary, narrated by Judd Hirsch, that takes a fresh look at the sights and sounds of this once-in-a-lifetime event. Part futuristic exhibition, part glittery strip mall, the 1964 New York World's Fair was planned amid the optimism of the late 1950s, but the Fair's two-year run often mirrored the chaos of the 1960s. The Fair was a brawling, costly and altogether chaotic event, but few of the 52 million people who attended noticed. So jump in that old station wagon and take a ride back to the 1964 New York World's Fair!

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly what I wanted........2003-04-15

Instead of alot of video of the Fair itself, this DVD depended upon the recollections of many visitors, who were interviewed.

While it was nice to hear their stories, it would have been nicer to actually see video of what they were talking about. Perhaps more audio of the Fair would have been good as well.

Albeit was 1964/65, I'm sure this PBS Special could have gone back to the News Archives of the time and showed what type of coverage the World's Fair had been getting.

I'll give it 1 star, because it brought back some nice memories, but is was not quite worth the price.

Disappointing.......2002-04-07

Half of the 52 minutes of this DVD is spent on aging baby boomers reminiscing in their living rooms about their experiences at the fair. Then there's the obligatory fair "expert and social commentator". (This guy really needs to find a job). By the time we get to the actual sights and sounds of the fair -- all that's left is the construction of the Unisphere, a shot of a middle-aged couple eating the famed Belgian Waffles, and finally...a few minutes spent inside the GM pavillion. We might have seen more of the fair if those aforementioned baby boomers had showed us their scrapbooks. This video just has no soul. Should be in the dollar bin next to the checkout counter.

Great but incomplete.......2001-08-16

A great documentary catching the essence of the fair. Living in Queens and visiting the park where the fair once was, but being too young to have attended left me curious about the 1964 events for years. This film satisfied most of my curiousity. The political background, the cronologic presentation, the highlights of the shows, and especially the interviews were insightful. This film would have been more complete with an extra chapter at the end showing what happened to the pavilions since. Maybe a future part two could include that. The DVD picture and sound quality is very good.

How to make a great Fair look mundane.......2001-05-17

For those who remember the 1964 World's Fair with great fondness will be enjoy this DVD while being greatly disappointed at the same time. While it's great to see the Fair again in these vintage films, there is too much time spent on the personal recollections of a small group of Fair-goers (filmed in the 1990s) and not enough good-quality footage of the exhibits themselves. I remember the Fair as a great, exciting, colorful experience - here it comes across a bit as a grainy, pastel, pleasantly-remembered weekend.

A SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENT FOR REAL '64 FAIR BUFFS.......2001-05-02

I'd have to give this video a C minus- for anyone who cherishes the '64 World's Fair the way that I do, it's a severe disappointment. There were SO many sights and sounds to relive, they could have filled the entire video with glorified home movies and still photographs for 2 hours, and it would have satisfied fair buffs better than this. (Too much time was spent on the history of the fair's planning, interviews with fair attendees, etc..) Apparently, the "filmakers" were obsessed with only using actual "moving film footage" and had to hedge the rest with the interviews, etc. (Perhaps they should have taken a cue from Ken Burns, since there is a MOUNTAIN of still photographs from this memorable event that could have been used.) If you want to relive the fair, try to only rent this video if you can, and supplement it by finding old "Viewmaster" reels and collectible fair photo books- this video brings back a few memories, but not enough.

1964 New York World's Fair Film Library DVD - Enjoy Views of the 1964 NYWF and the History Behind the Fair and Unishpere

Average customer rating:

1964 New York World's Fair Film Library DVD - Enjoy Views of the 1964 NYWF and the History Behind the Fair and Unishpere

Manufacturer: The Historical Archive
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

Take a trip back in time to visit the 1964 New York World's Fair. Learn how it was planned, how the massive Unisphere was built, enjoy an aerial view of the fair and of course experience all the rides and amusements that made the 1964 NYWF such an entertaining and fun place. Here are all the films that make up this historical collection: 1964 New York World's Fair Report (1961) - Sound, Black & White Run time: 25:55; New York World's Fair, 1964/03/02 (1964) - sound, Black & White Run time: 2:31; World's Fair Night Aerials - silent, color Run time: 2:31; The Unisphere: Biggest World on Earth (1964) - Sound, Color Run time: 13:29; To The Fair (1965) - sound, Black & White Run time: 26:14

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