Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
1h 32min | Documentary, Biography, History | 21 April 2017 (USA)
Opens Friday May 5th in Dallas at the Texas Theater
Synopsis: The new film from Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor) chronicles the epic and sprawling conflict between urban activist and author Jane Jacobs and tyrannical real estate developer Robert Moses. CITIZEN JANE is the first ever film about the woman who, many think, is single handedly responsible for preserving the tone and texture of the New York City we know today.
By showcasing her victories over Robert Moses, and the cohort of urban planners in the period, CITIZEN JANE is an enlightening early activist playbook in the form of an operatic narrative, telling the stories of Jacobs’ victories over the monolithic forces determined to destroy the most treasured parts of New York City.
Matt Mungle’s Commentary – Tons or archived footage and interview clips make this documentary informative and fascinating to watch. It transports you back to the early days of New York City and to a culture that we almost lost completely. Thankfully Jane Jacobs took it personally that the neighborhoods in which she lived and loved were to be destroyed by greed, power, and ignorance.
It is scary to imagine what would be left of those beautiful, classic boroughs had this one woman done nothing.