Broadway by Light

Last updated
Broadway by Light
Directed by William Klein
Release date
  • 1958 (1958)
Running time
12 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • United States

Broadway by Light is a 1958 French-American [1] experimental short film debut by the photographer William Klein. [2] [3]

Contents

Summary

A documentary study of nighttime at Times Square and the bright-lighted advertising of Broadway. [4] [5]

Production

Klein was encouraged by French New Wave filmmakers Alain Resnais and Chris Marker (the latter responsible for the text at the beginning of the film). [6] [7]

Reception and legacy

The film's pop art style contrasts the usually gritty photography of Klein, which were taken during daylight, thus being called the first pop film. [8] [9]

It earned praise from master auteur Orson Welles. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Threepenny Opera</i> 1928 musical play by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill

The Threepenny Opera is a German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera, and four ballads by François Villon, with music by Kurt Weill. Although there is debate as to how much, if any, contribution Hauptmann might have made to the text, Brecht is usually listed as sole author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Lange</span> American actress

Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress. She is one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having received two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with five Golden Globe Awards and one Screen Actors Guild Award.

<i>The Boy Friend</i> (musical) Musical by Sandy Wilson

The Boy Friend is a musical by Sandy Wilson. Its original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, briefly making it the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history until they were all surpassed by Salad Days. The Boy Friend marked Julie Andrews' American stage debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polly Bergen</span> American actress, singer, entrepreneur (1930–2014)

Polly Bergen was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walker Art Center</span> Gallery in Minneapolis, opened 1927

The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the U.S.: together with the adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Cowles Conservatory, it has an annual attendance of around 700,000 visitors. The museum's permanent collection includes over 13,000 modern and contemporary art pieces, including books, costumes, drawings, media works, paintings, photography, prints, and sculpture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Klein</span> American stand-up comedian

Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: A Child of the 50s (1973), Mind Over Matter (1974), New Teeth (1975), and Let's Not Make Love (1990). The first two albums received Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album nominations. Klein hosted Saturday Night Live in its first season in 1975 and again in 1978. Klein made his Broadway debut in the 1966 production of The Apple Tree opposite Alan Alda. He earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination for his performance in Neil Simon's musical comedy They're Playing Our Song (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Kuhn</span> American actress and singer (born 1958)

Judy Kuhn is an American actress, singer and activist, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song "Colors of the Wind", which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Stéphane Sednaoui is a French music video director, photographer, film producer and actor. He has worked in various forms of media, including music videos, photojournalism, portrait photography, fashion and pop culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Hagerty</span> American actress

Julie Beth Hagerty is an American actress. She starred as Elaine in the films Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Her other film roles include A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Lost in America (1985), What About Bob? (1991), She’s the Man (2006), A Master Builder (2014), Instant Family (2018), Noelle, Marriage Story, and A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).

Polly Carey Draper is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. Draper has received several awards, including a Writers Guild of America Award (WGA), and is noted for speaking in a "trademark throaty voice." She gained recognition for her starring role in the ABC drama television series Thirtysomething (1987–91).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Willis</span> American cinematographer and film director

Gordon Hugh Willis Jr., ASC was an American cinematographer and film director. He is best known for his photographic work on eight Woody Allen films, six Alan J. Pakula films, four James Bridges films, and all three films from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather series.

<i>At War with the Army</i> 1950 film by Hal Walker

At War with the Army is a 1950 American musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker, released by Paramount, starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis and introducing Polly Bergen. Filmed from July through August 1949, the film premiered in San Francisco on New Year's Eve 1950. It was re-released in 1958 by OMAT Pictures.

<i>Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?</i> 1966 French film

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? is a 1966 French film directed by William Klein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Klein (photographer)</span> Photographer and filmmaker (1928–2022)

William Klein was an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. He was ranked 25th on Professional Photographer's list of 100 most influential photographers.

Melissa Errico is an American actress, singer, recording artist and writer. She is known for her Broadway musical roles such as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and the title role in One Touch of Venus, as well as her recordings of musical theater classics, including albums of songs by Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand. In recent years she has become a contributing writer to The New York Times and served on the National Endowment for the Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Wolff</span> American actor, musician, and singer-songwriter

Nathaniel Marvin Wolff is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for composing the music for The Naked Brothers Band (2007–2009), a Nickelodeon television series he starred in with his younger brother, Alex, that was created by their actress mother, Polly Draper. Wolff's jazz pianist father, Michael Wolff, coproduced the series' soundtrack albums, The Naked Brothers Band (2007) and I Don't Want to Go to School (2008), both of which ranked the 23rd spot on the Top 200 Billboard Charts.

Dorothy McGowan was a Brooklyn, New York–born model and actress.

Josie de Guzman, also known as Jossie de Guzman, is an American actress and singer of Puerto Rican descent, best known for work in the theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Delpire</span> French art publisher

Robert Delpire was an art publisher, editor, curator, film producer and graphic designer who lived and worked in Paris. He predominantly concerned himself with documentary photography, influenced by his interest in anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Élizabeth Teissier</span> French astrologer

Élizabeth Teissier, née Germaine Élizabeth Hanselmann is a French astrologer and former model and actress. Between 1975 and 1976, she created a daily horoscope on French television channel Antenne 2, and in 1981, she launched the Astro Show television programme in Germany. Her personal clients included former President of France François Mitterrand, and she has published several books on astrology. A test that compared her predictions against common sense and chance failed to show any evidence of her having any special powers.

References

  1. "Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? + Broadway By Light". Quad Cinema. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  2. Broadway by Light , retrieved 2022-09-29
  3. "Dialogues & Film Retrospectives: William Klein". walkerart.org. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  4. "William Klein: Broadway by Light Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? - Tate Modern".
  5. "The Season of William Klein". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  6. gscott2012 (2014-07-20). "FILM: William Klein 'Broadway by Light' 1958". The United Nations of Photography. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  7. Koresky, Michael. "Eclipse Series 9:The Delirious Fictions of William Klein". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  8. "Light and Freedom: William Klein's Pop Politics". walkerart.org. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  9. Lubow, Arthur (2022-06-02). "Trying to Contain William Klein in One Show Isn't Easy". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  10. "The Sight & Sound Interview: William Klein". British Film Institute. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 2022-09-29.