# “ SKYSCRAPER ” CONSTRUCTION OF 666 5TH AVE. NEW YORK CITY 1959 DOCUMENTARY MD40784

This 1959 sponsored documentary directed by Shirley Clarke uses experimental montage techniques to dramatize the construction of the 666 Fifth Avenue Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City (TRT: 21:11). Clarke was a member of the Independent Filmmakers of America and was part of a circle of independent filmmakers in Greenwich Village such as Maya Deren, Stan Brakhage, Jonas Mekas, and Lionel Rogosin. Opening titles: “Brandon Films Presents.” The Bellringers Monument in Herald Square (0:09). Musical montage: Towering skyscrapers of steel and glass reflect passing clouds (0:25). Air conditioning units. Wrought iron fire escapes and ornate filigree (0:55). A horse-drawn carriage. A brick wall is demolished. A sign: “Dig we must - for growing New York.” Scenes of construction and buildings marked for demolition (1:06). Signs on buildings for sale and lease. Title “Skyscraper” and opening credits as wheatpaste boards (1:39). POV a man in silhouette operating a rotating excavator. A foreman and a construction crew. Aluminum workers “in Louisville” (2:13). Women metalworkers building windows. Men smoking (2:54). Men in suits in office environments. An architect reviews a proposal with a client (3:12). A modelmaker sculpts foam blocks. Draftsmen work with guides at drafting tables. Rolls of blueprints on a shelf (3:38). Closeup on office furniture. A hand reaches in and grabs a chair, revealing the scale of the miniature mockup. More hands sample textured tiles. Surveyors…

- Kind: Documentary
- By: PeriscopeFilm
- Genres: Documentary, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/md-40780-skyscraper-vwr)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/md-40780-skyscraper-vwr?play=1)