Francis Thompson made this jewel of a film in 1957. He was a painter and art teacher before discovering filmmaking. Inspired by cubism and futurism, this film is a uniquely cinematic celebration of the spectacle of New York City. It is a city symphony unlike any other as it is simultaneously abstract and figurative. Every shot is altered by anamorphic mirrors or prisms that he assembled and manipulated himself. He turns the city into an optical ballet. He worked alone, almost in secret. He described his production process for a screening of the film on Reel New York. “...it was a magic, secret process of bending, twisting, and turning inside out. It was a self funded project that involved my roaming about New York City with a camera over my shoulder”. N.Y, N.Y. is a nearly-wordless collage that follows a day in New York City from early morning to late at night. The day starts with a look at power generators, ready to light the city. At eight, an alarm clock goes off, people go to work on the subway, type, and break for lunch. In the evening, night clubs and jazz take over.