Product Description

Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10817 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2006-03-21
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 58 minutes

Customer Reviews

A Haunting Tribute to a Vanished Part of America
I saw this years ago, and still can't get it out of my mind. It is haunting in every way, from the simple up and down single note piano soundtrack to the ageless black and white photos. It has a storyline with a sad ending, and yet is not depressing; it goes somewhere beyond joy or sadness, and yet it contains plenty of both. It is strongly tied in my mind to the American story of immigrants, entrepreneurship, more! more! more! lights and razzle-dazzle, and yet has a coda like a lone clown blowing a sad tune from a Fellini movie. I hope that it will haunt you, too.

Superb Atmospheric Film
There are nights when I have watched this film twice or three times in a row. Wonderful silent film and still photographs accompanied by Eli Wallach's narration and a haunting score. Return to the days when Coney Island was the latest thing in American amusement. There are no other words besides "absolutely stunning."

Great Watching
I highly recommend this installment of American Experience. Between the archive footage, celebrity voice overs and atmospheric sound track it really conveys a sense of what New York life was like at the turn of the century.