Product Description

Jones Beach: An American Riviera explores the creation of a New York landmark by famed builder, Robert Moses. Conceived during the roaring twenties, Jones Beach was a revolutionary concept: an ocean playground for the urban masses. Centered around the beauty of nature, the park would have none of the commercial attractions of Coney Island. It was built against tremendous opposition from the wealthy and privileged, and when it opened in 1929 was the engineering feat of its time. The film chronicles the park's history from its origin to its position today as one of the most popular summer destinations in the country. Featuring rare newsreels and little seen photographs, the documentary includes accounts from celebrities reflecting upon their childhood memories of the beach, while historians detail the transformation of an isolated island into a "people's palace" by the sea. Broadcast on public television, the film was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical/Cultural Program. The DVD contains over sixty minutes of Special Features including: extended interviews with historian Robert Caro, author Nelson DeMille, writer Ed Lowe, architect critic Paul Goldberger, actor Daniel Baldwin and lifeguard Reggie Jones; a 1950's travelogue movie highlighting many New York parks; and a slide show containing digitally enhanced photos of Jones Beach throughout the decades.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25321 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-09-01
• Formats: HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Review
This fun and fascinating Emmy Award nominee tells the history of Jones Beach, on Long Island's south shore, and its creator, Robert Moses. Considered one of the greatest and last public spaces made by the government for the common folk, Moses's visionary dream afforded many New Yorkers years of recreation. Opened in 1929 and still accessible today, Jones Beach was once a center of a multitude of activities for the new "commuter" class. Narrated with nostalgia and humor by Eli Wallach, this documentary provides the perfect blend of archival footage, interviews, and superb narration. The extras include a lengthy 1950 color news film "Travelogue of Long Island Parks," showing the remarkable variety of available activities and the astonishing number of visitors. Extended interviews about the Jones Beach experience include those with authors Nelson DeMille and Robert Caro and ex-lifeguard Reggie Jones. Highly recommended. --Library Journal

Review
From its inception in 1928 through the present day, New York State's Jones Beach reigned as a populist paradise and one of the most common resort destinations in the United States. Conceived and designed by Robert Moses, then the director of the Long Island State Park Commission and one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, the beach infuriated the wealthy and delighted untold numbers of middle and lower-income residents and tourists, with its goal of a seaside utopia for the populace. Now, George P. Pozderec's half-hour documentary Jones Beach: An American Riviera pays homage to this favorite summer locale via a combination of archival footage, vintage photographs, and telling, incisive interviews that trace the resort's history. Eli Wallach narrates. The program originally aired on PBS. --All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

Jones Beach: American Riviera
This is a must have documentary for anyone who enjoys Jones Beach and has a fondness for history.

The old video footage and photos are a joy to view and Eli Wallach's narration is great.

Patty LaPone and Daniel Baldwin were unusual choices to be interviewed to discuss growing up at Jones Beach, but overall it is a great DVD to own.