Eiffel Tower: Building the Impossible

Static

July 2009 •English

Static was filmed from a helicopter circling around the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour. It was shot shortly after the monument was fully re-opened following the September 11th attacks. Flying alongside the statue, the camera presents us with startling close-up views of its oxidised copper surface. The continual sense of movement is disorienting, undermining its sense of permanence and stability.

Statue of Liberty: The New Secrets

June 2018 •English

Is Paris Burning?

October 1966 •French

Near the end of World War II, Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he cannot maintain control of the city. After much contemplation Choltitz decides to ignore his orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, along with Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling, helps a resistance leader organize his forces.

Park Row

September 1952 •English

In New York's 1880s newspaper district, a dedicated journalist manages to set up his own paper. It is an immediate success but attracts increasing opposition from one of the bigger papers and its newspaper heiress owner.

American Thrift: An Expansive Tribute to the "Woman American"

January 1962 •English

Chevrolet presents this tribute to the American woman and her thrifty ways with money. The film also salutes the individuality of the Amerian citizen and the variety of choices we have in the marketplace.

Secrets of the Empire State Building

December 2019 •English

Meet Me in Paris

February 2023 •English

Three single friends travel to Paris for ten days for the journey of a lifetime and in search of true love. From 'meet cutes' at the Luxembourg Gardens, to strolls down the tree-lined Champs-Élysées, will first dates lead to happily ever after or heartbreak?

The Statue of Liberty

October 1985 •English

For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this lyrical, compelling and provocative portrait of the statue, Ken Burns explores both the history of America’s premier symbol and the meaning of liberty itself. Featuring rare archival photographs, paintings and drawings, readings from actual diaries, letters and newspapers of the day, the fascinating story of this universally admired monument is told. In interviews with Americans from all walks of life, including former New York governor Mario Cuomo, the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan and the late writers James Baldwin and Jerzy Kosinski, The Statue of Liberty examines the nature of liberty and the significance of the statue to American life. Nominated for both the Academy Award ® and the Emmy Award ®, The Statue of Liberty received the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle, the Christopher Award and the Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival.

The True Legend of the Eiffel Tower

December 2005 •French

This movie is a docudrama relating the early history of the Eiffel Tower: From the planning to its first military use.

Paris exposition films

October 1900 •

White’s camera offers several 360-degree pans of views of the fairground, then amazes by tilting up and down the Eiffel Tower, and concludes with a stunning tracking shot to the highest point above Paris. Exhibitors freely grouped films into nascent narratives such as those displayed here. - Bruce Posner

Liberty

June 1986 •English

Drama about how the Statue of Liberty came to be erected in New York Harbor in the early 1880s and the people responsible for its creation.

Tour Eiffel : La Grande Épopée

December 2014 •French

The Real Thing

May 2018 •French

A smaller scale Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysées can be found just outside Shanghai; a copy of St. Peter’s in Rome can be found in Yamoussoukro, in the Ivory Coast: a journey over three continents to see the architecture of imitation, the uncanny world of the fake.

Scene from the Elevator Ascending Eiffel Tower

August 1900 •English

“A marvelously clear picture taken from the top of the elevator of the Eiffel Tower during going up and coming down of the car. This wonderful tower is 1,000 feet in height, and the picture produces a most sensational effect. As the camera leaves the ground and rises to the top of the tower, the enormous white city opens out to the view of the astonished spectator. Arriving at the top of the tower, a bird's eye view of the Exposition looking toward the Trocadero, and also toward the Palace of Electricity, is made, and the camera begins its descent. The entire trip is shown on a 200-foot film. 30.00. We furnish the ascent in 125 foot film.” (Edison film catalog)

Panorama of Eiffel Tower

January 1900 •English

“Showing the entire height of this wonderful structure from the base of the dome and return, with the great Paris Exposition in the background, looking down Champs de Mars. A most realistic picture.” According to Edison film historian Charles Musser, this film features the first camera tilt among the company's surviving oeuvre.

Statue of Liberty

September 1898 •English

The Statue of Liberty in right profile; No people, no flags rippling in the wind, no seagulls flapping past to mar the unmoving image of the Statue of Liberty.

Eiffel's Race to the Top

November 2023 •French

Behind the iconic Eiffel Tower lies the story of an incredible challenge to erect a thousand-foot tower that went far beyond a design competition, and marked a major turning point in engineering history. It was the beginning of radical transformation where iron was pitted against stone, engineering against architecture, and modern design against ancients. Press campaigns, lobbying, public conferences, denigration of opposing projects, bragging about big names - all participants engaged in a fierce battle without concession. Using 3D recreations, official sources (reports, letters, drawings...) and intimate archives obtained from their descendants, this film will bring to life this vertical race through a fresh and visual way to mark the centenary of Eiffel death.

My Friend Liberty

June 1986 •English

Johnny awakens as his teacher talks about liberty, only to find that everything has turned to clay. A giant hand plucks Johnny from his seat. Liberty herself has stepped down from her pedestal to teach a youngster the meaning of liberty.

À l'Assaut de la Tour Eiffel

January 1947 •French

Four experienced mountaineers climb the three floors of the Eiffel Tower through the pillars of the building. A police officer, overwhelmed by the events, does not succeed in arresting the intrepid who reach the summit with agility under the stunned eyes of tourists. They then abseil and happily throw themselves into the Seine to celebrate the feat.

The Adventures of Anais Nin

July 2015 •English

Groundbreaking author Anais Nin's diaries are explored in this docudrama. When young reporter Leah discovers Nin's provocative writings, she uncovers a life lived with freedom, liberation and passion. Blurring the lines between drama and doc, "Adventures" gives a glimpse into the life of a legendary artist.