This film extols the beauty of New York, the voice over, the characters, everyone loves and loves the glorious beauty of the city skyline...
But every single aerial or establishing shot of the city is hilarious filthy to look at, the buildings enshrouded in a thick smog (I'm sure it's a lot cleaner today than it was in the 50s).
Yes, the city's much cleaner today. Closing down incinerators in apartment buildings and other steps helped immensely. I grew up in NYC in the 50s and 60s and there was always a coating of black ash on our venetian blinds every morning.
When people tell me how much "better" NYC used to be I point out such things (plus crummier buildings, noise, els and the like) which are now gone, repaired or less invasive. Hardly a paradise, and there are many other problems (I haven't lived in the city in 50 years), but definitely "better", brighter and cleaner.
I noticed the same thing, the city seemed grim and dirty from above.
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