The Time of the City and the City in Time.

N.Y., N.Y. by Francis Thompson

Abstract

The film N.Y., N.Y. by Francis Thompson is an example of an urban symphony, as it employs a system of prismatic and deforming lenses, mirrors, and kaleidoscopes to distort the appearance of the cityscape. This distortion is integrated into the frame through montage, creating a unique visual representation of the urban environment. By examining two key formal elements of the film – multiplication and kaleido-taumascopic distortion – we aim to explore how cinema and montage can evoke the distinctive experience of time in a metropolis and illustrate the reversal of the relations between time and movement as postulated by Gilles Deleuze with regard to the time-image.