‘The City‘ (1939) is a pioneering short documentary film which attempts to contrast the evils of the industrialized city with the idyllic conditions one finds in small-town America.

It was adapted by Lewis Mumford from the story by Pare Lorentz, and was directed by Ralph Steiner and Willard Van Dyke, with music by Aaron Copland. According to Peter Oberlander and Eva Newbrun, the film was the idea of Catherine Bauer. It was produced for the 1939 New York World’s Fair as part of the “City of Tomorrow” exhibit.