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Dir. William H. Whyte, 1980, USA, 58 min.
2K restoration courtesy of Anthology Film Archives, The Municipal Art Society of New York, and the Project for Public Spaces
When Anthology Film Archives first screened The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces in 2023, the only available copies were VHS-quality video transfers made from significantly faded 16mm prints, with pronounced magenta shift. It became clear that the beloved film deserved a far better presentation.
We began searching for unfaded film elements, but this proved challenging. Although we located numerous 16mm prints in libraries and archival collections, all exhibited significant color fading—an issue common to prints produced during the period in which William H. Whyte made his film.
With the assistance of Project for Public Spaces and the Municipal Art Society of New York, we ultimately gained access to what turned out to be the only known unfaded element in existence: William H. Whyte’s personal 16mm print, fortuitously struck on special "low-fade" print stock. This print was scanned in 2K and underwent extensive digital color correction, allowing Social Life... to be revived in a form worthy of this singular and historically significant work.
– John Klacsmann, Anthology Film Archives
The 5:30PM screening on Sunday, January 18, will be followed by a conversation between Keri Butler, Nicholas Bloom, and Seth Kerr, moderated by Amy Sohn and Katie Honan.
Keri Butler is the President of the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), a civic advocacy organization that originally produced the film when William H. Whyte was on the MAS board.
Nicholas Bloom is the Acting Chair of the Department of Urban Policy & Planning at Hunter College, City University of New York.
Seth Kerr is a Project Manager with Port Authority’s World Trade Center Department, where he leads the 16-acre campus’s Public Realm and Placemaking Program.
Katie Honan is a senior reporter at the online news site The City and a co-host of FAQ NYC.
Amy Sohn is the author of 13 books including The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, & Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age. She cohosts The City’s LIT NYC podcast, which recently had an episode on The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.
Dir. William H. Whyte, 1980, USA, 58 min.
2K restoration courtesy of Anthology Film Archives, The Municipal Art Society of New York, and the Project for Public Spaces
When Anthology Film Archives first screened The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces in 2023, the only available copies were VHS-quality video transfers made from significantly faded 16mm prints, with pronounced magenta shift. It became clear that the beloved film deserved a far better presentation.
We began searching for unfaded film elements, but this proved challenging. Although we located numerous 16mm prints in libraries and archival collections, all exhibited significant color fading—an issue common to prints produced during the period in which William H. Whyte made his film.
With the assistance of Project for Public Spaces and the Municipal Art Society of New York, we ultimately gained access to what turned out to be the only known unfaded element in existence: William H. Whyte’s personal 16mm print, fortuitously struck on special "low-fade" print stock. This print was scanned in 2K and underwent extensive digital color correction, allowing Social Life... to be revived in a form worthy of this singular and historically significant work.
– John Klacsmann, Anthology Film Archives
The 5:30PM screening on Sunday, January 18, will be followed by a conversation between Keri Butler, Nicholas Bloom, and Seth Kerr, moderated by Amy Sohn and Katie Honan.
Keri Butler is the President of the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), a civic advocacy organization that originally produced the film when William H. Whyte was on the MAS board.
Nicholas Bloom is the Acting Chair of the Department of Urban Policy & Planning at Hunter College, City University of New York.
Seth Kerr is a Project Manager with Port Authority’s World Trade Center Department, where he leads the 16-acre campus’s Public Realm and Placemaking Program.
Katie Honan is a senior reporter at the online news site The City and a co-host of FAQ NYC.
Amy Sohn is the author of 13 books including The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, & Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age. She cohosts The City’s LIT NYC podcast, which recently had an episode on The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.