Book Review: Fun City Cinema by Jason Bailey

The final image of Gangs of New York

Jason Bailey's Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Films That Made It is a superior coffee table tome. Bailey takes a decade by decade look at the films that have used New York City as a backdrop or a main character and at the socio-political forces that have shaped and changed the city. He primarily focuses on one film, like King Kong or Taxi Driver, that was emblematic of the way the motion picture industry utilized the city in that decade. He also focuses on other significant films of each decade using sidebars. The large book format limits Bailey's scope, but this is an unusually well researched and thoughtful book of its type. I particularly enjoyed Bailey's sketches of the colorful parade of mayors that have represented the city from Jimmy Walker to Bill de Blasio. A worthy gift item for lovers of film and or Gotham.