Citizen Jane: Battle For The City

Citizen Jane: Battle For The City is an enlightening and engaging 2016 documentary, directed by Matt Tyrnauer. This gripping tale revolves around the life and works of Jane Jacobs, the journalist, author, and activist best known for her influence on urban studies. The film's primary storyline is focused on the 1960s, a transformative period in urban development that witnessed an epic confrontation between two influential figures in New York City development. On the one side is the charismatic, but often ruthless, city planner Robert Moses, whose contempt for old neighborhoods was notoriously evident. On the other side is Jane Jacobs, armed with a sharp intellect, a lucid pen, and a fierce love for the organic vitality of city life.

Our central figure, Jane Jacobs, is portrayed in the film as a rigorously observative and ardent champion of citizen rights. Jacobs was a woman who was decades ahead of her time, stepping forth into a realm dominated by men. She was a pioneering urbanist and the film resonates with her fighting spirit. A lioness in Manhattan's concrete urban wilderness, she set an inspirational example for individuals struggling for their civic rights in cities around the world. The prevalent male-centricity and bureaucracy of the architectural world gave birth to a figure that would vocally advocate for a comprehensive understanding of city life. The film also references Jacobs' most famous work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which has become a seminal text in urban planning and sociological studies.

On the antagonist side of this narrative is Robert Moses, a city planner with a penchant for grand, sweeping changes regarded by many as destructive. Moses believed that the future of urban design was in highways and tall tower blocks, and he led an aggrandized push to replace what he deemed obsolete with his own vision of modern infrastructure. His projects involved mass bulldozing in aid of building skyscrapers and freeways, eradicating entire communities in his endeavour for architectural advancement.

The film brings these contrasting visions to life in a David and Goliath narrative; Jane Jacobs, the everywoman, against Robert Moses, the seeming tyrant. Starring Thomas Campanella, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Mindy Fullilove, this feature-length documentary critically explore the revolutionary ideas put forth by Jacobs through interviews, expert analyses, and snippets from her writings. The narrative involves her prolific struggles advocating for city planning that values integrated, community-focused urban cores that fly in the face of monolithic government projects.

Citizen Jane: Battle for the City is also a foray into the socio-political dynamics of 1960s New York City. Through Jacobs’ eyes, we immerse ourselves in the colorful chaos of city life, its liveliness, and its sheer unpredictability. The film portrays the city like a living, breathing entity, and not just a mere conglomerate of buildings and roads.

On a broader scale, the movie offers viewers valuable insights into urban architecture and planning, highlighting the importance of the inhabitants of the city and their roles in making a city what it is. At the heart of this documentary is the belief that cities are built not by city planners and architects alone, but by the people who breathe life into its concrete structures.

Director Matt Tyrnauer successfully congregates insights from contemporary urban thinkers like Saskia Sassen and Michael Sorkin, who help in dissecting Jacobs’ influence across the globe. Using archival footage and photographs, the film materializes 1960s New York with vivid, historical actuality. The result is not just a catalogue of building and destruction but a lively canvas of urban life in its entire blooming, chaotic entirety.

In conclusion, Citizen Jane: Battle for the City is largely a tribute to the spirit of Jane Jacobs while serving as a magnifying glass into the anatomy of cities. It induces viewers to decide for themselves whether they agree with Jacobs' views that urban centers should be inclusive and organically grown, foregoing the top-down approach of their making. It creates an urgency about the importance of protecting buildings that serve as sites of cultural heritage and history and demonstrates how resilient communities can push back against brutal redevelopment. This powerful documentary is sure to intrigue and inspire a wide range of viewers, from novice urbanites to seasoned city planners.