Along the Erie Canal 2002
Distributed by Ethnoscope Film & Video, PO Box 92353, Rochester, NY 14692; 585-442-5247
Produced by Pacho Lane
Director n/a
DVD, color, 37 min.
Jr. High - Adult
History
Date Entered: 09/12/2006
Reviewed by Marianne D. Muha, E. H. Butler Library, State University of New York College at BuffaloTom Grasso, president of the New York State Canal Society, narrates this film about the Erie Canal. It is divided into four sections: The Importance of Waterways, Clinton’s Ditch, The Enlarged Erie and The Barge Canal. The film explains how the canal became the “Gateway to the West” in 1825 as it connected New York City to Buffalo and the Great Lakes.
This is clearly a bare-bones, unsophisticated film. In its defense, the historical, mechanical and engineering explanations of how the canal was built and how the locks operate are very interesting. Unfortunately, the interviews with people who either make their livelihood with or are simply fans of the canal are uninspired at best and in some cases hard to understand through poor sound quality. One highlight is watching Pete Seeger sing “Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal”.
This film is recommended for collections about New York State and transportation history.