Rochester: A City of Quality (Part II) (1963)

★★★★★ · The Twilight Zone · RadioBilly · 2005-08-06

What a snapshot from the past!!! No Japanese cars, only 2 Volkswagens made it into the movie. And they were using "ONLY" paper bags for the groceries at the A&P. Where were the black folk? I did not see one person of color. Also, it seemed like everyone and their brothers drove a Chevy. Most of the cast of characters seen are now pushing up all those flowers the narrator was spouting about. This is a great movie. It resembles all the promises of America to provide a wonderful middle class and upwardsly mobile society. Seen here, frozen in time, is a document that will be of upmost value to…

★★★★ · Important historical film of Rochester · Raging Coconuts! · 2005-01-22

I am a native Rochesterian, born just 2 years before this film was made. For me, this film was a nostalgic look at the earliest memories of my childhood. I see it as an important historical record of our city. Many of the businesses featured in the film are no longer in existence, such as Daw Drugs, B. Forman Co., Edwards, Sibley's and McCurdy's. It was fascinating to see the planning stages of structures that are now fixtures of the city, including the Xerox building and the Ginna nuclear power plant (note the strong influence of the film's sponsor--Rochester Gas and Electric). The skyline…

★★★★ · I want to go to Rochester now!... Wait, I've already been there! LOL · Spuzz · 2004-06-16

TOTALLY overwritten film about the many 'wonders' that Rochester offers the potential person who would want to visit/live there. There are two emphases pointed out here, clean people and plenty of parking. First the clean people comment. I have never had a film that demonstrated such hidden agendas as this film had. The clean people comments spring up all over this film. Case in point, the scene where shipping is explained. "What kind of products are shipped? CLEAN products, compatible for the community" (as opposed to what?) The other bizarre thing is it's hammering down that Rochester…

★★★★ · Interesting to see what I've missed · TravisO · 2006-11-07

I only moved to Rochester recently, so it was interesting to see what Rochester use to look like, 43yrs ago. This is definitely a must see for any local Rochesterians.

★★★ · Somewhat Boring, Yet Historically Significant · Denis Warburton · 2002-12-22

(full film review) Despite Ken Smiths semi-disparaging remarks about this film, there is much more to this film than the admittedly gaudy Clock of Nations sequences that bookend the film. Indeed, if one views this ephemeral film in its historical context, it becomes readily apparent that this is much more than a sales film. Rochester: City of Quality is a document of urban renewal subsequent to the population shift from the cities to the suburbs, and its anticipated effects. As were shown imagery of Rochester at its greenest and best, the narrator repeatedly (with…

★★★ · Rochester Then and Now · s_baldwin · 2003-04-23

I am not a native or Rochester, but some of my best friends came from there, and so it was with great interest that I visited this city a year ago, and this same personal connection motivated my decision to spend 20 minutes watching both segments of this film. Given what we know now about the great changes that Rochester has faced in the last 40 years, changes which are not even hinted in this film, it is easy to bash this film as yet another example of civic boosterism in the tradition of George Babbit. Yes, much of the important history of the city is omitted, especially its role as an…