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AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: BLACKOUT

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A very real life portrayal of a very dismal, declining time in New York City's history. Blackout's documentary footage really captures and portrays the events of the evening, the early morning hours and its' aftermath and gives the viewer a very true to life account.

The night the lights went out back in July 1977 was hot, and steamy with temperatures running close to 100 degrees.

At this time, New York City was going through some tough financial times: high unemployment, budget cuts, and restricted services. It was the most severe downturn in the city of New York's history.

A severe thunderstorm led to a lightning strike on Con Edison and took out all power lasting for 25 hours. At 9:30 at night, subways, street lights, traffic lights, "the city that never sleeps" came to a halt.

A Tale of Two Cities - We are shown that in the middle class and more upwardly mobile areas, there was good spirits, partying in restaurants at candle light, while in the more struggling and neglected neighborhoods, the poor and hungry took to the streets. The criminal element was the first to break in and loot mom and pop neighborhood stores, followed by those without a criminal record and in need, taking advantage as well. From big ticket items like televisions, washing machines and refrigerators to staples like groceries and clothing, the film comments "these lower class neighborhood residents were at the top for a brief moment."

Some devastated areas, didn't recover for another 15 years. Whole blocks were taken out, with store owners who did not return.

A sad commentary of a social order broken down - a city separate and unequal. Although the city has gone through more prosperous times since, this true to life documentary gives us a lesson of what could happen again.

A very well done historical documentary, I give it 5 stars for 12 years of age to adult.

Reviewed by Terry S., KIDS FIRST! adult juror.

As July 13, 1977 dawned hot and humid, New Yorkers prepared themselves for another sweltering day. But high temperatures weren't the only thing making them sweat: the crime-ridden city was on the verge of bankruptcy; unemployment was high; police and firefighters had been laid off; municipal services, including sanitation and after-school programs, had been cut; and a serial killer named Son of Sam was still on the loose, keeping everyone on edge. That evening, a severe thunderstorm hit, and lightning struck a power line in Westchester County; when that line went out, the demand was increased on the surrounding lines. As Con Edison engineers struggled to control the cascading effects of the downed lines, their only choice was to start shedding load, disconnecting customers from the grid in order to prevent a catastrophic failure of the system. But despite their efforts, the lights went out, plunging some seven million city residents into darkness.