Wings of a Century: Chicago 1933

This 1933 silent documentary, Century of Progress Exposition: Wings of a Century, shot in black-and-white 16mm, captures Chicago’s Century of Progress Exposition. It pans the fairgrounds, spotlighting the Japanese Pavilion, animatronic dinosaurs like T-Rex, a fake movie set, and a Houdini-esque rope act. An amazing high dive thrills, while an aerial view reveals fascist-style architecture amid the modernist sprawl. A pre-war celebration of progress, it blends spectacle with the era’s bold aesthetics, reflecting 1930s innovation and global influences.