Portland Cement Association of Skokie, Illinois, to help it promote Portland cement, produced This Is Marina City. It was written, directed, and photographed by Arthur P. Mandler and narrated by former WGN radio announcer Walt Newton. Shot on expensive 16mm IB Technicolor stock, the 19-minute color film describes how Marina City was planned, constructed, and utilized.

In November 2010, Peter Bernotas and International Historic Films, Inc. digitized the film. The print was in good condition, said Bernotas then, having been shown on a projector only about 20 times.

The restored film was part of a recent exhibit on the life’s work of architect Bertrand Goldberg seen by more than 102,000 visitors to The Art Institute of Chicago from September 14, 2011 to January 15, 2012.

The film is included in a catalog that was recently mailed to 60,000 prospective IHF customers. Says Bernotas, “So far, DVDs were sold to customers interested in architecture, former Chicago residents, [and] some European and Japanese customers.”

Arthur Mandler, who died in 2002, makes three appearances in the film, twice walking out onto a balcony and walking through the National Design Center (now Hotel Sax). His wife, Phyllis, also appears in the film, looking up at Marina City’s towers.

According to Mark Mandler, the director’s son, the film was shot with a wind-up Bolex H-16 camera that had three Switar prime lenses on a rotating turret.

More info…

• International Historic Films
• Marina City history page about the film