In Fulton Fish Market U.S.A., director Keith
Nicolay explores the imminent demise of a great New York City landmark which was the Fulton Market.
Unlike other Fulton Fish Market pieces out there, (and there are several) Nicolay’s treatment initially plots a neo-realist trajectory only to boomerang back at you with the grittiness of a Ramones show.
And unlike other documentarians on the subject, Nicolay’s personal friendships with workers and intimate knowledge of the market’s workings make for an insider viewpoint like no other.
Nicolay lets the Fulton Fish Market speak for itself and tell its own story sans a narrator or an overly constructed story line.
The editing on the straight-to-DVD was crisp yet freely meanders along at an unhurried pace, seemingly unconcerned with today’s frenetic rush to nowhere.
Like the enduring East River, along which the market has sat for most of its existence, the market’s workers recount experiences which ebb and flow into one another yet never become so diluted as to lose the fortitude of their individual experiences.
The workers have no trouble saying what’s on their minds even if it doesn’t have to do with work per se. Nicolay’s treatment of the demise of the original FFM and the relocation of its workers,many of who have never worked anywhere else, is symbolic of the overall trade of culture for capitalism, tradition for trend and an unfortunate manifestation of what many New Yorkers call the “Giuliani Effect.”
New York City, in order to keep its vital blood supply of tourist dollars coursing through its arteries, must establish a sense of security and normality for visitors. And that normality usually translates into the familiar icons of cookie cutter franchises, overpriced coffee shops, greasy burger joints and feel-good Disneyesque attractions– all of which keep the tourists coming.
The grand icon of yesteryear which was once the Fulton Fish Market has gone the way of the peep shows, Times Square hookers, Eastside dive bars and street evangelists. More than likely, luxury condos will be built where the market once stood for 183 years.
Interestingly, if not for the fact that the market’s relocation scheme was recently played out in the press, it was hard telling what decade this film took place in–no doubt the original intention.
The cinematographer richly juxtapositions sublime shots of New York City along with gritty, grungy fish workers and army ant-like forklifts. You could almost smell the fishy stench through your televison monitor.
All in all, the film definitely has a unique patina not found in any documentary I’ve seen. There were long stretches with no dialog which I found to be extremely refreshing in this age of in-your-face media and entertainment. —Steve Santiago
4th Dimension Films 