D.A. Pennebaker's short film, Daybreak Express (shot in 1953 and released in 1958), is a tribute to the about-to-be-demolished Third Avenue Elevated line in New York City, set to Duke Ellington's composition of the same title. The film is an abstract city symphony: a fast-paced complement to silent films such as Paul Strand's Manhatta and Joris Ivens's Rain. Pennebaker's intuitive and rhythmic editing allows architectural elements, visual action, and the view out of the front of the train to match perfectly with the music.
