Montage blends documentary & avant-garde styles. Kids play, vendors sell, families bustle. A Bronx Morning (1931) is a brief yet captivating glimpse into a New York borough awakening.

Created by a young Jay Leyda, the film transcends a straightforward documentary approach. While capturing the sights and sounds of a bustling Bronx street, Leyda employs innovative techniques.

The rhythmic editing, with its close-ups on architectural details and playful juxtapositions of scenes, imbues the ordinary with a fresh perspective.

This experimentation with form, alongside its unsentimental portrayal of an urban landscape touched by the Great Depression, places A Bronx Morning at the forefront of the American avant-garde movement.