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Head here if you truly love movies. Unlike Manhattan's Museum of Television & Radio, which is more of a library, this is a thought-provoking museum examining how moving images -- film, video, and digital -- are made, marketed, and shown; it encourages you to consider their impact on society as well. It's housed in part of the Kaufman Astoria Studios, which once were host to W.C. Fields and the Marx Brothers, and more recently have been used by Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence), Woody Allen (Radio Days), Bill Cosby (his Cosby TV series), and Sesame Street.
The museum's core exhibit, Behind the Screen, is a thoroughly engaging two-floor installation that takes you step-by-step through the process of making, marketing, and exhibiting moving images. There are more than 1,000 artifacts on hand, from technological gadgetry to costumes, and interactive exhibits where you can try your own hand at sound-effects editing or create your own animated shorts, among other simulations. Special-effects benchmarks -- from the mechanical mouth of Jaws to the blending of past and present in Forrest Gump -- are explored and explained. And in a nod to Hollywood nostalgia, memorabilia that wasn't swept up by the Planet Hollywood chain is displayed, including a Hopalong Cassidy lunch box, an E.T. doll, celebrity coloring books, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis hand puppets. Also on display are sets from Seinfeld. Even better are the daily hands-on demonstrations, where you can watch film editors, animators, and the like at work.
"Insiders' Hour" tours are offered Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Additionally, the museum hosts free film and video screenings, often accompanied by artist appearances, lectures, or discussions. Seminars often feature film and TV pros discussing their craft; past guests have included Spike Lee, Terry Gilliam, Chuck Jones, and Atom Egoyan, so it's worth checking if someone's on while you're in town.