Expo: Magic of the White City

Perhaps Erik Larson's bestselling nonfiction book Devil in the White City, about a serial killer at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, will attract viewers to this two-hour documentary, but the program surprisingly makes no mention of the true-life crime story. Rather, Expo is a handsome, if conventional, account of the famed exposition, comprised almost exclusively of still photographs, paintings, newspaper clippings, and other artifacts surveyed by the sedately moving camera of producer-director-editor Mark Bussler, and occasionally punctuated by newly-shot footage of present-day sites or brief recreations (of exotic dancers and the murder of the city's mayor by a disgruntled party functionary, for instance). Narrated by Gene Wilder with the sly understatement for which he's famous, this is a solid introduction to what was, at the time, a spectacular international celebration. DVD extras include a rather dry audio commentary delivered by a well-versed high school teacher, four brief “making-of” featurettes, and deleted scenes. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)