Robert Moses was the most powerful and influential urban planner of the 20th century, as no single man left as great an imprint on as great a city as New York. Now the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of this complex man is being turned into a film.
Oliver Stone is adapting Robert Caro's "The Power Broker," which tracks Moses' ascent to becoming the "master builder" of New York, for HBO, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Nicholas Meyer ("The Human Stain") is writing the screenplay.
Moses's life is almost unbelievable, as the man somehow wielded more power over New York City serving as Parks Commissioner than any mayor managed to obtain during his tenure. To this day he is vilified for chasing the Dodgers out of Brooklyn and building the Bronx-Queens Expressway, among other things. But he was also responsible for all manner of things that made the city better, right down to easily overlooked touches like baby-changing stations in the parks. The man's influence on New York spanned several decades, and is immeasurable--the story of Robert Moses is the story of modern New York City.
And that's what concerns us--if you're going to do "The Power Broker," you can only scratch the surface in a two-hour film. Moses' life could easily make for a six-hour mini-series. And with Stone in the mix, there's always the danger that the story will be wildly one-sided.
