De brug

This short film was part of a display of similar pieces in MoMA when I was there recently and at first glance it seems like an odd film for an art gallery because it is essentially about the operation of a bridge in Rotterdam which carries a train track but can lift the entire bridge section to the top of the structure when a ship needs to pass and then lower it again for a train to cross. The film shows us this with a rather dramatic tone as we see vessels coming and then a train crossing. The camera follows the operation from men pulling levers to the full hydraulic operation of the bridge to lift and then lower again.

It seemed like it would be more of a documentary than the other films in the same display but the way it is shot is more about the appreciation of the machine and work it works together. The creativity of the structure is clearly shown with good shots of the moving parts working together to achieve the goal and I found ti very easy to sit back from the images and be impressed by vision and the beauty of this functional piece of art. The dirty, heavy industry also adds to the images – with belching smoke, huge beasts of ships and the comparative ease with which this entire structure changes itself to accommodate. It is filled with good shots from Joris Ivens, with the camera on and around the bridge giving unique views of the operation and use.

I am terrible at practical work but my office for the last 10 years has been in an engineering department and I do have a love for technical drawings both modern and old, and this film really harnessed that interest in me, presenting the subject in an engaging and appreciative way.

This impressive film was made the year after the titular bridge (at Rotterdam port) was built. The technical marvel (it could lift up to let ships pass, or down so trains could pass it) is presented with quite some drama. The public-domain version at archive.org has no sound at all, so you can fully concentrate on the visuals (many detail and distance shots of the bridge, the train, the bridge operator, even the camera which wasn't hand-cranked.. I suppose it was clockwork-driven).

A strong, dramatic documentary which somehow gives a soul to the giant contraption of steel and heavy concrete counterweights. Very lovely and fascinating, and much more focused than "Regen" by the same director.

PS: As a Dutch friend told me, the bridge is kept as monument, but fixed in "up" position. Trains now take a tunnel.

PPS: technical marvel yes, but a similar bridge can be seen in "The Hazards of Helen" #26 from 1912 :)