Rhythm of a City

I wonder in how many city centres could you find fishermen gently plying their trade with a catch caught from under the gaze of the Royal Palace? It's that sort of image that this conveys as it takes us on a distinctly tourism-free trip of this gorgeous city. It's not a sightseeing exercise, it consists more of a few stand-alone sequences that gradually lead us to a young lad who hasn't quite appreciated that leaving his freshly caught sprats on the quay beside him was merely going to invite the pesky gulls! An artist sketches a scene that causes another to abandon his catch so he can spruce himself up a bit; some boys seek refuge from some others in an imposing church and a thunderstorm offers the tiniest of hope for a romance between a young couple sheltering in a doorway. It's an observation of city life that could probably be anywhere, but as the lamplight sets in and the place settles down for the night, this proves to be an almost therapeutic glimpse at urban life and even though there is plenty going on, it's oddly peaceful to watch.

Academy Award winning short film in the Best Short Subject, One-reel category (the now is called Best Short - Live Action) presents a view on Stockholm over the course of a full day through its amazing images of the city and its sounds, zero dialogues. It starts out as a really hot sunny day where people simply can't stand the heat but things improve later on with the presence of rain and a chance for romance among perfect strangers; and there's also the unusual segment of the children catching a soccer ball but end up on a church.

Arne Sucksdorff's film has great and bright visuals despite the monochromatic manner to present the magnificency of Stockholm with its crowd, cars, marching bands, playful kids and other characters who meet from morning to night. It's a romantic and innocent view of the city, where everybody seem to collaborate with each other rather than creating conflicts; it's just the weather that becomes unbereable to people. Nothing so special to deserve the accolade that it got (though I haven't the other nominees), if compared with today's standards and themes dealt on short films but for the period it's quite a fine and beautiful accomplishment. 7/10.