Underplayed Gems

Houen zo! (1952)

Houen zo! poster
Original title
Houen Zo!
Directed by
Herman van der Horst
Genre
documentary film
Country
Netherlands
Runtime
20 min
Rating
8.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This Dutch documentary shows the rebuilding of Rotterdam after World War II. It moves through the damaged city and its construction sites without any spoken words.

hopefulpoeticquietobservantinspiringbittersweetupbeatcityscape

What happens

Houen zo!, which has also been released as Steady!, is a Dutch short documentary film from 1952, directed by Herman van der Horst. The film shows the reconstruction of Rotterdam, following the city's destruction by the Nazis in the Rotterdam Blitz. The film begins its journey through the city at the severely damaged St. Lawrence Church, followed by the port and major building sites in the city. The film is a poetic impression of the work done, without any commentary. The film heralds a new era, of hope and joy. The film was commissioned and financed by the Mutual Security Agency (MSA) of the Marshall Plan, and "made for a national and an international audience, to show the spirit of the Dutch, and what the country was able to do. The city is presented as a model of reconstruction achievements, and of Dutch modernity." Steady! won the first prize for nonfiction short at the Cannes Film Festival (1953). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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