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Prinsengracht (1899)
5/10
Unconscious heart of darkness
17 December 2011
This movie had such an impact on me... It was astonishing! All right, I may be exaggerating, but it brought out some strange feelings in me, which happens to be the main reason why I'd like to review it.

Prinsengracht is one of the main canals of Amsterdam. While on board of a ship, we'll get to see the city buildings, its bridges, and every day scenes: from people walking down the streets to carriages, other ships and so on. It's just a regular non fiction movie -hundreds alike were made showing beautiful (sometimes not so) exotic places-. But this one was particularly special to me, must have been its saddened atmosphere.

Filmed by Emile Lauste (according to the information I've compiled), this man was sent over to the Netherlands by the Biograph Company to film some movies in this country (Lumière agents worked in a very similar way). In fact, a Dutch Biograph & Mutoscope Company was established as a subsidiary, but it would be closing down a couple of years later, after releasing just a few films.

So, this is a beautiful unpretentious movie. It's not meant to teach you anything (as a matter of fact it won't), it's just an inner-journey that made me feel like Marlow sailing upriver. But once again, I may be exaggerating... Anyhow, take a look at it, it won't hurt you. In case you've never been to Amsterdam, you'll get to know what it was like. In case you ever visited the place, this movie will sure make you nostalgic. Those good old days...

Solomon Roth
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