The City that Never Rests was actually directed by Friedrich von Maydell, but is known as a film by Andor von Barsy, who was a very popular cameraman in the Dutch film world in the 1920s and 1930s. This industrial film was made to attract investors. With his dynamic camerawork, Von Barsy portrayed Rotterdam as an industrious city where life concentrated around the port. There are impressive shots – often from the air – of various Rotterdam docks and new harbour areas that had to put Rotterdam on the map. Von Barsy also aimed his camera at the historic inner city with its beautiful canals, warehouses, industrious activities on the quayside and bustling shopping streets.
The City that Never Rests has been restored by the EYE Film Institute on the initiative of Rotterdam City Archives. The film has been given a soundtrack by Charly van Rest and Pierre Bastien and can now be seen virtually in its complete form.
Film details
- Country of production
- Netherlands
- Year
- 1928
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2011
- Length
- 57'
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
