Why this 1930 architecture short is weirdly hypnotic

You should watch this if you have ten minutes and like looking at clean lines or old footage of France. It is probably not for you if you get bored by shots of windows and flat roofs.

It is a very short film, but it feels like a giant breath of fresh air. Or at least, that is what the director, Pierre Chenal, wants you to feel.

The whole thing is basically an ad for modern living. But it does not feel like a loud TV commercial.

It starts with these shots of old, dark Paris streets. They look cramped and honestly a bit depressing.

Then, suddenly, we see the new stuff. Reinforced concrete is the star of the show here.

There is this great moment where a car drives right up to a house. It looks so smooth and futuristic for 1930.

The house is the Villa Savoye, which is famous now. But in the movie, it just looks like a weird white box on stilts.

I love how the camera just lingers on the ramps inside the house. No stairs, just ramps. It feels like a spaceship.

The Man with the Pipe

We get to see Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who everyone calls Le Corbusier. He is just standing there with his glasses and his pipe.

He draws on a big chalkboard. He moves his hands a lot when he talks about light and air.

You can tell he really believes that living in a concrete box will make people happier. It is almost cute how optimistic it is.

The music is kind of bouncy and jaunty. It makes the buildings feel like they are part of a dance.

I noticed a small detail where a woman is opening a very long window. The window just keeps going and going.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of L'architecture d'aujourd'hui (1931) through its definitive frames.

It is much more peaceful than something like The Battle of Trafalgar. There is no drama here, just shapes.

• The way the shadows hit the white walls is perfect.
• The film looks a bit grainy, which makes the modern houses look even more ghostly.
• Le Corbusier looks like he knows a secret we don't.

The end of the movie gets a bit wild. It stops showing real houses and starts showing models of giant skyscrapers.

They are surrounded by huge parks and wide roads. It looks like a toy city.

He wanted to tear down the middle of Paris to build this. Which is insane when you think about it now.

But in the movie, it looks so organized and quiet. It makes you want to live in his drawing.

Maybe a little bit? If you aren't into textures. But the rhythm of the editing is actually pretty fast.

It doesn't overstay its welcome. It says "here is a house, here is a tree, here is some light" and then it ends.

I found myself thinking about my own apartment. It has small windows and definitely no ramps.

This movie makes you want to go clean your room or buy a big plant. 🌿

The church they show is also really strange. It’s all concrete too, very blocky and stiff.

It doesn't feel like a holy place. It feels like a very efficient place to pray.

There is a shot of a balcony that looks so thin you think it might snap. But it doesn't. That's the magic of concrete, I guess.

Anyway, it is a cool little trip back in time. It shows a version of the future that mostly didn't happen exactly like this.

If you like seeing how people used to dream, give it a watch. It's better than scrolling through your phone for 10 minutes. 📽️