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5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Nyhavn 17 remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school black and white romances that don't take themselves too seriously, you might dig Nyhavn 17. It’s light, it’s fluffy, and it’s definitely not going to change your worldview. But if you hate movies where coincidences happen every five minutes, stay away. This one moves faster than a guy trying to hide a secret in a department store.
The whole thing starts with a bike crash. It’s one of those classic meet-cutes where you wonder how nobody got a broken leg. The chemistry between Primula and Rolf is... well, it's there. It’s very 1930s polite, if you catch my drift. They stare at each other like they just realized they left the oven on, but in a romantic way.
I found myself staring at the background details of the store more than the actual actors. There’s something about the way these old films capture retail environments—everything looks so staged, yet kind of cozy? It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Breakfast in Bed, though this one is way less chaotic.
The director character is a piece of work. He’s hiding a secret, obviously. It’s the kind of plot point that feels like it was written on a napkin during lunch. Does it make sense? Maybe. Does it matter? Not really. It’s just an excuse to get Primula into a new situation.
Watching this felt a bit like revisiting Golden Rule Kate, but with more bicycles and fewer saloons. It’s got that same odd pacing where everything happens at once, then nothing happens for a solid ten minutes. The dialogue is snappy, though. Sometimes it’s so snappy you miss half of what they’re saying because you’re too busy looking at the hats.
Don't look for deep meaning here. It’s just a movie about a girl, a bike, and a guy who probably should have watched the road better. It’s fine. Really, it’s just fine. Sometimes that’s enough. 🚲✨