Postcards from the Past: Rio de Janeiro 'City of Splendour'

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school travel docs that move at the speed of a snail, you might get a kick out of this. It’s perfect for someone who wants to see what Rio looked like before the high-rises took over, but if you’re looking for a plot, look elsewhere. People who hate voice-overs that explain things you can clearly see with your own eyes should probably skip this one.

The whole thing feels like you’re watching someone’s dusty home movie collection. There’s a lot of focus on the Portuguese architecture, which is nice, but the narrator acts like he’s describing a miracle every time he sees a roof.

Seriously, the narration is something else.

It’s that classic, booming, mid-Atlantic voice that treats every single shot like a national monument. Sometimes he just stops talking for a weird amount of time, and you’re just left staring at a fountain or a random street corner. It’s oddly calming, in a way.

There’s this one sequence showing the harbor that goes on for what feels like ten minutes. It’s just boats bobbing up and down. I found myself counting them until I realized I was doing the movie’s job for it.

It’s nowhere near as chaotic as His Majesty, the American, which is probably a good thing. This isn't trying to be an epic. It’s just trying to be a pretty window into the 1930s.

The weird stuff I noticed:

• The extras in the background have no idea what to do with their hands.
• The transition between the beach shots and the city shots is super jarring.
• I swear the same three pigeons show up in four different locations.
• The music is just one loop that sounds like it’s being played on a broken accordion.

It doesn't have the grit of The House Built Upon Sand, but then again, it’s not trying to be a drama. It’s a travelogue. It just wants you to look at the pretty palm trees and move on.

I caught myself wishing they’d just cut the music and let the ambient sound play. You never really get that in these old shorts, though. It’s always gotta be heavily scored with that dramatic orchestra swell even when they’re just showing a fruit stand. 🍍

It’s a short watch. Don't expect to be changed by it. Just enjoy the weird, grainy sunshine for a few minutes and call it a day.