Marches du palais (les)

The palace steps

Samy Szlingerbaum, Belgium, 1982, 16 mm, Format diffusion : 1.33 (SD), 26 minutes

Upon looking through an old book on Brussels, we came across a description of an area said to be totally undesirable, a hideous wart on the face of Brussels, a gutter from which this stream of vice and beggary which always overflows into the streets of the capital, flows every morning and to which it returns each evening to stagnate.

This is description of an old district which must have been situated more or less on the present site of the respected Royal Library and the Mont des Arts. Since the middle of the 19th century this old working-class districts whoch today would be considered picturesque, has been doomed to be transformed. Some projects have been terminated, others have not yet been solved.

Restoration plans conflicted with an extravagant project for a cultural temple. In addition, this situation was complicated further by plans for railway line to cross the centre of the town.

An attemp was made to enhance and modernise the centre of Brussels, and improve the sanitation. The obvious failure of this policy has become a cliché.

We thought it would be interesting to point out, with the support of documents, that it was the uthorities, and not obscure, who decided upon, designed and destroyed the center of the town.

• Directed by: Samy Szlingerbaum
• Screenplay: Samy Szlingerbaum
• Photography: Gérard Collet
• Sound: Henri Morelle
• Image editing: Yves Van Herstraeten
• Languages: FR
• Available formats: Beta Digital, Digital
• Production: Paradise Film, CBA & RTBF Bruxelles
• Coproduction workshop: CBA
• Festival promotion:

  CBA - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Sales (interlational distribution):

  Thierry Detaille - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• CBA

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