Documentary Film Productions, Inc.Place to Live, A (ca. 1948)

Slum clearance and the construction of new housing in Philadelphia.

This item is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Documentary Film Productions, Inc.
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Urban renewal; Philadelphia, Pa.; City planning

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 22, 2004
Subject: Where's Bruce Springsteen when you need him?

This film is essentially split in two, the first part is a exploration of the slums of Philadelphia, and the second is this weird kitchen sink drama of a mother and child living in it.
The Slums OF Philadelphia part is really quite engrossing, as it's really quite shocking to see such buildings in disrepair. It's hard to believe this was shot in Philadelphia in 1948, where it looks like Europe in 1942.
The Kitchen sink part is a pretty wild, sloppily edited patchwork of a story featuring a woman and her young child. The film reminds me of, of all things, earlt russian cinema (I am not REALLY too sure if this is intentional) lol. Actually, to be even MORE specific, the whole thing reminds me of early Guy Maddin...

Shotlist

A film about slum clearance and new housing projects in Philadelphia.


SLUMS HOUSING PROJECTS POOR PEOPLE POVERTY CLEARANCE PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA LOW INCOME