For nine years in the 1950s, Jan Troell worked as a teacher at the Sorgenfri primary school in Malmö (an experience he drew on for his study of a teacher's relationship with his class, Ole dole doff (Who Saw Him Die?) in 1968); he lived in a house once occupied by Ingmar Bergman. In Malmö, Troell made his first film, Stad (The City), about a day in the life of Malmö, showing the life of the people from dawn until dusk.
Direction
Troell's patient eye finds beauty in ordinary moments.
Cinematography
Black-and-white Malmö glows with documentary intimacy.
Editing
Dawn-to-dusk structure builds subtle emotional arc.
Director
Jan Troell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Troell shot this while living in Ingmar Bergman's former house—talk about pressure.
This predates the 'city symphony' documentary revival by decades; Troell was inventing his own language before he had the budget for it.
SE
