Brussels: traffic then and now...
The 1949 short film “Circulation d’aujourd’hui” (known as "Brussels, old cars, and collisions") paints a Brussels that is completely overwhelmed by traffic. Sixty-five years later, it should be noted that things have not really changed.
Circulation d’aujourd’hui was one of the first real documentaries about road safety. Filmed in and around Brussels, this 20 minute movie shows a city paralyzed by the influx of automobiles and motorcycles.
Your driving matters
From the Rue Royale in the Marolles to Etterbeek, Circulation d’aujourd’hui is a throwback to 1950s Brussels. We can see scenes of daily life in a city that has not yet undergone the ravages of Brusselization.
But this is more than a simple archival video. This film allows Brusseleirs today to see their neighborhoods in a different light. What a pleasure it is to admire the former fountain on the Place de Brouckère or to watch cars speed down Avenue Louise before there were tunnels. It’s a video that might make the most nostalgic of us grimace and others just more pensive about their city.
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