Ah, the oddities of the internet. Bill over at District Citizen Cycling, a DC bicycle blog, has dug up this clip from a Danish film directed by Bille August in 1984. It's called 'Twist and Shout' in English and 'Tro, Håb & Kærlighed'. Which translates as 'Faith, Hope and Love'. It takes place in 1963.
Perfect title for the context presented here. As Bill writes ironically on his blog, "This short scene is pretty charming, but does serve as a stark reminder of one of the real perils of bicycling: you may not be able to catch up to your girlfriend on the bus."
Faith in the bicycle as a tool for transforming our cities. Hope that rationality will prevail. Love. Period.
Thanks for that, Mikael, nice spin. To piggyback, I'd add it does seem bikes are becoming a kind of vessel for our hopes/faith/dreams... love of the future...
By the way, personally I think Twist and Shout is an unfortunate title, sounds corny. The Danish is certainly better. The whole Beatles aspect is minor and not really what makes the film interesting, it's more somber and sophisticated than the cheery clip suggests. Stays with you for a while after. Of course it was about angsty teens back when I was one, so... ;)
Looks like it could be what Mikael calls a Lazy Bike - in this case a Velo Solex; the guy seems to be fiddling with the motor at the end of the clip, he couldn't catch up because he couldn't get the motor to start.
Thanks for that, Mikael, nice spin. To piggyback, I'd add it does seem bikes are becoming a kind of vessel for our hopes/faith/dreams... love of the future...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, personally I think Twist and Shout is an unfortunate title, sounds corny. The Danish is certainly better. The whole Beatles aspect is minor and not really what makes the film interesting, it's more somber and sophisticated than the cheery clip suggests. Stays with you for a while after. Of course it was about angsty teens back when I was one, so... ;)
Bill
http://dccycling.blogspot.com
Looks like it could be what Mikael calls a Lazy Bike - in this case a Velo Solex; the guy seems to be fiddling with the motor at the end of the clip, he couldn't catch up because he couldn't get the motor to start.
ReplyDeleteEh oui il est sur un Solex!!!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous : Je pense aussi que c'est un Solex. Avec un vélo, il ne serait pas tombé en panne et il serait arrivé avant le bus. :-)
ReplyDeleteTranslation : I also think it is a Solex. With a bicycle, he wouldn't have broken down and would have reached the destination before the bus. :-)