My family and I stayed in Ponte from July to December 1982. We had emigrated from the UK and were put up there. For me, a 12 year old boy, Ponte was fantastic - especially having a freaking bowling alley, full of video games, just downstairs! There was also a cool little swimming pool at the back (I wonder if it's still there). At night, the courtyard looked so friendly and safe, with the garden lights and the plants. My brother and I and our friends (other immigrants) just used to hang out there playing pointless games, telling jokes etc. Happy times. Almost all of the windows on the inside of the building had bars, except one on the 50th floor. We'd buy some tomatoes or similar, then one of us would take them to that window (so you could look right down), while the other would be on the rocks at the bottom, and we'd watch them splat on the ground. Funny what keeps you amused... We lived in 1202 (second residential floor from the bottom) and so whenever I was up in the top floors, I'd marvel at the carpets and the posh doors. Truth is, I'd probably be happy to stay there again if Joburg ever cleans up its act (with particular regard to Hillbrow). Just for curiosity's sake, does anyone know what a Ponte flat goes for nowadays (monthly rent?)

Im almost 50 years old ,i stumbled on this story and was captivated, what an amazing building if they can renovate this building and just rent it to people who really needs a home and ask not mutch this will be awesome. A building that is awesome and so mutch potential ❤❤❤ mind blowing .so happy i stumble on this story

I lived there in 1979 on the 27th floor. the higher up you are the less street noise (I could not hear any and i was only half way up!) Ponte had its own mini supermarket, launderette, Bowling alley as well as outside floodlit tennis courts, there was a reception desk and had security but no where near what it has now! I have not been back to South Africa since I left late 1979 which is personally sad as loved the country and the people, black, white, coloured and the multitude of other creeds that made up the country especially Jo Burgh Hopefully harmony will prevail.

You have to bribe the security to bring guests into your home. A towering icon of dystopia.

I remember seeing a woman take a dive from one of the windows mid way up from Ponte when I was on my way to ESP on End Street back in 96, i`ll never forget the sound that was made when she hit the pavement...horrific place back then...

It's like building from Dredd movie , Peach trees block

PB, this film is genius! The use of light, how the aspect of the building changes over the film and the simple narrative, just incredible. I like how when you are looking up at the tower the outlook is depressing and when you look down, the light makes the place look alive... It's counter-intuitive.

Chappie brought me here. Now, South Africa is on my list!

I lived in town and Berea in the 80's (after moving from Cpt) and loved the pace and the people but moved off to the northern suburbs in 1989. I am always drawn to stories about Ponte and the surrounding areas - I couldn't even dream of living in Ponti in the 80's - it was very expensive but i could see it from where I lived on the corner of Lily and Alexandra. I have always thought the views must be the best in Africa. It boggles the mind that it turned into a slum and so quickly.

Thanks Phillip, without this mini doc, I would never have known this place existed.

i thought this was so great ! you inspired us. im glad to know someone documented this . would have liked to see more of what the apartments looked like inside

Great work! I kept seeing this building over and over while watching Chappie so I had to come and learn more about it. At first I thought it was something like the "Tower of David" at Caracas, Venezuela, which was a skyscraper that got abandoned during construction and turned completely into a slum but Ponte Tower seems like a completely different case. These types of mega buildings are really interesting to look into but I think they ultimately represent a grim future for mankind.

Great video. The building freaks me out, it's like a grand dystopian human experiment.

If Ponte Tower had existed in 1971 when Kubrick shot A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell's "Alex" would have lived there FOR SURE.

Thank you philipbloom, for taking me out of my youtube lounge-room, and placing me into reality at somebody else's life in this big wide world....brilliant... makes me look at life through a fisheye lens..far wider than normal..

Philip: a great piece of social reportage and some stunning camera work, particularly the contrast between b/w architectural shots and color rich images of people! I'll be pointing to it in a seminar on a (German) crime novel set in Ponte around 1999 in order to counter balance the clichéed portrayal of Jozy as a 24/7 killing field which the media love to keep exploiting. Thanks for making this accessible!

Wow...opened my eyes on another level. Thanks

So good!!!! Thank you.

Beautiful work, I'm so glad to see my home in a far more positive light. Thank you.

Miss this place. Lived there from Jan to June this year. Amazing building.

That was a powerful short! Much respect.

Well done superb documentary,,,,keep it high

Touching and beautiful doc. I find this as a reference point and huge inspiration for my future works.

Looks like it would make a good movie location. Brilliant building.

Thank you, I was riveted to the article. The building is extraordinary !

Thanks for this, I saw that building for decades and never ventured close to it.

Brutalism at it's most brutal. Amazing building... dystopian, prison-esque, creepy - it's like something out of Judge Dredd or Robocop.

Very nicely done Phillip. Keep up the good work and continue to be an inspiration.

Must've used some absurdly wide lenses for the to get those epic WS of the tower. Well done sir. Brilliant opening image.

I lived in Ponte in the 70's. That building scared me then and I only stayed about 4 months.

I'm born in Johannesburg and I can't believe that I've never been to the infamous Ponte towers

I can hear the dark knight rises's "RISE" choir playing in my mind

amazing film. thanks ;) great atmosphere. makes me miss joburg

Been there back in the '80's. Lived in Berea.

Love It!!!! I can hardly wait to be in JNB at End of this year!!!!

Stunning

As soon as I saw this I thought of Dredd, bloody awesome film

wow. a beautiful documentary

Looks and feels like a modern day prison.

This video makes me miss home

@philipbloom Awsome Video as always what did you find the best lens was when doing the interviews in tight situations? as you explained in the review the crop factor was quite big. Im looking at buying the blackmagic and the zeiss CP.2 18 mm/T3.6 to over compensate with the crop factor have you ever used this lens before and if you have could you give me some feedback on it? please thanks

Interesting Building?? Great work Phillip on your short doc as always.

Awesome work. I love it.

"High-Rise" novel by J. G. Ballard (1975) is so deeply prophetic... (watch 2015 movie)

Amazing -as always.

beautiful work

If you ever have the chance, head down to the kibera slums in Nairobi Kenya, I have a feeling you could film some powerful scenes there. Thanks for the inspiring work by the way.

Great mini-doco, however it only fills me with sadness and dread. I guess it’s great for film makers because they don’t have to build sets for “post-apocalyptic” films anymore, they can just go and film in Johannesburg.

It would have been a world class building has they designed it with plants and greenery along the interiors and not allowed it to be used as a garbage shoot. I like the concept and idea of it. Does need more natural light to somehow find itself going down all the way to the lobby.

love it!!!

wow great film thanks!! great job Philiph. Are you getting work as a documentary maker. This was very professional! And Yes the producers of the new judge dredd obviously based the mega blocks in the movie on this!

wow that was great. very interesting to see the rise and decline of an iconic building. So do you sell your work to television companies then or do they commission you to do them?

I'm just learning about brutalist architecture, how people went nuts with the concrete and the huge imposing structures that nobody likes to live in. The worst part is that you can't tear these structures down because of the carbon they would release (apparently) so they just site there and decay if not properly maintained. And even if they are they are hideous to look at.

It looks scary. The entire design and concept is space conserving surely but it looks and feel so empty

This video is a great documentary! I visited inside the building in 2018. Back then I couldn't believe that it had a shape of a donut until I saw it with my own eyes.

I used to go bowling here in the 8o's

Where can I find that amazing song that plays in the beginning?

Best one so far!

Very interesting documentary

Thanks you! Good documentary review (sic!).

Awesome story Phillip. Only thing I don't understand is the composition of interviews?!

Lonely Feelings 🖤

Hey guys! the 5dmark iii is coming out (April 2013) with a firmware for Uncompressed 4:2:2 8-bit from HDMI. Any thoughts?

What font is that used in the beginning?

From beauty to slum!!!!! Didn't take long for that to happen😕

unbelievable. there are people living in this ! first i thought it is just some water tower or something...

*clap*clap*clap* what a place and what a story

reminds of the megablocks in the 2012 Dredd film. nice

The story of this building is so interesting on how it changed from the creme de la creme to a slum of drugs and prostitution, and now back into a building for people to live in. It's an amazing story, and amazing architecture

Almost seems like something out of a post apocalypse movie.

Awesome :)

Hows it going there now?

Nice!

When are you going back there next?

you will be getting a lot more hits since the weather channel featured an article on this!!!

I used to live in Hillbrow 1972, what happened to Peacehaven at the bottom of Hendon street??. It was a kind of shelter/temporary housing thing for European families.

Good job on this video

Wow

Don't know why but I see a giant castle 😅 random defensive positions too if I was inside 😅

Why so much headroom at 1:14 ?

When I lived at Ponte there were no black or colored people living there. This must have come later. Never saw any raids taking place, and I would have known about it. Johannesburg was a very quiet place at that time.

Yup, Dredd came to my mind as well, especially since I knew about this building. But, I dunno, this building is wrong... and evil.

Music is so good man one question, it is possinle.to live there right now?

for a little moment...i thought it's the hole from the dark knight rises :D

Here in South Africa this is icon of post apartheid destruction of South Africa

This is a backrooms level

Красивое место! Акустически мощное пространство!?

Please forgive me documentary?

feel like at over $3000.00 it should've been included. Other SLR's for way cheaper have that feature.

@Alessandro Filippi sorry? Try live in absolute misery? Where did you get that from? Everyone I spoke to and you hear from loves it there!! Your obese comment is ill judged and smacks of ignorance.

Democracy didn’t cause the downfall of ponte. It was apartheid that set the course in motion.

Can't express how stoked I am!! It's about time that the playing fields were all level. Honestly hey, this country and this city have had its past but it is what it is, i believe its time that we ALL come together and claim back our city in the RIGHT way and I strongly believe that a simple act like this, is a step in the right direction! This is all of our cities man, we all deserve to enjoy it! Good Job Philip! and heck yeah!! I'm extremely jealous!! lol

Now... Imagine if Bruce Wayne had to climb up this shit!

PONTE CITY..

"Inhabitansts of Ponte. This is judge Dredd..."

I know all the people in this Vid

If you take Ponte building and just add water you will have Aparthied. And if you leave Aparthied out sun in the sun to dry you will then have Ponte again. The sun being democracy in this tiny analogy.

lived in the penthouse when we ran an illegal casino in the would have been good to cover it

Спасибо, что в РФ есть нормы инсоляции 🙏🏻

Babel...