“ ‘Zoo’ was well accepted, I
considered it to be a practice piece for a long film and that is ‘Alleman’
( 'Everyman' or 'The Human Dutch'). It’s a film one and half hours long, made with a hidden
camera. I was confident about it, there is nothing more fascinating than people
watching, especially if they don’t know that they are being filmed. There were
a lot of things I filmed but didn’t use: really lovely things. I think that if
you don’t ask people when filming them then you’re obliged to make them look
silly. I think than you should, I then had a system: Would I use it if it was
my brother, sister, mother or father? I have had lot of letters, but not one
from someone who says: You should have ask me if you could use that, old man.”
– Bert Haanstra
In more than hundred years
from its existence the cinema has dealt mostly with one subject: man. Its
images of man and machines, man and environment, man and society, man and
circumstances. Perhaps, what better subject, cinema serves to humans than
showing them the mirror of themselves! I ended up watching one of the most
poetic, beautiful & humanitarian documentary about nothing but people and
their everyday life in general; undoubtedly a finest gift served to humanity by
Haanstra. The film is learning lessons
of editing, visually so rich & evocative & has wonderful use of voice over narration and music. Though it’s a documentary,
it’s a sumptuous food full of drama, action, thrill, humor and wonderful
narrative that is as exciting as watching mainstream entertainer. The reaction
of watching it emotive, thought provoking and satirical at times. Highly
Recommended. And those who haven’t seen Haanstra’s brilliance of short films,
missing something so aesthetic and poetic in their lives. Catch all his shorts
available on youtube- ‘Glas’, ‘Fanfare’,
‘Zoo’ & most poetic ‘Mirror of Holland’, to name a few.
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