Zoo

Zoo

1961 · 10 min · ★ 7.0 · Documentary

A perfect, fast and hilarious montage. Using images from Artis (Amsterdam Zoo), Bert Haanstra shows that a couple of similarities can be discovered between human and animal. Particularly the manner in which human and ape are confronted with each other, is significant. The images speak for themselves, human voices or commentary is absent. The ironic music of Pim Jacobs does add an extra dimension to the whole. With regards to human and animal Haanstra limits himself for the time being to this short film, recorded with a hidden camera. Later on, in several big films, he would return to this subject.

Directed by Bert Haanstra

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The Manneken Pis Case

The Manneken Pis Case · 1960

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MovieComedyRomance

Kamiel steals the famous Brussels statue of Manneken Pis to impress his girlfriend Denise, the daughter of the man who is supposed to guard it. The Belgians, however, wrongly accuse the Dutch of having stolen their statue and hit back by stealing the statue of Hansje Brink.

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MovieDocumentary

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Battle Without End

Battle Without End · 1955

Battle Without End

MovieDocumentary

A Shell Film Unit documentary by Bert Haanstra examining humanity’s struggle against insect plagues, filmed across Egypt, Iraq, Kenya, Sudan, Tanganyika, and Uganda. The film combines scientific documentation with visceral imagery, including extreme close-ups of insects and an aerial sequence flying directly through a locust swarm. Framed within postwar scientific optimism, it presents pest control and pesticide technology as instruments of human survival, offering a stark, industrial counterpoint to Haanstra’s more lyrical documentaries.

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Fanfare · 1958

MovieComedyMusic

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Everyman

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MovieDocumentary

Bert Haanstra paints a portrait of The Netherlands and the Dutch, in his own unparalleled manner. Partly with the aid of a hidden camera he observes people in the most diverse situations. He shows the unusual in the usual and the usual in the unusual. The harsh years of the post war era of reconstruction have passed and for most people life is better than before.

The World of Simon Carmiggelt

The World of Simon Carmiggelt · 1983

The World of Simon Carmiggelt

Eight newspaper-columns by Dutch writer Simon Carmiggelt were turned into a film in honor of his 70st birthday.

Trafic

Mr. Hulot is the head designer of the Altra Automotive Co. His latest invention is a newfangled camper car loaded with outrageous extra features. Along with the company's manager and publicity model, Hulot sets out from Paris with the intention of debuting the car at the annual auto show in Amsterdam. The going isn't easy, however, and the group encounters an increasingly bizarre series of hurdles and setbacks en route.

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And There Was No More Sea

MovieDocumentary

Short poetic documentary about the southern sea in the Netherlands.

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Children of Ghana · 1988

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MovieDocumentary

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National Parks.... Necessity · 1978

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MovieDocumentary

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Rembrandt, Painter of Man · 1957

Rembrandt, Painter of Man

MovieDocumentary

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The Family of Chimps · 1984

The Family of Chimps

MovieDocumentary

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MovieActionHorror

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Retour Madrid · 1968

MovieDocumentary

Documentary about Ajax Amsterdam in 1968.

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