The Voice of the Water

The Voice of the Water

1966 · 92 min · ★ 6.9 · Documentary

The Netherlands and water, they are inseparable from one another. Water in its soothing form, as a place of work and pleasure and as a source of threat and misery. Bert Haanstra thought it a great subject for a big cinema documentary and made The Voice of the Water. At the start, while the credits are still running, it is already apparent how remarkable and original he portrays the beauty of the landscape of the Dutch coastline. In the following ninety minutes we see numerous people that live, work and recreate on, by and in the water. Often they are being observed in a gentle humorous way that reminds us of The Human Dutch. Some people prefer to stay far away from all the wetness: the little boy having a swimming lesson, but who doesn’t dare to put his head under water, is forever imprinted on the memory of many of the viewers.

Directed by Bert Haanstra · Written by Bert Haanstra

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

Simon Carmiggelt Voice-over

Make it a double feature

3h 4m together

The Voice of the Water

The Manneken Pis Case

Both from Bert Haanstra.

More from Bert HaanstraSee all →

The Detection of Mineral Oil

The Detection of Mineral Oil · 1954

The Detection of Mineral Oil

MovieDocumentary

Documentary on oil exploration, the phase before drilling.

The Manneken Pis Case

The Manneken Pis Case · 1960

The Manneken Pis Case

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.

Medieval Dutch Sculpture

Medieval Dutch Sculpture · 1951

Medieval Dutch Sculpture

MovieDocumentary

Dutch sculpture in the late Middle Ages.

Glass

MovieDocumentary

This short documentary, shot in the glass factories of Leerdam and Schiedam, demonstrates how glass blowers do their work. But thanks to the superbly edited ballet of working hands and the sequence of mechanical motions of the engines, is it especially a cinematic tour de force. That the industry can’t do without man’s involvement is shown in the scene where we hear the voice of Haanstra himself counting the bottles on the conveyor belt, until one bottle breaks…

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.

Fanfare

Fanfare · 1958

MovieComedyMusic

In the small Dutch village of Lagerheide, two members of the local brass band get into a fight, forcing the band to be split in two. The two hotheads and their followers are doing their utmost to sabotage each other’s attempts at becoming the band who will represent the village at the upcoming brass band competition.

Everyman

Everyman · 1963

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.

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.

Zoo

MovieDocumentary

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.

Children of Ghana

Children of Ghana · 1988

Children of Ghana

MovieDocumentary

And There Was No More Sea

And There Was No More Sea · 1955

And There Was No More Sea

MovieDocumentary

Short poetic documentary about the southern sea in the Netherlands.

National Parks.... Necessity

National Parks.... Necessity · 1978

National Parks.... Necessity

MovieDocumentary

In this film Bert Haanstra shows how important the formation of national parks is for the protection of nature.

God Shiva

God Shiva · 1955

MovieDocumentary

Impressive, abstract dance film from Bert Haanstra.

Myrte & The Demons

Myrte & The Demons · 1950

Myrte & The Demons

Myrte and the Demons is a hallucinatory trip through a world shot in chiaroscuro in which lugubrious forest spirits take human forms at night. Myrte, symbol of good, enters into battle with evil, aided by a colorful group of fantasy creatures, including the moon. Special: Bert Haanstra made his film debut as a cameraman on the set of Myrte en de Demonen.

Retour Madrid

Retour Madrid · 1968

MovieDocumentary

Documentary about Ajax Amsterdam in 1968.

Amsterdamned

Amsterdamned · 1988

MovieActionHorror

A mysterious diver hiding in Amsterdam's canal system embarks on a rampage of gruesome murders, terrifying city officials and leaving few clues for the city's best detective, who doesn't suspect that both his new girlfriend and twelve-year-old daughter may be closer than he is to finding the killer.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter