fishing harbours

Documentary about the city of Vlissingen.

Documentary by filmmaker Willy Mullens about the sights and attractions of Vlissingen. The intertitles offer historical background information. As in many of Mullens' ‘city films’, this film begins with a panoramic shot filmed from a tower. The city, the Scheldt river, and the city’s industries are shown. The documentary devotes considerable attention to the ports and the shipyards, to pilotage, and to the Vlissingen heroes Michiel de Ruyter and Frans Naerebout.

Documentary about UrkDocumentary about the people of Urk, consisting mainly of shots of women, men, and children in traditional costume, posing for the camera. The film was probably shot on a public holiday. We see several women doing their daily work: hanging the laundry, and fetching water from the pump. A postman comes along with the letters.

Melodrama about two brothers who are in love with the same woman.

Propaganda Film About the Dutch Military.

Holland neutraal (Neutral Holland) is this film’s subtitle, which was meant to show that the Dutch armed forces are very much prepared to guarantee the Netherlands’ neutrality in World War One. The more than 2.5-hour film was made by Willy Mullens in 1917, when other Western European armies had become numbed after three long years in the trenches. The footage in the Army and Navy Film depicts a relatively high-spirited mood, considering how the Dutch military had mobilized but not actually participated in the war.

Documentary about Hoorn.

This film about Hoorn focuses on the glorious past of this former VOC city. Hoorn is presented as a typical small town in Holland, where the prosperity of the past is still visible.

Impression of the harsh winter of 1917 in the Netherlands.