...And the Sea Was No More - NL
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16mm Film - ...And the Sea Was No More - NL 1955
Script and Direction: Bert Haanstra
Camera: Eduard van der Enden
Music: Jan Mul
When the Zuiderzee was transformed into the IJsselmeer, an inland lake, in 1932 with the completion of the Afsluitdijk, that was only the beginning. By the mid-1950s, polder after polder was being drained and further reclamations were in preparation. Fishing villages like Bunschoten, Spakenburg, Harderwijk, Volendam and Edam were increasingly squeezed. Little water would remain for fishing, and even part of the harbors would be cut off from the water by the Flevopolder. The inhabitants could see the end of their way of life approaching. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Sciences commissioned Bert Haanstra to document what made up the folklore along the IJsselmeer. He was deeply moved by the emotions he encountered among the residents of the coastal strip and created with "And the Sea Was No More" a monument to this disappearing culture.
A short documentary commissioned by the Dutch government. Bert Haanstra shows that with the closing off of the Zuiderzee, the specific culture of the Zuiderzee towns is threatened. The film displays the rich regional traditions and customs. The title is taken from the Bible: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.' (Revelation 21)
Script and Direction: Bert Haanstra
Camera: Eduard van der Enden
Music: Jan Mul
When the Zuiderzee was transformed into the IJsselmeer, an inland lake, in 1932 with the completion of the Afsluitdijk, that was only the beginning. By the mid-1950s, polder after polder was being drained and further reclamations were in preparation. Fishing villages like Bunschoten, Spakenburg, Harderwijk, Volendam and Edam were increasingly squeezed. Little water would remain for fishing, and even part of the harbors would be cut off from the water by the Flevopolder. The inhabitants could see the end of their way of life approaching. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Sciences commissioned Bert Haanstra to document what made up the folklore along the IJsselmeer. He was deeply moved by the emotions he encountered among the residents of the coastal strip and created with "And the Sea Was No More" a monument to this disappearing culture.
A short documentary commissioned by the Dutch government. Bert Haanstra shows that with the closing off of the Zuiderzee, the specific culture of the Zuiderzee towns is threatened. The film displays the rich regional traditions and customs. The title is taken from the Bible: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.' (Revelation 21)
Sources
- YouTube channel: The Art of Film on 16mm · video ↗ — title, description, video
- 16mm Filmography editors — title, year, description
Record added 2026-06-12 21:03:01