The Low Countries – Hold Back the Sea (1961)

Directed by: George Sluizer | 29 minutes | short film, documentary

‘De Lage Landen’ (or in English ‘Hold Back the Sea’) is an award-winning and surprisingly intriguing documentary about the origin of the Netherlands, geographically and in relation to the battle against the sea. The documentary contains beautiful images – of the Netherlands and the Dutch -, has interesting shots – such as (extreme) close-ups of machines -, is dynamically edited, provided with fine music, and continues to amaze with its many impressive facts about our beautiful country and his resourceful people.

A scene early in the film makes the viewer immediately aware of the unique relationship of the Dutch with the surrounding water. We see a man with a uniform and cap with ‘Waterstaat’ on it. The (English) voice-over states that there is no translation for the word. ‘Rijkswaterstaat’, it sounds so normal to us, but no other country (probably) needs a separate department for managing waterways and preventing flooding.

It’s all so natural to us. But it is actually very special that we can live on this piece of land. Land that has not always been there, but of which huge parts had to be drained with great effort. With dredgers, pumping stations, and many manual and tension services. It has ensured that many millions of people have been able to settle here, with half of the Dutch living below sea level.

Sluizer’s documentary shows everything, across the entire width. He draws a clear historical picture, from the ice age to ‘now’, with animations and a clear voice-over. But we also see close-up live images of workers and machines, often with quick cuts and short shots of dikes and splashing water.

‘De Lage Landen’ shows how inventive the Dutch have always been with the water and land around them. A few proud men cross several streams and collect some eggs, a farmer passes by who cuts entire sods and strips of land and takes his boat to his own land, to enlarge his personal habitat. Doors of houses are placed extra high in the facade as protection against the rising water.

The results of the reclamation of (parts of) the Zuiderzee – a hugely ambitious project – have been nicely illustrated. We see a ‘before and after’ shot of a cruise ship in the North Sea Canal, which first sails past a cornfield and immediately afterwards over the Velsertunnel, where cars (can) constantly drive underneath. Of course we see locks, dams, many shots of Dutch landscapes and mills, and we hear the great importance of these powerful machines for the formation of land.

It is also very interesting to see how different parties viewed the plans to drain large parts of the Netherlands. There was initially a lot of resistance against the reclamation of the Zuiderzee and the construction of the Afsluitdijk. Of course, the disaster of 1953 does not go unnoticed and the Delta Works are extensively discussed.

‘The low countries’ should be compulsory reading in every integration course – and perhaps it is – but should also be seen by every other Dutch person. Once every five to ten years, for example. As a refresher course; to remind us what a beautiful country we live in; to be proud of what our ancestors have accomplished; or simply to enjoy a fine piece of film art from national monument George Sluizer.