Glass main backdrop
Glass main poster

7.6/10 • 38

1958-06-270h 10m

Documentary

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…

Directors
Bert Haanstra
Writters
Bert Haanstra
Editors
Bert Haanstra, Ralph Sheldon

Top Billed Cast

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    CinemaSerf Avatar

    CinemaSerf

    Feb 17, 2024

    7/10

    Ostensibly a documentary about the art of Dutch glassblowing, and engagingly illustrative at that - with a gently jazz soundtrack - it gradually evolves into something altogether more thought-provoking. Back to the actual blowing, though, and that's quite fascinating to watch - the creative and delicate artistry at work. Perfect geometrical shapes all from a ball or string of molten sand - they look like balloons sometimes. In and out of the white hot ovens. What it slowly gives way to, though, is almost as interesting as the process becomes more mechanised. Not so much with the intricate designs, but the rudimentary bottle making - until, that is, the conveyor goes wrong and it's briefly quite comedic then. Moral? I suppose mechanisation is unstoppable now, but though the handmade might be slower and more expensive, the top only comes off when it's supposed to!

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      Status
      Released
      Original Language
      Dutch
      Budget
      --
      Revenue
      --
      Keywords
      glass blowingshort filmpoetic documentary