Nieuwe gronden

One of the most successful parts of the film WIJ BOUWEN, which Joris Ivens made in 1929 for the 'Algemene Nederlandse Bouwarbeidersbond' (Union of Construction Workers), included the job of closing the Zuyder Zee. In particular, the physical efforts of the workers to move heavy pipes or to put basaltic columns in the right place were shown in a fetching style by Ivens. He decided to keep following the work in the Wieringermeer and on the IJsselmeer Dam with his crew. In 1933, Ivens and Helen van Dongen edited old and new footage to end up with a sound-film about the closing of the Zuyder Zee, NIEUWE GRONDEN. Ivens emphasizes the monumental aspect of the work and the role played by Dutch labourers. By contrasting the elements of water, earth, and man and machine (Ivens had asked his camera-men to try and identify with one of these elements), the filmmakers managed to edit the sequence of the closing of the dam in such a way that it became an extremely thrilling event. In the final part, which contains social criticism, the film's character changes radically. Ivens contends that land was not reclaimed from the sea to supply food for the people, but to speculate. In the depression years, corn was thrown back into the sea. NIEUWE GRONDEN ends with 'de ballade van de zakkensmijters ('the ballad of the sack-throwers') to music by Hanns Eisler.