Shot 31 / 4:15–4:31Select a shot, or shift-click to select multipleSelect a shot, or double-tap to select multiple

Indisch allerlei

19207 min 32 sec44 shots

Made in 1920 from footage shot by Willy Mullens in the Dutch East Indies, this silent film surveys urban centers, markets, waterways, farmland, and volcanic terrain. Scenes documented as Buitenzorg, Sumatra, Batavia, Fort de Kock, and Bali show crowded markets, harbor traffic, fishing, and women washing in a river. Broad views take in a steep river gorge, terraced fields, tropical vegetation, and smoking sulfur springs; a Dutch intertitle explains that yellow sulfur surrounds the vents and sulfurous gases rise from the ground.

Railway tracks and bridges wind through hills and cultivated areas, linking the landscapes with signs of industry and transportation. A musician plays an instrument in a gamelan ensemble, while other scenes concentrate on groups of Balinese people gathered outdoors and on individual faces and clothing. Together, these images record work, travel, music, community life, and varied environments in the colonial-era Dutch East Indies.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: Haghefilm / Willy Mullens - Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (beheerder)
Collection: Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision — Open Images
Original title: Indisch allerlei
Date: 1920
Original link: Open on openbeelden.nl
Rights: public_domain