Photographed by Philip Hanson Hiss, “Holland in the Western Hemisphere” (1942) is a color documentary film about the Dutch Caribbean. Made by the Netherlands Information Bureau, part of the Netherlands’ government in exile, the film highlights both the beauty of the former Dutch colonies and Dutch territorial holdings as ideal vacation destination and delves into the strategic significance of the area for the Allied powers during World War II and into the post-war period as a shipping port.
Titles (0:08). Dutch soldiers stand guard at harbor of Aruba (0:24). White peaks of ocean water break as they crash against coastal rocks (0:48). Young man wearing swim shorts stands at water’s edge and casts fishing net into ocean (0:54). Rocky slides with overgrown green trees and shrubs shade turquoise waters below (0:58). Dutch flag contrast blue skies as it is raised along flagpole (1:07). Camera pans sailboats docked in harbor bobbing in water (1:08). Cannons and palm trees dot the grounds of Fort Oranje, Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles (1:16). Dutch-style building in tropical orange color along harbor (1:30). Examples of Dutch-Caribbean architecture in Curacao (1:35). Narrow commercial street in Curacao, colorful shop signs in Spanish and English fill the alleyway (1:44). Dance troupe performs Rumba and Samba in public square in colorful, vibrant outfits (1:51). Gravestone with hebrew inscription, perhaps from Beth Haim Cemetery on outskirts of Curacao (2:03). Examples of Paleolithic Rock Art (2:17). Three-toed sloth scales rock at beach (2:30). Indigenous settlement of perhaps Arawak people – woman cultivates breadfruit but scrubbing it on wood panel and forming it into balls (2:38). Bushiribana Ruins – ruins of Aruba Island Gold Mining Company Ltd. gold mine (2:58). Weather-worn ruins Slave Huts of Bonaire, dried brown seaweed dots rocky sands (3:06). Group of men battle waves as they try and set out from short on small fishing boat with Dutch flag (3:16). Map of the United States and Dutch West Indies: Panama Canal, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius (3:30). Suriname: Palm trees wave in the wind, contrast blue skies (3:36). Moengo bauxite mine in Suriname, narrator discusses importance of bauxite mining and aluminum for America’s war efforts during World War II (3:56). Small mining train pushes carts of cultivated bauxite into processing plant, cart’s contents released onto conveyor belt (4:13). Miners sit on barge traveling from Moengo towards the sea (4:32). Tradition canoes of indigenous people traveling along Cottica River amid tropical overgrowths (4:39). Afro-Surinamese men battle river currents as they try and steady canoe (5:03). Surinamese children run to water’s edge to greet Dutch engineer who landed on water in seaplane (5:28). View from upper deck of steam ship traveling Cottica River, America troops stand guard over bauxite shipment (5:32). Low tide at Port of Paramaribo has two small boats stuck in sand (6:00). Curaçao Mining Company mining site at Tafelberg, Curacao – miners ride on mine-carts filled with phosphate of lime (6:08). Mine carts ride along track towards Industrial complex Newport on perhaps Santa Barbara plantation (6:28). Phosphate fertilizers put onto industrial ships at port (6:37). Willemstad Harbor Curacao – strategic port for allied armies since World War I, men in oil slicked jumpsuits do repairs on ships in shipyard (6:50). Crude oil storage tanks Willemstad Harbor, port workers in fedoras, newsies caps at work on the refineries that process and ship out Venezuelan crude oil (7:14). Small sea-going oil tanker is guided out of Willemstad Harbor (8:00). Pedestrians wait for Queen Emma Bridge, pontoon bridge across St. Anna Bay in Curaçao (8:35). Dutch military exercises on Curacao (9:10). English and American troops join Dutch garrisons for training exercises (9:20). Perhaps Playa Pariba WWII prisoner camp in Bonaire; today Tanki Maraka Heritage Park highlighting American presence in Curacao 1942-1947 (9:31). American, Dutch, English troops use telescopes to watch coast for enemies (9:42). U.S. Navy PC-461-class submarine chaser PC-456 patrolling harbor waters (9:56). Soldier with rifle patrols the harbor – vital shipping center for the United Nations (10:12). Closing words, End of film (10:30).
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
