The World of Movies/Lost Films: Oorlog En Vrede
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we head to the Netherlands…and the start of a new series at Films Fatale.
A “lost film” has no known existing copies. In most cases, none will ever be found. This series aims to discuss lost movies from across the ages, and to highlight the reasons for film loss and the continuing efforts to counteract it. It is estimated that 90% of all movies made before 1929 are gone forever.
This week the column will be a little different – we are leaning more towards film history, with less of a focus on the film itself. I have long wanted to include silent movies in my posts, which can be a challenge due to the sheer numbers that are lost (or extant, but inaccessible). Beyond that, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to start my second series. This week’s movie is a perfect example.
The column that will spring from this, to be posted on an irregular basis, is called Lost Films. The films in question will vary. Some may be completely lost, some may have surviving fragments, others may be rediscovered after long periods of time. A few films may be complete but missing important features, like a soundtrack. In some cases, I hope to cover entire careers that are lost, such as most of Theda Bara’s work. The majority will be quite old, but there are some more recent examples of missing films. I’d like to include a diverse variety of movies – commercial vs. non-commercial, Hollywood and international, famous and less well-known.
Did You Know? Not all film loss is accidental. Many film reels were intentionally destroyed, for reasons of censorship, perceived problematic content or actors, or simple disregard of a movie’s future cultural and economic value. In other words, they needed space on the shelves – and what was the use of a movie that had already had its run?
In this case, we will look at a movie that is lost, except for one section. Oorlog en Vrede (Maurits Binger, 1918) translates to “War and Peace” – not a Tolstoy adaptation, but the story of several Dutch families during the First World War. It was separated into three films: 1914, 1916, and 1918, all released in the latter year. This footage is from the final movie.
This one was a bit of a challenge to research, as my Dutch is quite iffy, and there are many films named “War and Peace” floating around the Internet. The only document I could find was from this page chronicling Binger’s Hollandia production company. The film’s sole excerpt exists on EYE Filmmuseum’s YouTube channel (the museum is one of the top film preservation institutions in Europe) – a reconstructed synopsis can be found here, along with synopses for the first two films. I would recommend reading all three. The movie has been described as antiwar, and the excerpt seems to back this up.
The segment, which appears to be from the beginning of the film, begins with a crawling intertitle. It beseeches people to help as much as they can with the war effort, for the sake of their loved ones fighting. Ninette (Lola Cornero) criticizes Anny (Annie Bos) for becoming wealthy off her husband’s weapons factory, emphasizing that their products have killed thousands. We see Anny’s husband, Mario (Adelqui Migliaro), working at the plant. He reads about the success of his latest explosives, which appears to shock him. Meanwhile, his marriage appears to be struggling, as both parties wrestle with guilt and their sense of duty to their country.
Ultimately, Anny leaves to become a war nurse. Mario stays, promising his dying mother that he will continue to work for the country. At the funeral, husband and wife debate Mario’s future path – can he serve his country and save his conscience, too?
From here, I’m not sure whether this is a linear progression, or a tacked-on bit from the ending. The synopsis matches the end, but there are other plotlines described which don’t appear in this footage. Mario falls ill, and Anny returns to him, apparently devoted to her husband once more.
It’s hard to determine the quality of a movie from a short excerpt, particularly when silent films are so far removed from what we expect today. Bos and Migliaro are both excellent at conveying their internal conflict, and though the movie isn’t subtle, it does carry its point across effectively. The production design is great and matches the mood. Many of the scenes are appealingly staged. I will say that the print looks quite nice – it has the usual scratches, but its tints show up beautifully and the image is pretty clear.
One of my goals for this series is to bring attention to films that, were they not lost, might have been remembered even today – movies that could have been part of film discussion alongside their more fortunate cousins. Reading the synopses, it is clear that this was a real epic, something that could have potentially rivalled the scope of The Cranes are Flying or, for a peacetime equivalent, Pagnol’s Marseillaise trilogy. Perhaps it could have been considered a landmark of Dutch film, or of First World War movies. Maurits Binger was certainly influential in early Dutch cinema, and a series like this might have added even more to his reputation. We will never know, unfortunately.
Will Oorlog en Vrede ever be resurrected? Probably not. Fully rediscovered films are rare. I haven’t found any details about the trilogy’s loss, so it’s possible that the rest could be sitting in an archive somewhere – but it could be fragmented, or in poor condition. Most likely, it does not exist at all. However, in the event it is found, it will be taken care of. Dedicated professionals around the world work tirelessly to ensure that the films we do find can be saved, and eventually seen. Maybe one day there will be a screening of the newly rediscovered Oorlog en Vrede trilogy. If that happens, I will be first in line.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.