Dream & Deed

• Watchlist

• 2012
• 1 hr 14 mins
• Documentary

• Watchlist

• Watchlist

In the period 1891-1927, Henriette Roland Holst goes through a dramatic development. As an aspiring poet from an affluent bourgeois milieu she throws herself, full with idealism and conviction, into the labour movement. Within the various socialistic parties however, a fierce battle on direction takes place, wherein Henriette has trouble finding her place. After returning disillusioned from a trip to the Soviet Union, she does not feel at home in any leftist party. Later she will recollect on this period in her biography "Het vuur brandde voort" (translation: "The fire rages on"). The film reconstructs this period with the use of old film material combined with texts by Henriette Roland Holst herself: fragments from letters, poems, speeches and books, sparingly supplemented with personal commentary by the filmmaker. Film material where Henriette is visible is not available from this period. Nevertheless, beautiful material exists that gives a diverse and unknown depiction of these times. Contrary to what most people think in most cases it is not black/white: some images are exquisitely coloured in. Besides that are recent images of the Buissche Heide, the place where Henriette Roland Holst resided in the summer and received guests both domestic and foreign.