Jan Schaper, the city, the light and the film (2005)

In 1955 the unknown dutch filmmaker and photographer Jan Schaper (1921-2008) realized his first documentary 'Vlaardingen koerst op morgen'. In 1966 and 1967 he made two more documentaries with a city as a subject. Schaper shows the daily experience of the inhabitants in contrast with the developments of that time. His films are a critical exposure about the postwar rebuilding in The Netherlands. In the documentary we are going back - 50 years later - with Schaper to one of his subjects: the dutch worldport 'Rotterdam'. We ask him to comment again about his filmmaking and his obsession for the suburban subject. By way of this, alternated with archivefragments and interviews with many people involved, we picture his turbulent lifestory.