The picturesque Dutch town of Edam in in color

Edam is an old 11th century Dutch town that borders the former Zuiderzee, nowadays called the IJsselmeer. It used to be a thriving fishing and trade village but its role became less significant after the Zuiderzee was closed in by the Afsluitdijk.Edam is world-famous for its round cheeses that are about half the size of a football and have the characteristic red skin and great taste!In 2007 Edam celebrated 650 years of holding city rights. This film shows Edam in summer and autumn as it was over a century ago and also gives insight into how its famous cheeses were and still are being produced. Besides stunning scenes of the old town, the film includes footage of the old shipyard where most of the Dutch war ships under the command of Michael De Ruyter were built in the 17th century.The "Chief Mouser" must have been visiting from Downing Street 10 to catch all the mice among the cheeses... The film also shows how old locks are manually opened and closed and farmers waiting with their sheep to cross over. The orginal B&W film has been motion-stabilized, speed-corrected, enhanced and colorized by means of modern Artificial Intelligence video software. Source: Beeld En Geluid (3 fragments)Music: David Celeste, a great contemporary composer. Timeline (Draft! Please help to complete this!)00:00 Start of our visit to Edam00:45 Buiksloot01:04 Wijngaardsgracht01:27 Speeltoren, used to belong to the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk01:32 Schepenmakersdijk01:52 Kwakelbrug01:58 Nieuwe Haven02:09 Scheepstimmerwerf (Shipyard).02:17 Kwakelstraat02:22 Westerbuiten, the waterway to Purmerend02:33 Damsluis, with railings that seem to never rust02:50 Edam's Museum03:03 Old Townhall, built in 1737 at a cost of 40,000 Dutch Guilders03:15 Spui03:29 Voorhaven03:40 Film fragment-2 (of lesser quality)03:53 Opening the locks by hand04:18 Farmers and their sheep waiting to cross04:24 Bell tower of [?] church04:31 Location [?]04:55 Location [?]05:02 The Townhall again, seen from the canal05:10 Entrance to the cheese factory05:26 Cheerful peasant lad05:28 Some of his friends05:30 Location [?]05:33 Residents in local tradional Edam costume05:36 More local boys gathering together05:39 A fisherman on his barge05:44 A daily catch (spiering?)05:55 Father and son hoisting the sail06:03 Testing an Edammer cheese06:09 Making the famous Edammer cheese by hand08:11 The "Chief Mouser," on loan from Downing Street 10, keeps the factory free from mice08:19 Measuring the consistency of the cheese08:35 The End.

Director

Ricks Film Restoration