Henri Storck (1907-1999) was a Belgian filmmaker and pioneer in documentary filmmaking. He is best known for his documentaries Misère au Borinage (1933), a pamphlet against capitalism made in collaboration with Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens, and his Virgilian ecloge in Symphonie Paysanne (1944). Storck made numerous films about art, which played a major role in his life and work. His contemporaries included Belgian artists such as Léon Spilliaert, James Ensor, Paul Delvaux, and Constant Permeke. His films on art include Le monde de Paul Delvaux (1946), Rubens (1948), and Herman Teirlinck (1953). The connection with his birthplace is reflected in films such as Images d'Ostende (1928), a beautiful ode to the beauty of Storck's birthplace on the Belgian coast.
In 1964, he founded the International Association of Documentary Filmmakers with Gian Vittorio Baldi and John Grierson. He was one of the main founders of the Royal Film Archive (now CINEMATEK) in Brussels.
Paul Haessaerts and Henri Storck's award-winning film Rubens (1948) was more than a formal analysis of Rubens' oeuvre. Through a generous use of cinematographic techniques, this film brings Rubens' pictorial world to life with often striking comparisons with real-life imagery. Henri Storck's documentary on the work of Pieter Paul Rubens is a true lesson in art history. Using evocative split screens, Rubens' fluid and natural style is systematically compared to the relative rigidity of Flemish Primitive painters such as Dieric Bouts and Jan Van Eyck. Storck clearly feels comfortable in the role of art history teacher. Despite his didactic approach, the experimental filmmaker often shines through.
About Johannes is His Name
You might know Johannes Verschaeve as the pleasantly deranged frontman of The Van Jets. After the band's break-up, the Ghent-based Oostendenaar is doing it all on his own as "Johannes is Zijn Naam". Poetic, Dutch-language lyrics meander between hissing rhythm boxes and primitive synths, with Johannes as the lone crooner at the microphone.
"Johannes Verschaeve's solo work moves in a slightly surreal universe, where alienating performance art and dreamy avant-pop music go hand in hand as a matter of course. This Lynchian vibe will not be absent during 'Rubens', expect a dose of school television on LSD."- Wouter Vanhaelemeesch, programmer VIDEODROOM
Image gallery
Credits
Paul Haesaerts, Henri Storck
Raymond Chevreuille
Paul Haesaerts
Paul Haesaerts, Henri Storck
Henri Storck
Henri Storck
Belgian Ministries of Education & Communication
More info
Dutch
Belgium
1948
Filmography
Amateurfilms over Oostende (1928), Images d'Ostende (1929, Short), Pour vos beaux yeux (Short, 1929), La mort de Vénus (Short, 1930), Suzanne au bain (Short, 1930), Abstracte films getekend op pellicule (Short, 1930), Trains de plaisir (Short, 1930), Reddingsdienst aan de Belgische kust (1930), Eeuwfeesten (1930), Ter haring-visscherij (1930), Sur les bords de la caméra (Short, 1932), Misère au Borinage (Short, 1934), Productie van gastroduodenal ulcers bij de hond (1934), L'île de Pâques (1935), Les maisons de la misère (Short, 1936), Le patron est mort (Short, 1938), Peasant Symphony (1944), Le Monde de Paul Delvaux (Short, 1946), Rubens (1948), The Smugglers' Banquet (1952), La fenêtre ouverte (Short, 1952), Herman Teirlinck (1953), De schat van Oostende (Short, 1955), Décembre, mois des enfants (Short, 1956), Attenzione: guerra! (1961), Les Dieux du feu (Short, 1961), Le bonheur d'être aimé (Short, 1962), Les malheurs de la guerre (1963), Paul Delvaux ou les femmes défendues (Short, 1971), Les fêtes de Belgique (1973), Le chant du peintre (1978), Permeke (1985), Story of the Unknown Soldier (Short, 2001).
