LIVING IN A PIECE OF FURNITURE - Lex Reitsma

Year:
2024

Duration:
52:30 minuten

Logline:

Furniture maker and architect Gerrit Rietveld was of the opinion that his houses shouldn’t remain standing any longer than 50 years, because they would have been outdated by then. The iconic Rietveld Schröderhuis, however, celebrates its centennial in 2024.

Synopsis:

Truus Schröder’s love for Gerrit Rietveld led to the design of the iconic Rietveld Schröderhuis in 1924. The first house that Rietveld designed, in collaboration with, and for Truus Schröder, was a huge experiment. Truus lived in the house for 60 years. Not only was she Gerrit Rietveld’s lover, she was also his muse and his creative partner, with whom he shared a love for design and a common aesthetic. After her death, the house was thoroughly restored, even though Rietveld was of the opinion that his houses should be torn down after 50 years. Rietveld later said that she was the only person who could live in this unique and not necessarily comfortable house.

Other houses that Rietveld designed, clearly show the ideas that originate in the design of the Rietveld Schröderhuis. These Rietveld houses – in the form as Rietveld had originally intended them – are preserved for posterity thanks to the current owners who are keeping up and restoring their homes to this very day, with love and care.

The film explores Rietveld’s work from the perspective of Truus’s love for the man and his work, documented in an audio interview from 1982, and in interviews with her loved ones.

Credits:
screenplay, direction, camera & editing: Lex Reitsma
producer: Digna Sinke
sound: Michel Claus, Lex Reitsma
music: Guus Janssen piano, Rutger Zuydervelt
drone: Jan Wich
foley: Andel Rongen, Danny Rosendahl
sound design and re-recording mix: Andel Rongen
animation titles: Pepijn Borgwat
grading: Michiel Rummens
postproduction: Jan Jaap Kuiper
production AVROTROS: José Schraauwers
editor AVROTROS: Syrine Krabman
final editor AVROTROS: Jessica Raspe

photographs: Eva Besnyö, Arjen Bronkhorst, Nico Jesse, Jannua Linders, Archief Maarten Schröder, Wim Rietveld, Jan Versnel, Ad Windig

archives: Rietveld Schröder Archief, Het Utrechts Archief, Filmfragment uit de ‘De archeologie van het Rietveld Schröderhuis’ van Ike Bertels, Sacha Barraud ‘Vakantiehuisje Markelo’, Spaarnestad Photo

special thanks to: Centraal Museum Utrecht, Jurjen Creman, Natalie Dubois, Martine Eskes, Wessel de Jonge, Tineke Kuitert, Nieuwe Instituut, Frank den Oudsten, Rietveld Stichting, Maarten Schröder, Vita Wilmering

thanks to residents: Luke van der Have, Piet van der Have † , Sander van der Heijden, Koen Hogenhout, Ans Koedood, Arie Koedood, Dolf de Maar, Ariene Rietveld, Eke Statema † , Rex Verkayk

thanks to: Elza van den Berg, Frank Bonarius, Marieke Brand, Arjen Bronkhorst, Mels Crouwel, Manon Duintjer, Quirijn Eijsbouts, Jessica van Geel, Udo Feitsma, Paul Gies, Herman te Loo, Erwin de Maar, Patrick Minks, Alenca Mulder, Bertus Mulder † , Lydia van Oosten, Pascale Pere, Antoinette Reitsma, Jan Willem Reitsma, Tara Reitsma, Edgar Riessen, Bart Rutten, Stephan van Rijt, Guido Tichelman, Celine Villevoye

This production was made possible with the support of CoBO Fonds

co-productie SNG Film en AVROTROS