Documentary · Drama

Canal Barge

Poetic feature about the last Dutch horse-drawn barge making a journey through the landscape of Holland with its mills and canals. A man is leading the horse along the tow-path. On the aft deck of the vessel is the skipper, two women in traditional dress and a man chewing tobacco. In the fo'c's'le is a young woman staring wistfully into the distance. On the roof of the cabin, a man is playing accordion. The woman at the stern talk together and sometimes they point at the sad girl. In one version of the film there is a glimpse of the young woman walking arm-in-arm with a young man while being spied upon by another woman. While the people on board are occasionally shown in close up, the landscape glides past te spectator at the gentle pace of a tow-boat.