'Dannie Ben Ik', 1961.
Emile Brumsteede was a Dutch amateur filmer, known during the 1950s for his experimental short films. He was also active as an advertising designer in Amsterdam, Brussels and The Hague. From 1953 on he was a critic for the magazine Het Vaderland and an editor of the monthly magazine Smalfilmen. He also created one comic strip, 'Dannie Ben Ik' (1961), published in the children's magazine Olidin. 'Dannie Ben Ik' is notable for its experimental nature.
Early life and film career
Emile Brumsteede was born in 1911 on East-Java in the Dutch Indies (present-day Indonesia). He started his filming activities in The Netherlands in 1934, but had to sell his camera to buy food during World War II. He returned to filming after the Liberation (1944), and in 1947 became a member of the Hague Amateur Filmclub. Brumsteede was especially known for his experimental and inventive way of filming, like applying animation techniques on living persons. He gained notoriety with 'De Sigaret' (1948), a film in a continuous loop about a jealous husband who sees a threatening lover of his wife in every object. The artist portrayed himself and his wife in 'Grand Ballet des Ballais' (1953), in which a rhythmic montage of the pair doing the annual cleaning gives the illusion of a ballet. Brumsteede was also art director of Carillion-films in Rijswijk. He also wrote a couple of books about filming.
'Dannie Ben Ik', 1961.
Dannie ben ik
Brumsteede is additionally the author of the experimental text comic 'Dannie Ben Ik', about an anthropomorphic zebra in the town of Zebrastad. It was published in 1961 in the issues #17 through 22 of Olidin, the promotional children's magazine for petrol company Shell, which was produced by the Van Maanen agency. Other important contributors to Olidin were Wim Giesbers, Frits Godhelp, Friso Henstra, Niek Hiemstra, Hans G. Kresse, Jan Kruis, Ted Mathijsen, Joost Rietveld, Chris Roodbeen, Jan van der Voo, P. Visser, Dick Vlottes, Carol Voges, Joop Wiggers and Piet Wijn. 'Dannie' returned in an illustrated text story called 'Dannie's Grote vakantie' in issues #4 through 13 of 1963.
Death
Emile Brumsteede passed away in The Hague on 9 November 1962. The Emile Brumsteede Fund was started in 1972 to preserve his artistic legacy.
'Dannie ben ik' (Olidin #17, 1961).