Honig Works

Contents

HONIG WORKS was made shortly after the Second World War. It informs about the enormous developments the Honig factories went through. Playfully, it parries any criticisms that a pessimist might raise.

The film forms a nice time picture about the period when the Netherlands was rebuilding. Many products, including food, were very limited or not available at all. The message of this film was: (food) scarcity will be overcome! A smoking chimney was a sign of progress.

Trivia

In the history of Joop Geesink's studio, this film is an opIn the history of Joop Geesink's studio, this film is a remarkable one in several areas. We name a few elements:remarkable. We name a few elements::

1. This film is in Technicolor
2. The film features figures with elaborate phases masks to 'talk'
3. Geesink turns machines into living characters
4. Geesink develops own style
5. Dollywood
6. Joska Misik

1. Technicolor

First of all, the opening title is a remarkable one. Here it is advertised that this is Joop Geesink's first film made in (techni)color. Geesink was at a disadvantage compared to his creative predecessor, George Pal. After all, George Pal was already making films in colour before the war. The effect of using colour film in cinema at this time was spectacular. The combination of animation and colour film was almost a guarantee that audiences remained hugely interested until the last second, just not to miss anything of this special feature.

2. Talking Heads

In this film, there is an explicit role for both characters to speak a lot of text. The technical problems the puppet makers faced were enormous. Modern plastics to make casting moulds simply did not yet exist. The solution was found in splitting the puppet head into two parts. The back of the head with neck, which was attached to the torso, and an interchangeable face with different expressions. Probably the faces were exchanged by placing on two pins. This technique was called 'phase masks'. In earlier films such as Serenata Nocturna (1942), the masks were modelled manually.

The result was encouraging, but you can see in the projection that the eyes and eyebrows move across the face while talking. The connection of the two halves is also clearly visible. Puppet maker Harry Tolsma, who joined the studio in 1947, saw a concrete goal in perfecting this technique. See the film Kermesse Fantastique (1951) what result this eventually produced. In the intervening time, the production process evolved with varying results.

3. Living machines

A factory with machines does not generally have a cheerful look. Joop Geesink figured out that it was very funny to present machines as living beings and applied a face to the installation, as well as arms and hands. As a result, the machines became sympathetic supporting players. This was used more often in other films, as in Visit to Bols (1947), which also features a tour of a factory.  The atmosphere in these factories is immediately a lot more cheerful than in "Secret Weapons" (1948).

4. Own style

The film Honig Works 'betrays' that several employees of the former George Pal studio are now working at Joop Geesink. The 'pessimist' is a design, which could have come straight out of the George Pal films. It must have been a personal victory for the makers that this figure had much more flexibility in its limbs, than the Pal figures, which were almost entirely made of wood.

5. Dollywood

The film title opens with "Joop Geesink Presents". All films have so far been released in cinemas under Joop's own name. It is not documented, but all indications point to the name 'Dollywood' being introduced during fan 1947. Despite at the year 1947 was a difficult period to make films, several successful productions were realised.

6. Joska Misik

Of all the collaborators who worked on HONIG WERKT, only one name is featured: that of animator and cameraman Joska Misik. The spelling of this Hungarian animator's first name is remarkable. Joska is called József Misik in other films. It is the same man. Presumably, the name Joska was a Dutch translation. Although this creative Misik has many animated films to his name, unfortunately hardly any information has been preserved about him. We do know that he had fled from Hungary to the Netherlands with George Pal at the time. Another animator who came along was Jules Balázs. He too later joined Geesink.
Joska Misik, however, would become one of the best-known names within Geesink from the studio's early days. As chief animator, he would later have his own cameraman. In 1947, Geesink Studios' staff was still so small that he operated the camera himself. Perhaps the budget may also have played a role..

Sack

The Honig puppet is a design incorporating Honig elements. The hat on the head is a beehive. The beehive was Honig's logo. The body, the torso, is a burlap sack. Presumably raw materials were delivered in such sacks. On the chest is the text "Honig products" once more. This figure would return in another film by Joop Geesink: Land of Cockaigne (1952).

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