Amsterdam Artists from the Film 'Housing Shortage' on a Trip to Volendam (1920)

Overview

In the summer of 1920, the staff of the Rembrandt Theatre in Amsterdam went on strike, which was especially unfortunate for the management of the theatre, since they had invited the German film stars Ossi Oswalda, Marga Köhler, and Victor Janson to the Dutch premiere of their film Wohnungsnot (Ernst Lubitsch, 1920). For this special occasion, there were even two extra segments shot with Ossi Oswalda playing the lead role. In one of those films, we see how Oswalda, dressed in traditional Volendam costume, cheerfully makes contact with the local inhabitants. But not every Volendammer seems charmed by the advances of the German diva. Because of the strike, the film could only be screened one time in the presence of the three stars.