The White Castle Big Ben/Ben Webster in Europe

These documentaries nicely frame two of van der Keuken's lifelong interests: jazz music and the global economy.

The second part of his North/South triptych, The White Castle moves back and forth among three different places to produce an eloquent commentary on how the demands of labor and the marketplace fragment the lives of ordinary workers. It's set on a tourist island in Spain, in two factories in Amsterdam, and on the south side of inner-city Columbus. The title refers to the ubiquitous fast-food chain van der Keuken encountered here. (1973, 78 mins.)

Van der Keuken's lifelong interest in music is expressed in Big Ben/Ben Webster in Europe, an empathetic portrait of the American saxophonist who called Amsterdam home. (1967, 31 mins.)