‘RIDING BIKES WITH THE DUTCH’ TONIGHT AT THE ART THEATRE: IS IT BETTER THAN KOBE-HATING?
MICHAEL BAUCH & SON FILMING IN AMSTERDAM
BY DAVE WIELENGA
The timing of Michael Bauch’s documentary film, “Riding Bikes With The Dutch,” couldn’t have been better—unless you count the fact that tonight’s 7 o’clock encore screening at the Art Theatre coincides with Game 4 of NBA finals between the Lakers and Boston Celtics. I do.
But a promise is a promise, and I invited my parents to see the film—a surprisingly inspirational comparison between the cycle-centric culture of Amsterdam and the pedal-pushing movement in Long Beach—before I realized it would conflict with my Kobe-hating. Then again, they’re basketball fans, too, so maybe … naahhh—I’ve been wanting to see this flick since I missed the premiere in May.
Besides, I promised Bauch, too, and he went through all the trouble of taking his wife and infant son to live in The Netherlands—they temporarily swapped their Long Beach home for one in Amsterdam—and inventing a camera-holding device on his bike so he could take 67 hours of footage of people on theirs, then editing the whole thing down to 40 minutes and setting it to cool music.
Not that he makes it sound like much of a hassle.
“I really got into exploring Amsterdam’s walking-biking lifestyle—just the way the city is designed and how that affects the way the people do things,” says Bauch, 37, who got his first taste of culture shock in 1998 when he came to live in Long Beach … from Covina. “When it came time to return home, I was a little depressed, a little pessimistic, because of how car-centered we are in Southern California.”
But coming back to Long Beach brought another shock, this one rather pleasant.
“All these great things were starting to happen—the expanse of bike lanes, the sharrows in Belmont Shore, the reorientation to a bike-friendly city,” says Bauch. “The timing was perfect—it was like all these things we had loved about Amsterdam were following us home. I realized this would have to be a part of my film, too. It was nice to be able to give it a happy ending.”
And speaking of that, the screening should be over in time to catch the fourth quarter.
RIDING BIKES WITH THE DUTCH • THE ART THEATRE • 2025 E. 4th STREET 90814 • TONIGH 7PM • $5 • WWW.ARTTHEATRELONGBEACH.COM/• (562) 438-5435
I know it is hard to believe, but not everybody cares about the Lakers.
I agree! I care way more about baseball!
I have happy memories-going to the Art Theater in the 70′s. We used to sneak in booze, read sub-titles of French films and make-out in the dark.
It was FUN being in existential despair. Though, now, no longer young, I’m still in existential despair but,it’s no longer fun.
Joe Mack
Not that hard to believe, Jviale…because I care about the Celtics.
Well, I guess you are happy today then. How was the movie?
Darn, would like to have seen this flick if I heard about it in advance. I’m a cyclist and don’t care about basketball.
Will there be any more showings? I had to work. I would’ve loved to have seen this.