The Ritman Library: Amsterdam

This is about a collection of books curated and owned by what appear to be rich Amsterdam collectors. It could be fascinating, yet it is clear that the curators of this unique collection have no idea at all about the collection itself. The entire video is about the antiquity and rarity and craftsmanship but really not one meaningful word about the content of the collection itself. You also need serious subtitles. The video is presented in what seems to be English but not one person who appears on camera speaks English very well at all. It seems the owners are very proud of their collection of rare books but have no real idea of the contents, or much interest in the contents of these many volumes. It is the most inarticulate presentation of a rare collection I have ever seen.

This documentary is very interesting on many levels. On one hand, we get to see some of the most amazing treasure books kept in the Ritman Library and to know the stories behind them. In the interviews, the founder and curators of the library speak about their heartfelt passion for these texts and philosophies with deep knowlege and no mumbo jumbo.

On the other hand, the film is a great introduction to some of the main esoteric traditions and to authors such as Bruno, Rosenkreutz, Ficino, Fludd or Bohme. Certainly, the filmmakers do a great job illustrating the main schools of thought of the hermetic domain through gorgeous books. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed the documentary, it is well done. I am not a believer in any of the esoteric philosophies, nor religion. But I find very interesting not only the existence of such a great library, of which I didn't knwo the existence, full of rare and antique manuscripts and books, but also the seeds its owners and librarians can give you to make your interest in the matter grow. So I recommend the movie to anybody, of course it is a documentary, no fiction images inside.