dˈuː tə ðɪ ɪŋkɹˈiːsɪŋ tɹˈɛnd ʌvðə poʊˈɛɾɪk mˈoʊd dˌɑːkjuːmˈɛntɚɹiz fˈɑːloʊɪŋ ðɪ ᵻvˈɛnts ʌv wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ɹˌoʊmən tˈuː, mˈɛnɪəv hˈɑːnstɹəz fˈɪlmz kəntˈeɪnd poʊˈɛɾɪk ˈɛlɪmənts ðˈæt "ɛŋkˈɜːɹɪdʒ vjˈuːɚz tə sˈiː ðə mˈɪstɚɹi, wˈʌndɚ, ɔːɹ bjˈuːɾi ʌv ˈæspɛkts ʌvðə hɪstˈɔːɹɪkəl wˈɜːld" baɪ stɹˈɛsɪŋ ðə fˈɪlmz "mˈuːd, tˈoʊn, ænd ɪfˈɛkt mˈʌtʃ mˈoːɹ ðɐn dɪsplˈeɪz ʌv fˈæktʃuːəl ˌɪnfɚmˈeɪʃən ɔːɹ ˈækts ʌv ɹɛtˈɔːɹɪkəl pɚswˈeɪʒən.
Due to the increasing trend of the poetic mode documentaries following the events of World War II, many of Haanstra's films contained poetic elements that "encourage viewers to see the mystery, wonder, or beauty of aspects of the historical world" by stressing the film's "mood, tone, and effect much more than displays of factual information or acts of rhetorical persuasion.