Van de koele meren des doods

(1982) The Cool Lakes of Death/ Van de koele meren des doods (In Dutch with English subtitles) PSYCHOLOGICAL COSTUME DRAMA

Adapted from the novel by Frederik van Eeden, co-written and directed by Nouchka van Brakel that has Hedwig mistreated by relatives and her father after catching Typhlitis and it killing her own mother. He does this by making sure Hedwig would have a strict religious upbringing. From the time her mother died when she was a young child to the time she becomes an adult as she is played by Renée Soutendijk. Her full name believe it or not is "Hedwig Marga de Fontayne" after she was passed on to be raised from her father to relatives. And after she meets an lowly inspired artist, Johan Tereijde (Erik van 't Wout) who used to be an orphan who would often profess his love for her, she then chooses to wed a much more wealthier soldier aristocrat, Gerald Johannes Hendrikus Wijbrands (Adriaan Olree) we soon find out he is only married to her in principle and is also impotent. And during their loveless marriage, it is not long before she catches the attention of a pianist, Ritsaart (Derek de Lint) who often stays with Joop (Peter Faber) the artist Hedwig's first love interest was, Johan was a protege. And while Hedwig and Ritsaart were acting as husband and wife, she then made the mistake by opeing her big mouth about the forbidden affair to the worse gossiper even though she was still married to her first husband. And as a result cost him many piano concert gigs, for as a result of some unfortunate circumstance, lead her to be addicted to morphine. Can she pull herself out of it.

Released one year before the highly critically acclaimed "the Fourth Man" directed by Paul Verhoeven, the movie is okay except that we've seen this all before. The difference is that the time periods are different, and women in general were more repressed during 1870's. The ending of this movie is reminiscent to 1979 "My Brilliant Career" starring Judy Christie and Sam Neil which i felt is way more superior and inspiring.

I was really surprised to see this film had so many negative user reviews.

The Dutch are not particularly proud of their national cinema. If you'd ask a random Dutch person on the streets about his/her opinion about the country's films, the answer would probably be that only cheesy romcoms are produced there. Yet who is more familiar with Dutch cinema, knows this is nonsense. Among the wonderful Dutch directors are Paul Verhoeven, George Sluizer, Alex van Warmerdam, Bert Haanstra, Nanouk Leopold, and Marleen Gorris.

Also Nouchka van Brakel deserves more appreciation for her oeuvre, as it is surprising and sophisticated. She was the first female film director active in the Netherlands. The Cool Lakes of Death can be considered one of her finest.

The Cool Lakes of Death is a great film. It is based on a book from 1900 by the famous literary writer Frederik van Eeden, who was part of the naturalism movement which highly valued psychoanalysis.

It is a period drama set in the 19th-century Dutch upper class climate, yet its story has not become old. For this reason, both the film and the book have kept their quality.

This poetic and smartly edited film deals with female desire. Adolescence and passion clash with a restrained and protestant upbringing. Love and death chase each other. All these conflicting emotions are convincingly displayed in the performance of lead actress Renée Soutendijk. The scenery of the story at the start is the typicly flat and watery Dutch landscape, fields and forests, dunes and sea, and later the English countryside and Paris. Yet clarity gradually give way to the fogginess of a fever dream during this search for love and happiness.

It could be compared in its themes to Buñuel's Belle de jour, but then different in its formal and stylistic choices. Mubi called it a marriage between James Ivory and Lars von Trier. Certainly not boring, don't hesitate to give this film a chance!

This is a rather splendid film which has been forgotten by film history. Because it is Dutch, it has gone by quite unremarked, although it was a success on release. This is European 'art-film' at its best: high quality, well written and expertly directed. And superbly entertaining at that. But most of all: a stunning performance from lead actress Soutendijk, who could and should have gone on to greater things. For about ten years, she appeared in challenging and often demanding roles in remarkable Dutch and German films (Meisje met het rode haar, Vierde Man, Spetters, Wo immer du bist). Then she went to America and blew it. Nowadays, European art cinema is dead and she's left making TV-fare. A cinema that has no room for the talents of Soutendijk is quite dead and buried. See this magnificent film at all costs.

This film is almost as good as it's original (the book). I would even dare say it might very well be one of the best Dutch movies of all time. The line-up is great, all actors are still working as an actor, but most of them never came near this achievement again. Where ever you may be from, it really would be worth your while to trace this film and watch it.

This movie is really bad. It has it's moments but it's another Dutch B-movie. Explicit sex and bad audio. The audio is not cync with the movie and the actors speak like they are performing a play in front of a large crowd. This makes it unnatural to hear. The acting is a bit stiff and slow, it had a good beginning but moves towards complete boringness. The story is okay, it's of course from a book written in the beginning of 1900's. But still this movie isn't there, directing is boring and standard, acting is boring and stiff. The only thing that is pretty big for a Dutch movie are the sets with lots of extras running around and some nice photographic shots.

This movie needs a remake.