janfilmfan

Being a Dutchman I can say in generate that we're not very fond of our own movies. As Dorp aan de rivier is one of our history gems, with an Oscar nomination for best foreign film as well,(lost with three other nominees from Black Orhpeus), the year in which Bert Haanstra won the Oscar for the best documentary Glas, you could have expected more response on this IMDb-page, but alas, I'm the first one. The movie is released by Quality films in a Fons Rademakers-box, together with the likes as Max Havelaar and Oscar winner De Aanslag (The Assault). What to say about Dorp? The Anton Coolen books about this peculiar village doctor were very famous in the last century. The more recent "Help de dokter verzuipt/ Help, the doctor is drowning") picks of the same tales. If this movie had been Swedish, Turkish or from Poland, I think I would have watched less critical, and just liked the kind stories, black and white colors, the patience, the lightning. As a Dutchman you think, hey Mary Dresselhuys in her forties, look, it's 'Bromsnor' (Lou Geels) as the constable)!. You grin about the strange mix of (forced) local accents or think well at least, you can hear what they say, which is not very common in Dutch films ("onverstaanbaar goed"). The spectacular dull 1959 trailer, put as an extra on the DVD, gives a good expression how Holland rocked in these ages. Maybe extra special how Rademakers made this movie.

Yes, now that I'm writing this, there are still a few beautiful scenes on my mind, like the scene how the son peeps through the window how his father secretly buries his wife in their own garden. At least Dorp aan de rivier make me want to see some more movies from our past.

"About old people and things that pass by," would be the translation, although I don't guess any foreigner is gonna watch this item. But this is a message for the Dutch IMDb-users, the whole series will appear on a 3 DVD box late spring 2006. Then we'll be able to see the two grands Caro van Eyck and Paul Steenbergen. I hope it will be good as in my memory. The woven family plots all concentrate on one thing you're not supposed to talk about. It's after the book of Louis Couperus, famous Dutch writer, from the first half of the last century, not yet forgotten. Everybody in Holland was watching this TV-landmark in the seventies. I'm curious how the sale of this DVD will be. I'm gonna buy it, that's for sure. The 9 out of 10 will do for now.

"My mother believed everyone who got out of the house left something on the empty chairs," or something like this the narrator gives us. It seems that director Nava has watched a few hundred movies, and picked out one or two things from each of them. Be ready for a bunch of cliché's, as in words, situations and play. Maybe when you've not seen that much it will be a joy to watch. If you've seen the same films as Nava, it's getting harder. Me and my wife couldn't help sighing out loud with another birth or death. The Oscar was for make-up. As in an old Dutch pop record: "You mind about your make up, but you better make up your mind."