Schellebelle 1919

I give a 10. Not because it is so arty or interesting, but because it was made by the people. Scriptgirls, electro, costumes, grime, you name it, almost everyone did something and enjoyed it. The film is pure entertainment with a some politics and corruption thrown in for good measure. I do not think this film will be watched any place else but in our own little Flanders and perhaps in Holland, if they can understand our dialect. The Dutch subtitles are far less juicy than the spoken language, so, for them or anyone else there is a little loss of pleasure. Very worthwhile is the bonus or "making of". In fact, people got a little emotional. Anyway, it is a very good portrait of what and how we are here in Flanders. We didn't change much since 1919. Well, here is my 10 and my reason for giving it. In fact, it might be a little chauvinistic, we are just proud of ourselves.

Schellebelle 1919 is not your typical movie, and I don't know if one should judge it as such. This project never really was about the result, it was all about the journey.

If one doesn't know the story behind the creation of this picture, one might be disappointed; its clearly not the best movie ever made. The scrip is a bit weak, screenplay often leaves to be desired, acting is a mixed bag with some strong performances and some rather poor ones. Photography is pretty good though, and the movie has a very authentic atmosphere. Overall I definitely found it enjoyable, but no more than that.

But if you know this movie is the brainchild of 2 guys in a pub making a bet that they could engage an entire (small rural) village to produce and act a movie; from the costumes to the set building to the acting, (almost) everything was done by local amateurs most of whom have never acted in their life (and most of whom will never act again). It was all done on a shoe string budget too, if you take that in to account, the result is simply stunning.

Ester Cattoir (Coralie Van De Velde) delivers such a strong performance, I have to wonder why I haven't seen her in other movies or at least TV work since. I was almost as impressed with Karel De Jaeger (Adolf Annemans) who I could have sworn to be a professional actor, and a good one at that.

Overall, as a viewer I would probably rate this movie only 5 or 6 stars if I didn't know anything about it, but it being what it is, I have to give it a solid 10 for effort.

The dialect is much like that of my parents who came from the area but I needed the English subtitles anyway.

The war leaves many children of the village without one or both parents. Many shelter on the small farm of one such family. Corrupt village politicians who earlier collaborated with the Germans want the little farm and scheme to get it.

It reminded me of many stories I heard about those days from my Father who was alive and active in the area at that time. I enjoyed it so much I plan to see it again. Given greater exposure and better executed subtitles, I can see this film winning awards.

See it!

What started as a crazy wager between friends, ended up as a full movie, created and acted by the whole population of the friendly Flemish village of Schellebelle. The renowned actor Heldenbergh (who at the time lived in that village) wrote the scenario and directed, together with the mayor K. Taylor, who happens to be a professional director.

The movie tells the story of the farming family Van de Velde, in the aftermath of the First World War. The farmer and his son, who have fought in the trenches of the Yser, are still missing in 1919, and the mother has died, so the eldest daughter Coralie runs the farm now on her own. She has welcomed 25 orphans during the war, but the Child Welfare Commission wants to put them in an orphanage. And some local notables with a sneaky plan want to take possession of the farm. But Coralie and the orphans fight back...

I found the movie entertaining and sometimes even moving: quite an achievement of all those nonprofessional actors (the rare professionals play some minor roles).

Perhaps "Schellebelle 1919" doesn't entirely deserve a flawless 10/10 rating, but I still wholeheartedly want to give it, simple because this is the most enthusiastic, spirited, imaginative and courageous cinematic project ever undertaken in Belgium. To start with a bit of background information: the film is the result of an entire village collaborating with each other. It's not the work of a professional production studio, but the accomplishment of devoted volunteers with the welcome financial help of local companies sponsoring the project. Acknowledged actor Johan Heldenbergh happens to live in Schellebelle (which is located in East-Flanders, close to Ghent) and he provided a script and co-directed the film with the help of the town's mayor Kenneth Taylor (who did do some TV-work previously). But Heldenbergh didn't claim ownership to play the lead role and, in fact, the only famous – in Flanders at least – faces you will see in "Schellebelle 1919" are those of actors and actresses appearing in minuscule and insignificant cameo appearances. The actual cast exists of anonymous and everyday Schellebelle villagers, either members of the local theater club or randomly appointed volunteers! This set up alone makes the film totally unique, especially because most of these amateurs give away stupendous performances, and then let's not forget these people also still have a wondrously endearing and powerfully compelling story to tell as well!

Admittedly the plot of "Schellebelle 1919" is somewhat clichéd, predictable and overly sentimental towards the end, but I guarantee that you won't be bothered by this for a single minute. It's a story of family love, unconditional friendship, ordinary middle-class heroes, processing war traumas and even a story about good versus evil. Whilst fighting for their country in the hellish trenches of World War I, father and son Van de Velde receive a letter from teenage daughter Coralie stating that their beloved wife and mother died from an illness. When they return home in 1919, the son depressed and the father struggling with alcoholism, they learn that Coralie single-handedly took custody over 25 (!) orphaned children in their family farm. Now that the war is over, local authorities insist to transfer the children to an orphanage and the corrupt mayor Slosse has put his greedy eye on the geographically interesting Van de Velde farming estate. Coralie and her brother Casimir are ready to fight back, with the help of all the youthful but toughened children. "Schellebelle 1919" is a masterful achievement, with a nearly authentic contemporary post-WWI atmosphere (like beautifully sober photography, great costumes and an astounding soundtrack) and numerous sequences that will genuinely send cold shivers down your spine. The kids are guaranteed to break your heart (and water your eyes) and particularly little Frans' life story is very saddening. Lately Belgian cinema receives a lot of international recognition and respect, thanks to such films as "Broken Circle Breakdown" and "Rundskop", but personally I prefer this kind of modest but integer and noble little movies.