De Kribbebijter

To say Dutch audiences in the 30s loved De Kribbebijter would be an understatement: the movie stayed in theaters from july 1935 to december 1942, packing full houses until the very end of its run. International critics did not seem to understand what exactly made this Dutch comedy so special, but when one takes a closer look at the cinematic climate in the Netherlands in those days, they will find that the Kribbebijter-madness made perfect sense.

In the mid-thirties, the most popular movie genre in the Netherlands was that of the so-called 'Jordaan-film'; jolly musicals with a simple, predictable plot and catchy songs, always set in the Amsterdam 'Jordaan' area and often starring Dutch variety icons like Louis Davids, Fien de la Mar and Sylvain Poons. But even though films like 'De Jantjes', 'Bleeke Bet' and 'Het Leven is Niet Zoo Kwaad' were enjoyable and full of talented performers, the Jordaan-films were also very much seen as a crowd-pleasing, often clumsily made cinematic equivalent of junkfood. Hollywood movies on the other hand were often too melodramatic and self-important to please the phlegmatic Dutch (Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg...).

By 1935, Jordaan-film-fatigue was setting in -- the last true Jordaan film, 'Oranje Hein', would be released in 1936 -- and Dutch audiences were longing for something closer to the coherent plot structures of Hollywood, but with that unmistakably Dutch combination of abstemious downplaying and theatrical folly.

What they got was De Kribbebijter. Needless to say, they were pleased.

While retaining the romantic entanglements of the Jordaan-films, the storyline of De Kribbebijter has an un-Dutch sense of coherence; it does not derive its jolly fun from intermezzo's or random jokes, but rather from cleverly written setpieces and inspired comedic performances by theatre powerhouses Cor Ruys and Louis de Bree especially. The acting is -- apart from an astoundingly hammy Mary Dresselhuys -- not as wacky as the Jordaan-films, and not nearly as melodramatic and overly sentimental as most 30s Hollywood productions. Visually and technically the directing is so-so, but unlike most Dutch movies at the time, the camera was dynamic enough not to make it feel like filmed theatre.

In short: De Kribbebijter is a unique picture; unique in being very Dutch in its approach, but also very non-Dutch in its execution. It's a movie I enjoyed immensely, and I hope a subtitled version will be released soon so foreign cinephiles can enjoy it as well!

I am not a film historian and usually not a big fan of older movies. I also, unusually, didn't do a lot of research for this so the only thing left is my review of watching this film without any context...and it is an amazig piece of art. The story is very gripping and tragic. It is a story about love, forgiveness, trust, class differences and wrath. All of this is done in a mostly comedic way, yet there are a few perfectly placed scenes where visionaries Koster and Winar let the reality of the situations and problematic character relationships sink in. Yet at the end of it, it has a positive message and leaves you with a warm feeling inside of you that will make your day, so if you can, watch it with friends or family. That is not to say that this film isn't funny. Quite the contrary, it might just be one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Wether it is humor through dialogue, situational comedy, slapstick or just characters reacting, it works everytime and I guarantee to you, you will be laughing a lot. Cinematography, editing and music are all very strong and at an absolute A-Game, to compliment the story it wants to tell. What really holds this film together though, is the cast. Louis De Bree, Philip Dorn, Mary Dresselhuys, Dolly Mollinger and Louis Borel play the main part of the characters and do a very good job at bringing their parts to live, everyone is just so comitted to the material they have and is giving 100%. Specially De Bree, as the well intended Uncle "Moekie" who is the only one looking out for everyones best in the whole chaos, really is a stand out, often playing the straight man to many of the more out there performances and grounding the scenes while bringing an irresistable charme to the character. Now it is time to mention the three scene stealers. Chris Baay plays Schimmelmann a whacky, mysterious, sort of bumbling, yet thanks to Baays amazing performance, irresistable, funny and loveable character. He has all these little nuances that make the character so endearing and memorable and he steals every scene he is in. Same can be said about Mary Smit, who plays the former lion tamer turned steward, Roosje. She only has 2 scenes but she commands them with ease, bringing a menace, terror and authority to the character through her appearence and movement alone, let alone her acting skills, that I have not seen repllicated or done better ever since. For both of these it can be said that they are delivering a unique, weird, experimental, risky and out there performance tht pays off 100%. The third scene stealer is the legendary August Kiehl as the Butler Frans, a short yet humorous and memorable part that the veteran plays to perfection with ease. Within 2 seconds the audience has closed the character into their hearts, smiling dearly at this old, dedicated, kind and humerous soul. Last but certainly not least there is Cor Ruys as the lead ,towering above them all, Baron "Kribbebijter" himself. This is his movie and it is the role of a lifetime. Ruys commands every scene he is in effortlessly, bringing a wide range of tones and emotions to the film, humor, menace, authority, humanity and even warmth. Every single line he has or moment he has, wether it is just asking his daughter where she has been, cursing about bakers, insulting his serving woman, reacting to his son having a break-up, fighting a pen or ordering a glass of buttermilk, Ruys makes it unforgettable and amazing. It is one of, if not THE greatest performances of the 20th century and if all I have said before isn't enough to convince you to see it, then see it for him alone, he is totally worth it. That is all I could possibly say about it. I can't recommend this movie enough, infintly rewatchable and just an absolute joy over all it is a must-see in my opinion.

When Willy (Frits van Dongen), son of Baron Van Hegershuizen, married secretary Loes (Dolly Mollinger) his father promptly disowned him. So Willy gets an office job as an accountant. However, on their first wedding anniversary his father pulls some strings to make sure he loses his job. You see, the old Baron (Cor Ruys) is infamous for his bad temper. He has a tendency to fire members of his staff at the slightest discretion and demands to have final say in both his children's love live. Naturaly he also forbids daughter Mary (Mary Dresselhuys) to get engaged to lawyer Hans van Maren (Louis Borel). The only one who usually manages to escape his wrath is his live in brother Moekie (Louis de Bree) if only because Moekie is in charge of giving the Baron his medicine.

Based on the play by Reimann & Schwarz, this 1935 production is funny in an old fashioned kind of way, features a fine cast of distinguished thespians, some impressive photography and direction by German Hermann Kosterlitz and Dutch Ernst Winar. The reason for having two directors was that there were so many German filmmakers moving out of Nazi Germany in the Thirties that it was decided that each time one snatched a directing job away from a Dutch film helmer, a Dutchman was appointed as co- director to make up for it. In fact, there were more German/Dutch combinations in the credits to be found in several other professions.

Kosterlitz & Wimar auditioned a lot of experienced stage actresses for role of Loes, but found none of them to have the right screen chemistry to play the lead female. As such, Mary Dresselhuys was given the supporting role of Mary and soon to be a major star Lily Bouwmeester was flatly refused on account of her 'plain' looks. Instead, they picked the studio secretary Dolly, who had little acting experience, but did indeed look prettier on screen than both of the other actresses mentioned and managed to hold her own against professional stage actors such as Ruys and De Bree.

When Loes goes to meet the Baron to plead him to give her husband his job back, he mistakes her for the new housekeeper, a woman with a limp who used to be a lion-tamer (the only applicant butch enough to take a job for the Kribbebijter). Uncle Moeki takes advantage of the misunderstanding and lo and behold, the grumpy old Baron takes a liking to the young girl and slowly begins to mellow. Of course he still objects to the pairing of Mary and Hans and plans to marry her off to dimwitted (but wealthy) farmer Schimmelman (Chris Baay). However, thanks to another misunderstanding, Schimmelman thinks the Baron is offering him the services of his cook.

Not knowing where his wife has gone off to, Willy (one of the least developed parts in the play) goes back home to look for her and thanks to Moeki, starts playing along until everything is resolved in a happy end for all concerned. De Kribbebijter was a big hit with the Dutch movie going audience and stayed in theaters until for seven years, until 1942. And indeed it is still an amiable piece of entertainment, despite the somewhat dated humor and incredibly posh accents all round.

8 out of 10