Max Havelaar

in making this film, rademaker opened up old dutch colonial wounds, dormant except for the novel, helped promote a good NGO cause, & exposed native corruption that continues into present indonesia. the max havelaar foundation was ahead of its time in promoting fair trade & continues to take a leadership role today. in the film, havelaar represents the idealist side of both dutch colonial rule & protestant ethos in the face of corruption & hypocrisy toward that global enterprise. aside from a brilliant film, powerful scenery & location, excellent acting, rademaker wove the narration close to the well-known novel. appropriate for its time,this film fits well with European self-examination of its colonial past, resonates with pontecorvo's burn/queimada, a masteropiece of duplicity & brando at his prime!

This film works. It gives a realistic, grim depiction of life in a European colony, namely Indonesia. The description of web of hypocrisy of church-going Dutch and the utmost repression the natives under their rule endure. People who derive benefits from others misery and use powerful denial mechanisms to evade from the truth. Max Havelaar was a man, the film makers and writers seem to love - a beacon of hope. One stand up guy who resists succumbing to the mire of human power struggles and utmost cruelty towards other people, in a situation where he has the position to wield unquestionable power. In this he reminds of Josef Schindler who also found some humanity in a dire, cruel situation. This film also matches John Sayles' "Men With Guns" in portraying human cruelty.

The problem of some peoples of South Asia and Africa was that of their intrinsic corruption, their poor culture and great ignorance which made these peoples non-productive and incapable of everything slaves.

Even today these countries are horrible in all existing statistics.

European colonialism has always improved and brought great techniques and great culture, but men with blinkers do not understand good things, and follow evil and horrible traditions. As it was in Indonesia, it is still one of the worst countries in Asia today.

The film is good, has great intentions of justice, and is also very realistic.

I saw this movie about 30 years ago. I remember that I loved it. I spent 2 years in Java and it really captured a lot of the spirit there. The cinematography and colors in the move were fabulous. Indonesia was ruled by the Dutch for 450 years so they are not always that fond of their former colonizers. Anyone interested in a great book ought to read Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester. It too, captured the country in the 1800's and explains in great part some of the tensions that still exist there.

If anyone knows where to get a copy of it, please post here. I've been trying off and on for years to get a copy through Ebay and internet searches but to no avail.

I saw this film once, thirty years ago, when it first came out. It was regarded as avantgarde at the time, and was shown in a small "alternative" movie theaters in Aarhus, Denmark. I have never forgotten the power of this film, and can remember it in amazing detail, in particular the ending. No, it's not a happy film, full of complete heroes who win the day. It is like the world today, and is as relevant now as it was then. I can remember that it was one of the rare films that did not have a musical score. The sound was what actually took place; the sound of machinery,walking, the weather, music played in the film. It is sad that this seems to have become a forgotten film. I don't know one other person who has seen this film. It is unknown and unavailable in all the local movie rental places. Not even Netflex had a copy. I would love to see this film again, and if anyone knows how to get a copy I hope they post that info here. Brian