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Reviews
VD (1972)
Soap avant la letter
This film from Wim Verstappen, under the Scorpio banner with his associate Pim DE la Parra, is a parody on soap-serials. The plot is too complicated to tell in a few words, but there is intrigue, love affairs, and even Intel in the story. I myself find the script as written by Verstappen ingenious, and even brilliant. Most of the film is happening in interiors, there is a whole lot of (funny) dialog, and still it is an entertaining and comic, and very watchable movie from the first minute to the last. Leading part in this film is for acclaimed Dutch actor Kees Brusse, who is the director Van Doorn (VD) of a factory in meat, also a manufacturer of anti-birth products. The family-structure is enormously complicated, and there is even Intel. Hopefully this film get soon released on DVD, so a wider audience can watch this amazingly funny movie, one of the best of the production company Scorpio.
Pastorale 1943 (1978)
excellent Dutch non-Verhoeven war movie
Recently Dutch filmmaker Wim Verstappen past away at age 67. He is one of the more underrated filmmakers in Holland. His best film is undeniably PASTORALE 1943, based on a novel by the famous Dutch writer Simon Vestdijk. A view on the activities of Dutch-resistance during WWII. No heroes, these people, but men and women who make mistakes quite a few, and with human feelings and faults all the way. Central to the story is the assassination attempt at Dutch middleman, collaborating with the Germans. A group of resistance-men think he's responsible for executing some people who were hiding for the Nazis. The cast of the film is great, especially Renee Soutendijk as a farmers-daughter, and Frederik De Groot as a young school teacher, who is also the leading member of the resistance-group. Rutger Hauer has an impressing bit part as the Nazi-brother of De Groot, in the last 5 minutes of the film. Allround the actors are impressive. Verstappen directed this film with just the right touch, with attention for many small details. Also the brilliant camera-work, by acclaimed photographer Marc Felperlaan, must be named. All in all a terrific, underrated Dutch war movie that gives another, fresh look at the Resistance during the war in Holland.
A View to a Kill (1985)
Bond at his best!
Roger Moore for the last time as James Bond in one of the most underrated Bondfilms of all time! AVTAK is a terrific action-adventure movie which travels all around the world. Highlights galore: a sweeping, exciting snowboard-helicopter chase on the glaciers of Iceland in the pr-credits sequence, a hazardous chase through the streets of Paris in a Renault-taxi that is first cut in half, and then the roof is shaved off. A race with a fire-engine and police-cars over the hills of San Fransisco, a flooding silver-mine, and, finally, a fight between 007 and the villain atop the Golden Gate Bridge! Christopher Walken is villain Max Zorin, one of the best heavies in the history of Bond. But also Grace Jones as Zorins sidekick May Day is more than credible. Moore checked out as Bond at just the right time, still credible here.