An idealistic Dutch colonial officer posted to Indonesia in the 19th century is convinced that he can make the kinds of changes that will actually help the local people he is in charge of, but soon runs into massive corruption on both sides.
MAX HAVELAAR, AN OLD DUTCH MASTERPIECE. VIewed at the Seattle Film Festival, June, 2007 .
Fons Rademaker's Dutch masterpiece "Max Havelaar" (The Netherlands, 1976, RT 170 minutes). Fons Rademaker was perhaps the greatest Dutch director and, based on this towering epic, clearly one of the greatest of all European directors. He died only a few month's ago (in 2007) and "Max Havelaar" is the Seattle film festival's fitting tribute to his memory. Rademakers "Havelaar" is a magnificent sweeping epic, based on a novel of the same name, telling a tale of Colonial oppression in the Dutch East Indies — today's Indonesia — in the mid 1850s. Max Havelaar was a Dutch colonial administrator with a sense of justice who struggled against a corrupt local Raja and his own corrupt racist fellow officials in favor of the ruthlessly exploited local farmers. Other than Rutger Hauer in a small role, there are no name actors known outside of Holland, although Peter Faber in the title role is superb and firmly believable as Max, and the large cast of Indonesian actors, male and female, young and old, are completely authentic, unlike Hollywood's phony depictions of such "natives". In short"Havelaar" is a classic of world cinema whose nearly three hours of screen time flit by timelessly. If one were to see only one Dutch film this one is it. Not to miss if it ever comes your Way.
MAX HAVELAAR, AN OLD DUTCH MASTERPIECE. VIewed at the Seattle Film Festival, June, 2007 .
Fons Rademaker's Dutch masterpiece "Max Havelaar" (The Netherlands, 1976, RT 170 minutes). Fons Rademaker was perhaps the greatest Dutch director and, based on this towering epic, clearly one of the greatest of all European directors. He died only a few month's ago (in 2007) and "Max Havelaar" is the Seattle film festival's fitting tribute to his memory. Rademakers "Havelaar" is a magnificent sweeping epic, based on a novel of the same name, telling a tale of Colonial oppression in the Dutch East Indies — today's Indonesia — in the mid 1850s. Max Havelaar was a Dutch colonial administrator with a sense of justice who struggled against a corrupt local Raja and his own corrupt racist fellow officials in favor of the ruthlessly exploited local farmers. Other than Rutger Hauer in a small role, there are no name actors known outside of Holland, although Peter Faber in the title role is superb and firmly believable as Max, and the large cast of Indonesian actors, male and female, young and old, are completely authentic, unlike Hollywood's phony depictions of such "natives". In short"Havelaar" is a classic of world cinema whose nearly three hours of screen time flit by timelessly. If one were to see only one Dutch film this one is it. Not to miss if it ever comes your Way.