I want to congratulate Edwin de Vries with the wonderful script and the inspiration he offered his wife Monique van der Ven and the rest of the crew. Thanks to him 2.4 million Dutch watched the first episode of a series of 10. I'm sure, he and his crew will be proud and satisfied,for, if 1/7 of the total population of the Netherlands is watching to your movie, you must be proud. And in show-business the credo is: quantity goes for quality.
What about the quantity?: a lot of money, famous Dutch actors and viewers make a proud score.
And what about the quality? I believe it was a new low point in Dutch movie history. Script, directing, camera, actors, all bad, bad, bad!!! Everybody of the crew should be fired.
1. The location is the Frisian island of Vlieland, an island in the northern part of the Netherlands. Unfortunately the western part is occupied by the army who may bomb this part now and then, but the eastern part is nice, with his cute village, the dunes and the beach. Alas, the special atmosphere of the island is spoiled. The local population plays no role, the actors don't speak the local language, but a sort of queen's Dutch, they behave arrogant and drive with their jeeps through the few streets and on the beach as if they occupied the almost car free island. It was better to choose a location elsewhere, Bergen aan Zee, f.i. 2. The plot is boring, a boy falls from his horse, and almost nothing happens. The actors are busy with their mobile telephones and there is much ado about nothing, every tension is lacking. 3. Some scenes are shot on different days, one moment it storms, the next moment it is lovely summer weather. 4. The camera-man did a very bad job, in a manège we saw horses without heads and the lightning was bad. Monique was filmed unfavorably when she was with the boy on the beach. I longed for Jan de Bont, the ex-husband of Monique, when she was in her glory years and not spoiled by her second husband De Vries, who has no self criticism. 5. The scene in the church was one of the baddest moments in Dutch movie history. 6. Make your own opinion about Monique as a doctor. I think if she was a real doctor, she should be suspended.
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