back to the Film/TV list | 1984 Derek de Lint as "Paul de Wit" |
Tranlated frontcover: Translated backcover: |
Director
- Rudolf van den Berg (this was his first
feature film and he received the 1984 Dutch Academy Award
for Best Director for it). Country - Netherlands Language - in Dutch and French with English subtitles Production Company - East-West Classics Producers - George Sluizer and Ann Lordon Writers - Annemarie van de Putte and Rudolf van den Berg (Based on the book La Place de la Bastille by Leon de Winter.) De Lint plays the leading role. Psychological thriller about a history teacher who meets his double and thinks he's his long lost twin brother who was killed during the war by the Nazis. THE FOLLOWING WAS TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH & REWRITTEN by Richard van Bilsen: Derek de Lint plays an excellent role as Paul de Wit, a man who seems to have tried everything to forget the fate of his family (his parents and his twin brother were killed in WW II). He doesn't look jewish, he doesn't have a typical jewish last name, he married a non-Jewish woman (Geert de Jong), he is not religious. He appears to have well-organized life, with his two lovely daughters, a seemingly happy marriage and his job as a history teacher. But within, the creature stirs (made this up myself. I meant to say that something was bothering him, don't know if this is correct English - Richard) and he is obsessed with the little things that gave the world history that certain twist. He wants to write a book about what would have happened if during the French revolution in 1791 the royal family had succeeded in escaping to Luxemburg. If in Varennes their identy wouldn't accidentally have been revealed. The history teacher thinks about changing the past, because he would like to change his own. Because he begins to show signs of stress, he gets a week off that he wants to use for a trip to Paris to do some research for his book about 'Varennes'. By chance he gets into a romance with a jewish girl (she writes for a magazine) that did accept her jewish background. A picture, taken on the Palace de la Bastille shows a man that could have been Paul twin brother. Paul is obsessed with the idea of meeting this man. In a dreamlike sequence Paul was on his way to his supposed brother.After an accident with the taxi he gets a ride from a 18th Century coach, that appears to be going to Varennes. The man turns out not to be a de Wit but Nathan Blum. Cast: Leon de Winter's bio and bibliographie (Dutch) Review of Bastille by John Hartl (English) Rudolf van den Berg Filmography (English) Article about van den Berg (Dutch) |
Thanks to Derek's fellow Dutchman, Richard van Bilsen, again for scanning the video box cover and providing description information and translations. Copyright © 1996-1999 Clair a.k.a. Clarianna Demonbreun. on my graphics & webpages (Page design, background, button & title graphics created by me.) and compilation of information. Don't post this page ANYWHERE else, thanks. |