History of Dutch Cinema
The history of cinema in the Netherlands began on July 15, 1896 with the first screening of the cinematograph, organized by showman Christiaan Slieker in Leeuwarden. History may have forgotten what this first film was about, but it was Slieker who, a few months later, screened the first Dutch feature film, directed by a certain M.H. Laddé. Gestoorde hengelaar or The Deranged Fisherman (1896) is a comedy featuring two well-known stage actors. Sadly, the film is considered lost to this day, but if you're nostalgic for silent cinema, you can discover free online traces of the first Dutch feature film, De Levende Ladder, or The Living Ladder by Maurits Binger and Louis H. Chrispijn (1913). Telling the story of the forbidden love between a clown and a young village girl, this lost film can also be seen today in an English reconstruction, restored at theEye Film Institute. It wasn't until the 1930s that the first great Dutch figures of the seventh art, and more specifically of documentary cinema, emerged. The best-known of these was undoubtedly Joris Ivens. At the same time as the Belgian Henri Storck and German Walter Ruttmann were making documentaries, Ivens was also proposing an urban and committed cinema, celebrating progress while also questioning the social changes brought about by the industrial era. With short films such as De Brug (1912), Regen (1929) and Misère au Borinage (1933), co-directed with Henri Storck, Joris Ivens became one of the great defenders of cinema as a weapon of defiance and struggle. His films were highly acclaimed, and he pursued an international career well into the 1980s, before receiving a Golden Lion for his body of work in Venice in 1988.
At the same time, Paul Verhoeven, frustrated by growing censorship and despite the success of his films Turks Fruit (1973), Spetters (1980) and De Vierde Man (1983), decided to emigrate to the United States. Here he found international success with RoboCop (1987), Total Recall (1990) and, of course, Basic Instinct (1992), starring Sharon Stone. More recent successes by what is arguably the world's most closely followed Dutch filmmaker include Elle (2016) with Isabelle Huppert, and the very recent Benedetta (2021) with Virginie Efira and Lambert Wilson, a film that caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival.
Alongside this great figure, other artists have also left their mark on the history of national cinema. Two male and one female director have won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, respectively Fons Rademakers for De Aanslag ou l'Assaut in 1986, Marleen Gorris for Antonia et ses filles in 1996 and Mike Van Diem for Karakter in 1998. More recently, animation filmmaker Michael Dudok de Wit was the first Dutchman to win a César and then an Oscar for best animated short for his films The Monk and the Fish (1996) and Father and Daughter (2000). His feature film The Red Turtle (2016) was co-produced with Japanese animation studios Ghibli, resulting in a beautifully poetic film. Finally, let's not forget Anton Corbijn, who, after photographing British rock stars for the New Musical Express newspaper, directed numerous music videos for Depeche Mode, among others. He is best known for his 2007 feature film Control, a biopic of the lead singer of Joy Division, presented at Cannes that same year.
Some Hollywood moments in the Netherlands
Amsterdam has charmed producers and tourists alike in recent decades. From Sean Connery and Brad Pitt to Scarlett Johansson and George Clooney, they've all stopped off in the city for a few anthology scenes. Sean Connery played James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971). You'll find him in the film around the Magere Brug, along the Amstel canal, before he heads for 36 Reguliersgracht, the house that serves as the front of the apartment of Tiffany Case, one of the saga's recurring Bond Girls. To put yourself in the shoes of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and the entire cast of Ocean's Twelve (2004), head this time to Pulitzer Amsterdam on the Prinsengracht or Kattenkabinet, and along the Herengracht. Outside the capital, Haarlem station and The Hague town hall were also used as film sets. In the 2010s, it was the worldwide success of Our Opposite Stars (2014) starring Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley that brought thousands of tourists back to Amsterdam, so much so that tours are still available today. The bench on which the two lovers meet on Leidsegracht 4 was even stolen, but has since been replaced by a replica. You can also stroll under the arches of the Rijksmuseum or - for the biggest fans of this touching story - take a room at the Sandton Hotel De Filosoof to immerse yourself in this moving film. The Rijksmuseum also features in the Amsterdam sections of the less subtle The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017), which reunites Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds - a must for fans of the genre. Finally, head north and take the time to savor the calm of the Ijsselmeer, the location of numerous films, the latest of which is Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017), where he shot some of his most beautiful scenes, between sunsets and hopeful airplanes.
Places and moments of cinema in the Netherlands
Whether you're looking for a large complex showing the latest blockbusters, or a small, charming neighborhood cinema, the Netherlands is full of surprising cinemas, some of them steeped in history. In Amsterdam, the Pathé Tuschinski, built in 1921 with an Art Deco facade, is without doubt the most beautiful cinema in the Netherlands, which you can discover during or before screenings, via guided tours retracing the building's history. As for festivals, Rotterdam is the venue for the IFFR, one of Europe's biggest film events, which awards its Tigers every year between January and February. And for those who speak the language of Vondel, the Dutch Film Festival is held every year in Utrecht. The Veaux d'Or, the equivalent of the Dutch Césars, are awarded for films which, while mainly aimed at the local market, are nonetheless extremely interesting.
