De Leeuw van Vlaanderen (1985)
Genre: War / Drama
Duration: 108 minuten
Alternative title: The Lion of Flanders
Country:
Belgium / Netherlands
Directed by: Hugo Claus
Stars: Frank Aendenboom, Jan Decleir and Theu Boermans
IMDb score:
5,5 (942)
Releasedate: 14 March 1985
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
De Leeuw van Vlaanderen plot
At the beginning of the fourteenth century, the county of Flanders was under French tutelage. In West Flanders, revolts have arisen against this domination. Prominent Frenchmen come to ask the old count of Flanders to go to the French king and submit. He leaves and is arrested in Compiégne. When shortly afterwards Fillips De Schone pays an official visit to Bruges, he is received only coolly. The population is incited by the old dean of the weavers' guild, Pieter De Coninck, and Jan Breydel is also involved. Meanwhile, the French nobleman Jacques de Chatillon exercises a real reign of terror in Bruges. The insurgents leave the city. French soldiers assault the families left behind: the murder of Jan Breydel's mother, brother and sister adds fuel to the fire. The Flemish take revenge on the French. When King Philip learns of this, he sends a large army to Flanders to quell the rebellion. The Flemings gather around Kortrijk and await the battle.
Actors and actresses
Jan Breydel
Robrecht van Bethune
Jacques de Chatillon, comte de Leuze
Pieter De Coninck
Johanna van Navarre
Willem Van Gullik
Roelandt
Jan van Namen
Gwijde van Namen
Reviews & comments
Dievegge
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- 3219 messages
- 8317 votes
Hugo Claus was a great writer, but as a director he faced a lot of difficulties: leading a large group, finances, finding suitable locations and costumes... Because they did not want to work in two languages, they chose to have the French characters played by Dutch actors. They borrowed the costumes from a Bruegel procession; they were only a few centuries off.
Hendrik Conscience romanticized history by portraying the Battle of the Golden Spurs as a spontaneous uprising of Flemish peasants and craftsmen against arrogant French aristocrats. Jan Decleir plays a heroic role as Jan Breydel. Many well-known figures from that era have supporting roles—among others, Johan Verminnen as a troubadour.
A well-known anecdote is that after the premiere, Hugo Claus was allowed to shake King Baudouin's hand. They had drilled two rules of etiquette into him: you must address the King as "Sire" and you must not ask him any questions. When the moment arrived, Claus asked: "Hello sir, what did you think of the film?" King Baudouin is said to have replied: "Beautiful landscapes!"
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
A film that naturally resonates a bit more with the Flemings here on MM. That might also help explain why the average rating here is quite mediocre. Not that the film is a masterpiece—far from it, in fact—but it traverses the collectively hyped-up and idealized history that many a Fleming remembers. In that respect, it is quite nice to go through. History itself is not simple—it was a lot more nuanced in the past anyway—but the arrival of all those nobles doesn't make it any easier.
In any case, the top cast in Flanders at that time was recruited for the film. Too many to mention. Frank Aendenboom certainly stands out as Robrecht de Bethune, who portrays his role with verve. Jan Decleir also does a fine job as Jan Breydel. It is a pity that no French speakers are involved, although casting probably wasn't easy. Northern neighbors then; that's good too, but at the same time a bit of a shame.
There were a number of impressive scenes here and there, such as the Golden Knight appearing on the battlefield in full regalia, but the murder of Breydel's family will also stay with me. Furthermore, there were of course quite a few downsides, such as the theatrical acting, the costumes, and the set design, which were not always consistent, but given the resources Claus had at his disposal, it was certainly well done.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Sergio Leone
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- 4489 messages
- 3170 votes
Oh dear.
This Flemish classic is totally not my cup of tea. I am only really well-versed in the history of my home base; my knowledge of the rest of Belgian history is probably still above average, but I doubt that really means much. As a history lesson, this might have been a fun movie.
Unfortunately, the film is far too much of a history lesson, disguised as a school play. That applies to the narrative, but also to the cast, who, whether Belgian or Dutch, act truly terribly. They were undoubtedly all theater actors (at the time of filming), but it just doesn't look good. Stiff and overly pronounced Standard Dutch that completely prevents any naturalness; that is the biggest culprit for me. I could only tolerate Julien Schoenaerts a little.
So, it is a spectacular failure as a film, but that is not surprising in itself. I only knew Hugo Claus as a writer. The fact that he then attempts to mount such a grand project is asking for trouble. The history is hastily rattled off, causing it to jump from one topic to another at times. Not that it matters much; there are simply too many other flaws. A pity, but that is how it is.
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Translated from Dutch · View original
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