Vliegende Hollanders (2020)

Family drama about aviation pioneers Anthony Fokker (Fedja van Huet/Bram Suijker) and Albert Plesman (Daan Schuurmans/Steef de Bot) in the period 1919 - 1939, the interwar period. The series mainly focuses on the rivalry between the idealistic but businesslike family man Plesman and the opportunistic but tormented Fokker. It makes for a fascinating series, especially in the second half. Not least because no expense has been spared here to make it a visual spectacle. All but one of the old devices come from the computer via animation techniques. And where that technique is usually used to polish things away, they are used here to add something. With spectacular results.

One of the highlights is the flight race from the Uiver to Australia. Well done. The visual effects are competitive with series from all major streaming services. The acting is excellent. Unfortunately, there is a lot to criticize about the story. That starts rather slowly, requires patience and is certainly very fragmentary in the first episodes. But if you persevere, you can ultimately be proud of this quality product from the Netherlands.

Translated from Dutch · View original

A waste of money, effort and good acting from the actors.
But it is bursting with directorial errors and inaccuracies! They speak a language that was recently referred to as a contemporary "street language" with manners from this century. To top it all off, the biggest blunder (of the century?) was an office garden at the KLM office, absurd and totally out of touch with reality! The open-plan office was only introduced in the Netherlands in the 1970s! The overall picture is so NOT similar to the 20s and 30s that it just hurts your eyes. You go from one nonsense to another anachronism. You really wonder if the rest weren't fantasized together too!

Translated from Dutch · View original