Feature film
Het wonderlijke leven van Willem Parel
Gerard Rutten · 1955
Synopsis
The entertainer Wim Sonneveld, who plays himself, wants to get rid of Willem Parel, the barrel-organ player he invented for the radio, who has become more popular than he is. But the character steps down from the poster in his dressing room and starts living a life of his own: having become president of the association of organ players, he leads those from all over the country to demand equal rights, and causes his creator ever greater trouble.
Context
From the early fifties, Wim Sonneveld had been playing on the radio this grandson of an organ grinder, whom thousands of listeners tuned in to every Saturday evening, and he wanted to be done with him through this film. The screenplay brought together Joop Geesink, Eli Asser, Max Dendermonde and the director, who later judged the result unsatisfactory but saw in it a stage in his return to directing. Rijk de Gooyer made his film debut in it.
Who it is for
Eighty-one minutes in Dutch, full of songs. It helps to know that the character was known in every home through the radio before reaching the screen.
Prizes and reception
Panned by the critics but loved by the public; it is now seen as a nostalgic testimony to the years when radio kept families at home.