Feature film
Brandende liefde
Ate de Jong · 1983
Synopsis
Jan Bosman, a painter settled in Paris, learns of the death of Mademoiselle Bonnema, the old lady who used to give him French lessons, and returns for the funeral. Years earlier: a student at the Amsterdam fine arts academy with his friend Kees, he lodged with her, in a house where Anna, the wife of a well-known violinist, also lived. He falls madly in love with her, she agrees to pose nude for him, but nothing is settled between them.
Context
The film adapts the novel that Jan Wolkers had published two years earlier. The producer Rob Houwer, who ten years before had brought another book by the same author to the screen and recalled it in his announcements, co-wrote the screenplay with the director. Peter Jan Rens, a newcomer, struggled so much with the written lines that he was dubbed by Kees Prins; the title song went to the popular singer Johnny Lion. The author of the book was indignant at the bad reviews, while praising the actors.
Who it is for
About an hour and a half, in Dutch. It helps to know that the title is the name of a plant with red flowers, and not a figure of speech.
Prizes and reception
Four hundred thousand admissions, and a harsh critical reception; its lead actress has since said that the film lacked any chemistry between the two roles.