User-generated entertainment: "Steekspel" [2012 Netherlands]

Having had his break after Zwartboek, Paul Verhoeven eases back into film-making mode with "Steekspel" [Eng. Title: Tricked], by using it as a 'creative-battery-recharging' project. It's a moderate success because, despite its meagre fifty minutes, the pint-sized featurette manages to package a coherent narrative with several twists and turns.










It is Remco's (Peter Blok) fiftieth birthday and his dutiful wife Ineke (Ricky Koole) has meticulously organised a party at their home. However, an unexpected visitor comes calling - his former mistress Nadja (Sallie Harmsen), with a very visible baby bump, which raise eyebrows all around and sets tongues wagging in hushed tones. After all, his affair was known to everyone, including his grown-up children and Ineke herself. It sets the tone for a series of soap-operatic events that'll follow.

Remco had been a serial philanderer all through his marriage, which Ineke had only been too aware of. She tacitly tolerated his numerous affairs because they never last for a long period, and he invariably also returns home every night. However, she couldn't tolerate Remco being the father of Nadja's child, and has threatened to leave him if it turned out to be the case.

That is however what Nadja will claim to Remco in private - that he is the father, and his business associates will use this pretext to blackmail him into selling the company in which he and Ineke have a stake. To complicate matters, he's also having an ongoing affair with his daughter Lieke's (Carolien Spoor) best friend Merel (Gaite Jensen), whom his son Tobias (Robert de Hoog) also fancies...

Kim van Kooten penned the first few pages of this topsy-turvy script before it was put up online, for crowd-sourcing input from public for the remainder of the film. Nearly 700 scripts were received, and van Kooten and Verhoeven sifted through a shortlist to pick and choose elements that gelled with the initial pages for completing the film. As a result, three other writers also appear in the film's credits. The unusual project has apparently been one arduous exercise, and is highlighted in an accompanying documentary titled "Paul's Experience", where Verhoeven talks about the creative process and how it was a unique cinematic project - a glorified 'Making-of' if you will, which is presented alongside the film.

If employing too many 'cooks' could've easily ended up as mishmash in the wrong hands, Verhoeven uses it to his advantage by accommodating the additional twists and turns in the plot whilst retaining their connection. Besides, shooting each scene in succession, with the actors and even he not knowing what happens next, make them all the more credible, and encourages audience engagement. While the overall tone of the film is that of a typical 'mainstream' TV sitcom, it nevertheless entertains as much as it intrigues the viewer. We see Verhoeven make a film after a hiatus, and that at least is reason enough to watch it - Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon.de Blu-ray Link

 

The Nudity: Gaite Jansen
By Paul Verhoeven's own standards, the nudity in this film is relatively mild, consisting of two scenes that feature a cute and topless Gaite Jansen - her character is the object of interest for father-son duo Remco and Tobias. In the first scene Merel flashes her breasts for Tobias's camera, telling him that he could now jack-off without having to photoshop her face to someone else's. The second is when Remco and Merel jump into bed while discussing the reappearance of Nadja. But I wonder - among all of them who submitted script for the film, didn't anyone even consider for a moment that Tobias might perhaps be interested in something more than Jansen's modest little titties, alluring as they may be! Blimey, did I just complain there?! :-)



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Monique van de Ven & Hannah de Leeuwe in "Keetje Tippel" [1975, Netherlands]

Paul Verhoeven made "Keetje Tippel" [Eng. Title: A Girl called Katy Tippel] following his sensational "Turks Fruit", and those who were expecting something on similar lines would have surely been disappointed.

The film explores extreme poverty in late 19th century Holland among the proletariat, and their exploitation by the well-to-do. Based on an autobiographical novel (by Neel Doff), it follows Katjee's fortunes from the filthy tenement she shared with her parents and siblings, to her rise to high society upon marrying a wealthy man in Amsterdam. To call this film gritty would be an understatement - Mr. Verhoeven shoves raw realism in our face without constraints, but the manner in which it is directed establishes his dexterity in depicting difficult subjects elegantly whilst still remaining passionate. The cinematography in excellent and the performance by all the main actors impressive, particularly the actress portraying Keetje - Monique van de Ven - this is by far the best performance I've seen from her.

Storyline:
Keetje and family relocate to Amsterdam looking to better themselves, and move into a dirty, leaking single-room apartment - that's all they could afford. With the father perennially unemployed, it is up to the children to earn a living. The eldest daughter Mina promptly takes up prostitution, with full knowledge of family. Keetje has morals - she wants to study, but because the family need money, takes up a job as a washerwoman. Unable to hold that job, she joins a shop selling clothing accessories, where she is one day raped and deflowered by the employer. She falls ill and a doctor comes forward to help, obviously in exchange for sexual favours. She returns home fully cured to find her family are worse off than ever, and even her sister Mina is fired for turning up to work drunk. The only way is to take up her sister's profession, and shockingly the mother helps Keetje prepare for her streetwalking job. When an artist 'discovers' her, she starts moving among the right circles - bankers, land owners and so on, and her life changes for the better.

This is one of Paul Verhoeven's classics, and therefore Highly Recommended Viewing.
Amazon DVD Link.




Compilation: Hannah de Leeuwe and Monique van de Ven



Scene Guide:

• No nudity - Mina opens her legs for a sailor after being promised some bacon, but Keetje thought she was being molested and attacks him. Slutty Mina is played by the wholesome Hannah de Leeuwe, and Keetje by Monique van de Ven.
• Outrageous scene as Mina uses the toilet while her family are still dining. Followed by the father eagerly helping Mina into her 'red shoes' as she prepares to go streetwalking.
• Keetje is asked to do some work at the 'boarding school' - she's shocked to see her sister and two of her colleagues sitting naked in front of an old man. He sees Keetje and asks her to come in. When she refuses, her sister pleads her to help out, and she reluctantly agrees. While Keetje is exciting the elderly gentleman with her exposed underpants, Mina is busy masturbating herself to orgasm.
• Keetje's clothe-store employer asks her to stay behind and work late. Her innocence is shattered that night as she loses her virginity - the scene isn't particularly gruesome but it still has shock-value.
• The doctor 'examining' Keetje's lungs, surrounded by his understudies.
• The doctor asks Keetje to strip and puts across his proposal for her to consider (for getting herself cured).
• Keetje takes home some gifts when she gets well, only to see the squalor had deepened. Shameless Mina hands Keetje her red dress to take up prostitution.
• Keetje with her first client - he insists on examining her vagina to make sure she hasn't got any disease.
• Brief nudity as Keetje gets into Hugo's bed - a banker friend of the artist she poses for. They briefly become lovers.
• But Hugo isn't interested in marrying Keetje - he's aiming high to get ahead career-wise. A disgusted Keetje leaves him and symbolically burns the clothes he bought her at a bathhouse before slipping into the bath.

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Renée Soutendijk in Paul Verhoeven's "De Vierde Man" [1983 Netherlands]

Continuing the early filmography of Paul Verhoeven, "De Vierde Man" [Eng. Title: The Fourth Man] successfully crosses over into 'Noire' territory by drawing inspiration from various peers of his era, notably Hitchcock and Chabrol. He also experiments with various stylistic elements which he'd later put to use in Hollywood, like in Basic Instinct, which in fact has several parallels with this film. But I feel The Fourth Man is a much more rounded product, where the suspense and ambiguity are retained throughout the film, in fact even after the film.

Like in most of his films, the female characters are as strong and domineering as their male counterparts, and in this film, they're not just strong, but shown as having the potential to be dangerous too. Disillusioned, bisexual, and alcoholic writer Gerard is invited to a remote town to give a lecture at a literature convention. There he meets Christine, a widow and the society's Treasurer, who invites him to stay at her place for the night when he misses his last train back to Amsterdam. Gerard isn't averse to a one-night stand when it comes by, and they end up in bed together, but during the night he secretly reads one of Christine's private letters from a handsome man, who he instantly is besotted with (the letter by the way, was left deliberately on the table by Christine), and when Christine asks him to live and work with her, he readily agrees, in the hope of meeting her young lover. During his stay, he discovers that Christine had already been widowed thrice, and suspects she might have killed each of her husbands to amass wealth, and is now looking for a fourth man (hence the title). Whatever the case, it is clear both Christine and Gerard have different agenda, but who's in control, and who'll have the last say..!

This is great film with attention to detail in lighting, cinematography, and fine performances by its lead characters, not to mention the crisp editing and fine direction. As for the nude scenes, some are awesome, and the compilation below is made from my DVD. All in all a fine Verhoeven film - and therefore, Recommended Viewing..!



Scene Guide:

• After asking Christine to disrobe, Gerard comments that she has the fine figure of a beautiful young man, She brings her breasts closer and asks him if she still looks like a young man. Gerard presses his hands against her breasts and spreads them apart, saying, "now you do". They are both turned on, and there's also some subtle humour when Gerard apologises for slipping out of her during sex, indicating his general preference for the rear entrance.
• Gerard is now aware that Christine has another lover, Hermann, one that he fancies himself, and coaxes her into telling more about him, in the pretext of writing a story based on their lives. When Christine complains that Hermann comes too quickly, Gerard offers to help in that regard, and asks her to invite Hermann over so he could 'work' on his shortcomings. He plays with Christine's breasts while saying this. Christine is played by the rather dishy Dutch bombshell Renée Soutendijk.

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Monique van de Ven in "Turks Fruit" [1973 Netherlands]

Paul Verhoeven's 1973 wild romance "Turks Fruit" [Eng. Title: Turkish Delight] is considered by many in his country as the best Dutch film ever. And since I'm not Dutch, who am I to argue. I do however agree that it is a beautiful film, full of energy and vigour, and surprisingly, filled with tenderness. Surprising because the protagonist is an impetuous young sculptor who's initially portrayed as someone reckless and insincere. But as the film unfolds his past, we empathise and perhaps even excuse his excesses.

The film is a semi-autobiographical account of a sculptor-writer, upon whose novel by the same name this film is based. It tells the story of a passionate sculptor, Eric, his past life, and his present. The film is actually quite moving towards the end, but irreverent, sexy and funny all the way through. It is very well directed, shot, and edited, and the performances by all the main actors are top-notch The film was also nominated for an Oscar under Best Foreign Language Film category, and could have won if not for François Truffaut's "La Nuit Américaine".

As for the nude scenes in the film, they are considered among the all-time classics. Monique van de Ven, who plays Eric's wife Olga, is a sight to behold - films like these just don't get made nowadays. I've cut these scenes from an excellent quality DVD, and believe these may probably be among the best samples you can find today. If you do like these scenes, you'll definitely enjoy the full film, and should be well worth your investment. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!




Compilation 1:
The film starts with a quick catalogue of Eric's sexual conquests. They are wild, kinky, but mostly quite funny.

1. Eric picks up a woman from a phone booth, and when she later asks for a 'souvenir', he obliges!
2. He jumps into her car uninvited but somehow manages to bring her home. When she tries to take her top off, Eric asks her to put it back on and removes her panties instead - ostensibly to collect his 'trophy'!
3. Eric with a rather religious girl, and a banana (?)
4. Very funny scene of Eric with a young mum.
5. Eric complains about her fat arse and tiny tits - the annoyed woman spots a photo and enquires about it. When she makes a casual remark, he throws her out onto the street naked.
6. Eric brings home a girl but changes his mind after seeing one of his sculptures.

Compilation 2: Made from three 'interesting' and explicit nude scenes

1. Eric falls in love with Olga the minute he lays eyes on her. He also seems to be obsessed with her bodily fluids - when she needed to use the toilet midway through cunnilingus, he asks her to pee in her mouth instead.
2. They soon get married and Eric is annoyed at the frequent interruptions.
3. Olga and Eric at the beach - sexy and funny.

Compilation 3: Has four scenes

1. Eric is commissioned to make a sculpture for a hospital for which he uses Olga as his model. During a break Olga rushes out from the toilet believing she has cancer, Eric returns after inspecting the contents in the toilet bowl (omitted in my edit) and reassures her it was just the beetroot she had yesterday. He gives her a clean bill of health by pinning her ass with a flower.
2. The Queen is visiting to unveil his sculpture, but the hospital authorities notice Olga's dress is revealing and try their best to keep them away from the Queen's sight.
3. Singing and dancing in the rain - the scene begins rather romantically.
4. Olga's mother had conspired to separate Olga and Eric. Eric sneaks into her room while she's asleep and tries to make love, and the horrible woman barges in and pulls him away.

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Scenes from Paul Verhoeven's "Spetters" [1980 Netherlands]

Paul Verhoeven (of Basic Instinct and Robocop fame) made this early Dutch classic, "Spetters" exploring youth culture in smalltown Holland during the late 70's. The story follows the lives of three youths - Rein, Eef and Hans - friends and dirt-bike racing enthusiasts from in a working class neighbourhood and want to succeed in life in one way or another. Fientje, a determined young woman, runs a mobile chip shop with her brother, but is desperate to get out of the business, and settle down with someone who can give her the lifestyle she desires.

Rein is set on winning the championship, and when he manages to rope in some sponsors, Fientje gets drawn to him. But her hopes are dashed when Rein has an unfortunate accident that renders him paralysed waist-down. But life must move on. She joins with Eef who wants to emigrate to Canada. Eef had been accumulating money by mugging gay men, but after he discovers that he himself is gay, Fientje has to look for someone else. She considers Hans, who's been only modestly successful so far, but loves her more than the others ever did.

This film was my introduction into Dutch cinema, and is also one of the more memorable and compelling I've seen. For many reasons - it is witty, and at the same time touches on subjects that matter to all of us. The screenplay is excellent with well developed characters, and the imagery is in a style unlike any I'd seen before. This was also the first time I encountered explicit sex scenes in a mainstream film shown in a blasé manner. You also have scenes in the film depicting gay oral sex, and they're all shown passingly as part of the narrative. The film however still remains my favourite Verhoeven. Recommended Viewing..!




The compilation below was put together directly from my DVD in the following order:

1. No nudity but funny as flat chested Margot Keune tries to impress the lads with some tennis balls - it doesn't work!
2. Big-bosomed Saskia Ten Batenburg is the object of interest for everyone in the cramped car.
3. Rein having fun with his girlfriend Maya in his parent's bedroom, Maya is played by Marianne Boyer.
4. Funny scene again when Eef and Hans pick try to score with Saskia Ten Batenburg and Yvonne Valkenburg respectively, but things don't go according to plan as Eef just couldn't get it up, and Yvonne has her periods. So both the couples fake orgasm to show off their sexual prowess.
5. Chip shop girl Fientje, played by Renée Soutendijk, plays with Rein's 'sausage' affectionately..!
6. Hans is now Fientje's - Renée Soutendijk's latest lover - and he's always eager to please.

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Carice van Houten in "Zwartboek" BR720 [Netherlands, Germany 2006]

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The 2006 World War II drama "Zwartboek" [Eng. Title: Black Book] is the most recently completed film by Paul Verhoeven. It's also his first European film in a while after a long stint in Hollywood.

The film is set in occupied Netherlands, when wealthy Jews are promised safe passage out of the country only to be double-crossed and handed over to Nazis for slaughter. A young Jewish woman Ellis de Vries, played by true classical beauty Carice van Houten, escapes one such assault and volunteers to join the local Resistance. She's assigned the dangerous task of infiltrating the Nazi headquarters and win the trust of the Commander Ludwig Muntze. She changes her name to 'Rachel Stein' and takes up the job of Ludwig's secretary, and soon enough manages to seduce him. She passes on secret intelligence of forthcoming operations to the Resistance, but soon realises someone from within the resistance is passing information about the intelligence leak back to the Nazis. She finds herself trapped, on the one hand by the Resistance who believe her reports are unreliable, perhaps even accusing her for joining the Nazis, and on the other hand the Nazi command, who are beginning to close-in on her. Things are complicated further when the relationship between 'Rachel' and Ludwig develops into something more than simply sexual.

Both in terms of creative input and technical aspects, this is a very well made film and personally, I'm glad Mr. Verhoeven started making films in Europe again. Recommended viewing!

The scenes below were cut from Blu-ray.



Scene 1:
Preparing for her new 'Aryan' identity, 'Rachel' makes sure even her nether regions look the part - and she also gladly obliges her Resistance colleague before embarking on her assignment.







Scene 2:
At her new job, 'Rachel' makes good use of an invitation from her boss to look at his 'stamp collection' at his quarters. After discovering 'Rachel' isn't a true blonde, Ludwig inspects her face and asks why her features look Jewish. In reply 'Rachel' asks rhetorically whether her breasts, or for that matter her vagina looks Jewish too. It's hard to tell, if you ask me..!







Scene 3:
Rachel makes acquaintance with Ronnie - a 'secretary' to Ludwig's colleague, who enters the bathroom to take a leak. A playful Ronnie opens Rachel's shirt and asks his opinion on her breasts. When he tries to grope her, she reminds him that it is the commander's property.







Scene 4:
Ludwig begins to suspect that someone is passing on information to the Resistance, and corners Rachel one evening, but we soon realise he's also in love with her.







Scene 5:
Ronnie becomes Rachel's trusting friend. In this scene, she pretends to be drunk and allows the guards to grope her, so that Rachel could sneak out to release some Resistance members. Ronnie is played by Halina Reijn.







Scene 6:
The Allies liberate Netherlands, and 'Rachel' - Ellis is now accused of having slept with the enemy. She's held along with other Nazi prisoners and humiliated publicly, until one of her past colleagues in the Resistance recognises and rescues her.








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