The young girl Keetje moves to Amsterdam in 1881 with her impoverished family, and is led into prostitution in order to survive. In the process she sees the corrupting influence of money.
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The young girl Keetje moves to Amsterdam in 1881 with her impoverished family, and is led into prostitution in order to survive. In the process she sees the corrupting influence of money. Written by
Doug Shafer <dsshafer@uncc.edu>
Paul Verhoeven had agreed to do the movie based on a elaborate synopsis, in which the story of the protagonist Keetje was told in parallel with a period drama depicting the social circumstances and political unrest of the time. With preproduction well under way, he and Gerard Soeteman elaborated the synopsis into a complete script, but it was vetoed as being too expensive by producer Rob Houwer. He ordered them to focus on the personal drama and remove most of the social issues, including several scenes of mass rebellion and revolt that were Verhoeven's main reasons for taking on the project. See more »
If you like Paul Verhoeven's later work (Robocop, Total Recall, Black Book), you should take the time to delve into his Dutch language work.
This is a serious work showing class differences in 19th Century Holland, and the total lack of concern for workers. The title character takes a slew of meaningless jobs after the family is forced to move to the city, eventually ending up as a prostitute to survive.
Hearing the typical "streets paved with gold" dreams that were typical of America at that time, we can totally relate to those driven from their farms.
Women were certainly toys for men, even doctors, to play with, and rape, if they chose.
It was interesting to see Rutgar Hauer in a role as a gentlemen, and the experience of Monique van de Ven was not to be missed.
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If you like Paul Verhoeven's later work (Robocop, Total Recall, Black Book), you should take the time to delve into his Dutch language work.
This is a serious work showing class differences in 19th Century Holland, and the total lack of concern for workers. The title character takes a slew of meaningless jobs after the family is forced to move to the city, eventually ending up as a prostitute to survive.
Hearing the typical "streets paved with gold" dreams that were typical of America at that time, we can totally relate to those driven from their farms.
Women were certainly toys for men, even doctors, to play with, and rape, if they chose.
It was interesting to see Rutgar Hauer in a role as a gentlemen, and the experience of Monique van de Ven was not to be missed.