Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel (1983) User Reviews

Funny and moving

[bioscoopzaal · 8/10 · 12 May 2000]

A funny, moving and unique animated film, based on the graphic novels by Dutch author Marten Toonder. The story takes place in Rommelgem, the homestead of 'Man Of Class' Olivier Bommel. On one of his frequent strolls through the gardens of his castle he finds a mysterious egg. He decides to let it hatch, and out of the egg comes a 'zwelbast', a cute little dragon that instantly steals his heart. He decides to keep it, much against the advice of his friend Tom Poes and his butler Joost, who think there is something fishy about the dragon. Unfortunately, they seem to be right, because the dragon grows at an astonishing pace. They manage to keep him a secret for some time, until Zwelgje (as he is lovingly called by Sir Bommel) causes a major incident at an upper-class garden party. Heer Bommel decides to get rid of him, but then he is kidnapped by Zwelgje who takes him on a wild ride through the Black mountains, his place of origin.

This animated film has everything a film should have. A great story, wonderful animation, subtle humor and great voice-acting by a cast of well-known dutch actors. The film also manages to keep the mood of the much-praised Olivier Bommel graphic novel series, that has a major cult-following in Holland. The novels appeal so much to the people because of the subtle humor, wonderful use of (often outdated) language and great stories. This film is a must for every fan of the novels, and a treat for any other animation fan. The title translates something as "If You Know What I Mean". It is one of the many catch-phrases Sir Bommel uses throughout the film.

'Met uw goedvinden'

[smartgggg · 8/10 · 21 January 2003]

Excellent animation film. Plain and simple. Perhaps somewhat dated now, but I watched it many times when I was a kid. My little brothers used to watch it, rewind it, and watch it again. Time after time. We know most phrases by heart. :) I don't know about the English/American version, but the Dutch voices are superb. Haven't seen anything of this quality since, in this category.

Rating from the Dutch judge: 8 (out of 10).

So this was from the Netherlands...

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 8 December 2005]

I saw "Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel" (called "The Dragon that Wasn't, or Was He?" in English) when I was six or seven, and just accepted it as cute entertainment. So I was quite surprised when I learned from IMDb.com that it came from the Netherlands. The plot has wealthy Oliver adopting a baby reptile, who turns out to be a dragon. Specifically, the little guy turns into a big, monstrous dragon if he gets upset, and some gangsters wonder if they can use that to their advantage. My favorite scene was when the "egg" rolls Oliver down the stairs and out of the house (hey, I was just a little kid). If nothing else, this movie is harmless entertainment for tykes. You might want to see if you can find it.

If you could only choose one animated feature to be in your childhood memory ..pick this one.

[swinneke · 10/10 · 3 August 2003]

The movie , based on comic , starts a little dark and moody and directly brings up the huge "vibe" around this movie.Everything is just perfect! The animation is superb , the voice-acting is one of the best I've ever heard , when you hear Bommel say "Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel" for only one time , you'll never forget his voice.It's a very touching story with tears but also laughter , and lot's of it. Definatly my top movie from my childhood years ( Hey , I still watch it , sue me !).

If you could only pick one animated feature to be in your childhood memory.. pick this one.

Pure nostalgia

[EdwinRos · 10/10 · 30 May 2001]

This is a must for every dutch child. It's a dutch memory you don't want to miss... like a chocolate letter at SantaClaus. I love this movie, it's based on real literature, Olivier B. Bommel by by famous Martepn Toonder, that even kids like. It's a must to see.

nice

[Vincentiu · 30 April 2014]

it is one of that lovely animations who remember the childhood in sweet light. nothing complicated, nothing extraordinary. only a Dutch classic book adaptation, with nice characters and nice humor, old values in honest clothes and moral as part of tradition. but that is far to transform it in boring film. because its ambition is only to conquer the young public and it is far by competition with Disney /Japanese universe. old fashion product, it can be useful for viewer who search an easy show who not gives revelations but only a kind of hot chocolate for soul. the interesting thing is the verdict about people by mayor. than, the roles to actors who reflects the serenity of small fable. and, sure, the friendship as heart of life.

Nostalgic value = 10, quality = 5.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 13 April 2004]

"Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel" is based on a very popular Dutch cartoon figure which whom whole generations grew up with. The movie knows to capture the comic book feeling on screen, which makes the nostalgic value of the movie very high.

Even though the movie has a fun feeling the undertone is dramatic and emotional, which is the most powerful thing of the movie. It is a movie that even the most tough adults will be moved by and it isn't unusual for some to shed some tears.

The character (even though they are animals) are very humane and realistic which makes the emotions work even better. The characters are brought to life by an excellent voice cast.

The quality however is not very good. The movie looks sloppy and outdated. The animations are pretty standard and simple but effective. There are some weird musical numbers that are far from good and also the music itself doesn't quite seem to fit the movie and is used at weird periods throughout the movie.

See it for the nostalgic value, however if you live outside the Netherlands or Belgium you can not fully appreciate this movie and it might not be worth your time.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Awesome movie, I cried. Beautiful!

[stevenerkman · 10/10 · 9 August 2020]

The previous commenter forgot to mention this movie is from 1983 and the comic itself is from 1947.

Don't try to compare this movie with today's standards. The movie is almost 40 years old. And it's completely in the style of the original comic.

It's a beautiful movie and great made. I would really recommended it. I enjoyed the movie when I was a kid and I'm sure children these days would enjoy it too.

As if time has stopped

[eabakkum · 8/10 · 23 November 2012]

The cartoon film "If you know what I mean" is a produce of Toonder Studios. The Netherlands and Flanders have always been quite versatile in the production of cartoon stories and characters. Toonder (what's in a name) was a class of his own, although his style of drawing reminds of Disney. During my final year in high school I even devoted my (not so brilliant) special paper on literature to his work. The stories itself are totally European in character. For Toonder's writings always take place in class societies, and his main characters belong to the upper class. His best creation is Olivier B. Bommel, a parvenu, who actually refers to himself as a gentleman of high rank ("een heer van stand"). The nerve! Rather ironically he is portrayed as a bear with a chequered coat and nothing below. Amazing, really. But Marten Toonder also created the less well-known picture strip about Koning Hollewijn (Hollow-vine), the simple monarch of a tiny state. In fact until deep in the fifties Europe still showed many remnants of the class society. The patriarchal relations saw to a cozy and safe community, and this atmosphere is omnipresent in Toonder's work (which always ends with a banquet at the mansion). When in the sixties the society abandoned its traditional class structure, the rebellious Toonder did not follow. This makes his picture strips a little mysterious, as if time has stopped. Toonder himself moved to Ireland, also not really a stirring place. Similar to Disney, he incorporated fairy-like elements into his work, with dragons, magicians, aliens, paranormal phenomena, and evil scientists (the illustrious professor Sikbok is absent in the film). Usually, Toonder made fun of some social movement or development. It is mainly satire and irony. The characters all stand like rocks, and few offer hope for a better future. In fact Bommel is a predecessor of Peter Griffin (Family guy) or Eric Cartman (South Park). Toonder could not be as blunt, but thanks to simple mirroring his criticism is just as merciless - if you are willing to ponder on the events. Amazing what you can express without spelling it out. Don't expect comic moments in the strips. Although Toonder's cartoon albums are certainly enjoyable for children, they aim at adults. This is also clear from the format. For Toonder placed his texts below the pictures, and did not use text balloons (who invented this nonsense anyway?). All in all the film gives a surprisingly accurate impression of Toonder's style. If you appreciate cartoon films, you definitely must see this one. Amazing.

Bad animation, simplified story, but great voice acting

[Loplop-2 · 5/10 · 19 January 2008]

Sadly, the only full-length animation feature ever to emerge out of the Netherlands has a predictable story development and substandard animation that doesn't live up to contemporary standards, let alone today's standards. To put it mildly: the film is a grossly infantile simplification of Marten Toonder's immortal comic strip novel, which is full of subtle humor, to be appreciated at an up-grown level, with characters like caricatures of class society: the ruling classes (the marquis, sir Bommel himself, the mayor), their henchman (police commissioner Bulle Bas, the middle classes (the shopkeeper, the civil servant)and the everyday folk (mainly commoner Wammes Waggel, the childish goose). Now in the film, all this is spoiled by playing down the critical messages , aggravated by stupid animation: everything moves at the wrong time, expressions changing rapidly, lips not keeping up with speech etc. The redeeming factor is the voice acting, which is superb in almost every single case. The shopkeeper Grootgrut outdoes them all, except the marquis, who is played by Ger Smit, best remembered for a series of classic voices for animated TV-series De Fabeltjeskrant. Grootgrut is played by Paul Haenen, who is best known as Bert of Ernie of Sesame Street. The few songs are highly superfluous. Continuity: the eyes of miss Doddel change for white to yellow in almost every cut. Now for some faulty story telling: at the point at which Bommel and his dragon are arrested, the film jumps to a news report from which we learn they are at large. How's that? And why is the dragon prone to stealing? Is also not explained. All in all, the beast is utterly unconvincing. As is the film as a whole. Alas.