De hel van '63 (2009)

When conditions are right an infamous ice-skating race is held in the north of the Netherlands. The 200 km race must be completed by midnight and everyone who finishes receives a medal. ... See full summary »

Director:

Steven de Jong

Writers:

Steven de Jong (screenplay), Maarten Lebens (screenplay),

Stars:

Willeke van Ammelrooy, Chantal Janzen, Pierre Bokma

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Willeke van Ammelrooy	...	Moeder Will
Chantal Janzen	...	Dieuwke
Pierre Bokma	...	Commissaris der Koningin Harry Linthorst Homan
Cas Jansen	...	Henk Brenninkmeijer
Cees Geel	...	Sergeant-Majoor Hoeks
Chava Voor in 't Holt	...	Annemiek
Dirk Zeelenberg	...	Telegraaf-journalist Jack
Dennis Overeem	...	Militair Edwin
Rense Westra	...	Jan Hoogland - voorzitter Elfstedentocht
Peter Tuinman	...	Eisinga
Kees Prins	...	TV-commentator
Chris Zegers	...	Kees Ferwerda
Joop Wittermans	...	Wolf
Lottie Hellingman	...	Annie
Hilbert Dijkstra	...	Kingma

Storyline

When conditions are right an infamous ice-skating race is held in the north of the Netherlands. The 200 km race must be completed by midnight and everyone who finishes receives a medal. This film is based on the true facts of the fateful day in 1963 when, due to plunging temperatures and rough terrain,thousands of skaters suffered frostbite and shocking injuries. Only a small number would cross the finish-line, but for those who did, it was to be a life changing event!

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Plot Keywords:

ice skating | birth | baby | year in title | pregnancy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Details

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch Frisian

Release Date:

17 December 2009 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

The Hell of '63

Filming Locations:

Dokkum, Friesland, Netherlands

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bridge Entertainment Group, RCV Film Distribution, CoBo Fonds

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

There is a Citroën 2 CV which is a 1970 model (or later).

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Connections

Spoofed in De del van '63 (2010)

User Reviews

A non-typically-Dutch Masterpiece

Even though I am Dutch, I am not a fan of Dutch Cinema. Therefore this movie surprised me even more than I had hoped for. I enjoyed every minute of this icy ride about the worlds longest ice-skating tour. Director Steven de Jong has provided new hope for Dutch cinema by doing an excellent job. The 'elfstedentocht'(tour of eleven cities) van '63 was a unique and timeless event that deserved a great film like this and I am happy to have experienced this.

This whole movie is just excellent and two points deserve special attention regarding the history of Dutch Movies. One thing that has often irritated me in these movies is the unnatural acting. Actors are often acting too much instead of just being relaxed and natural in their role. The actors in this movie are not superior, but they are very natural. And that just makes them and the movie as a whole much more convincing. The second great thing is the camera-work. To give some grandeur to this movie the camera often swings into great heights, crawls under the ice and/or fades from a film-image to a map and vice-versa. The accompanying music creates effects not seen before in Dutch cinema. It really lifts this movie to another level and creates refreshing perspectives. Steven de Jong even portrayed the harsh element of wind in the form of luring icy animals. Something completely unexpected and until now unseen in Dutch movies.

Altogether this is a great and unexpected arrival that gets a rating of nine. And I am looking forward to new releases that can match this one.