Bride Flight (2008)

A romantic drama that charts the lives of three women from different backgrounds, forever changed when they emigrate to New Zealand as war brides.

Director:

Ben Sombogaart

Writer:

Marieke van der Pol (screenplay)

Stars:

Karina Smulders, Anna Drijver, Elise Schaap

11 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karina Smulders	...	Ada van Holland
Pleuni Touw	...	Old Ada
Anna Drijver	...	Esther Cahn
Willeke van Ammelrooy	...	Old Esther
Elise Schaap	...	Marjorie Mullin
Petra Laseur	...	Old Marjorie
Waldemar Torenstra	...	Frank de Rooy
Rutger Hauer	...	Old Frank
Micha Hulshof	...	Derk Visser
Mattijn Hartemink	...	Hans Doorman
Walter Bart	...	Leon
Hans Man in 't Veld	...	Vicar
Rawiri Paratene	...	Old Mosie
Rob Mokaraka	...	Mosie
Mykola Allen	...	Bobby Doorman

Storyline

In 1953, a flood adding to the aftermath of World War II swells the numbers of Dutch emigrants. On a KLM flight to New Zealand, part of a race from London, Frank, who lost his family and colonial estate in the Japanese occupation and Indonesian civil war of Independence, meets some virtual mail order brides. Ada van Holland becomes his lover before confessing she's already married by proxy to gloomy Calvinist Derk. Jewish concentration-camp survivor Esther dodges her engagement for a fashion career and discreetly has her son Bobby adopted by infertile Marjorie, who did everything else right with husband Hans. Over the years, some of their paths cross again, and all of the survivors meet at Frank's funeral.

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Plot Keywords:

female star appears nude | cunnilingus | woman undressing for a man | unwanted pregnancy | sex scene | 

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Taglines:

A forbidden love. An impossible choice. A secret past.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a strong sex scene and some graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Music Box Films [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

Netherlands Luxembourg

Language:

Dutch English

Release Date:

10 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bruidsvlucht

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$54,044, 12 June 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$497,252, 23 October 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

IDTV Film,Samsa Film,Nederlandse Christelijke Radio-Vereniging (NCRV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though the movie was not shot in the 1:2,35 (scope) format, the bottom and top were cut off in the last stage of post-production.

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Goofs

When Esther gives Bobby the menorah and latkes, she tells him the story of her family in Dutch while holding him tight and sobbing. A moment later when Marjory walks into the room and Esther stands up, her cheeks are completely dry.

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Quotes

Frank: Can we look in on him quickly?
Marjorie: No, he can't have any strangers around his bed.
Frank: But I'm not a stranger.
Marjorie: Just his mother and father.

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Connections

Featured in De wereld draait door: Episode #5.9 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Miracle
Written by Ilse Delance and Sacha Skarbek
Performed by Ilse Delance

User Reviews

Bride Flight

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. But to how many webs do we belong? How many decisions were made outside our comprehension that changed the course of life forever? How many of those decisions became regrets? It doesn't really matter because yesterday happened, but it is interesting to consider the interconnected backstage of existence. And then tremble at the great unknown that is your parent's past. There's just so much we'll never know. And that's mostly OK. Bride Flight is a film that I admired because its leading characters were not only exquisitely defined, but their stories felt distinct and complete, almost separate within a greater whole. These people kept things from one another, and yet they were all so pivotal to each other. The dramatic irony fires on all cylinders. And the ensemble has absolutely excellent chemistry to pull it off. You never doubt the natural unfolding of events because every glance they give or catch is so engaging. New Zealand serves as a breathtakingly epic backdrop to this romance that jumps back and forth on a timeline much more gracefully than so many other examples. When it does jump back you start to become very happy certain rigid social customs have been left behind, and that's a testament to how fully yet subtly its realized. This was a pleasant surprise to watch.