Michiel de Ruyter (2015)

When the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by England, France and Germany and the country itself is on the brink of civil war, only one man can lead the country's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet: Michiel de Ruyter.

Director:

Roel Reiné

Writers:

Lars Boom, Alex van Galen

Stars:

Frank Lammers, Sanne Langelaar, Barry Atsma

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frank Lammers	...	Michiel de Ruyter
Sanne Langelaar	...	Anna de Ruyter
Barry Atsma	...	Johan de Witt
Lieke van Lexmond	...	Wendela de Witt
Egbert Jan Weeber	...	Willem III (as Evert-Jan Weeber)
Rutger Hauer	...	Maarten Tromp
Charles Dance	...	Charles II
Derek de Lint	...	Kievit
Tygo Gernandt	...	Jozef van Ghent
Filip Peeters	...	Dequesne
Roeland Fernhout	...	Cornelis de Witt
Pip Pellens	...	Klaartje
Nils Verkooijen	...	Engel de Ruyter
Jada Borsato	...	Neeltje de Ruyter
Isa Lammers	...	Greetje de Ruyter

Storyline

When the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by the great Kingdom of England, France and Germany and the country itself is on the brink of civil war, only one man can lead the country's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet: Michiel de Ruyter.

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Plot Keywords:

holland | wilhelm scream | dutch | netherlands | english king | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebookpage official Instagram

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch English French

Release Date:

23 February 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Адмирал

Filming Locations:

Dam Square, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

€8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€827,933 (Netherlands), 1 February 2015, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Farmhouse Film & TV, Ciné Cri De Coeur, AVROTROS

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min 123 min (UK video)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to make the film accessible for school classes and families who want to see it in the cinema, a 12+ version with a few cuts in the most explicit scenes was also released.

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Goofs

Neeltje uses the term "Lynching". The term was first used around the era during the American revolution.

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Connections

Referenced in De slimste mens ter wereld: Episode #10.6 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Michiel de Ruyter (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Written by Trevor Morris
Published by Riva Media Records
courtesy of VOCfilm B.V.

User Reviews

Pleasing both nautical and history enthusiasts

As for the technical side, this film is spectacular. The editing, the story, the production value as a whole is worth the time. This is one of the "epic" films that did not get it's due. So well done and a fantastic soundtrack - this is where the we lose Academy worthy people in the mix. This production was phenomenal.

As for the story, I found it a very worthy tale to tell (and surprised nobody attempted it at this level before). Due to the scope of de Ruyter's impact on this time period, the movie did move a bit quickly and (as expected) did not have time to encompass the importance and the intricate detail of the lives involved. So my only ding here is that it felt rushed in the aspects of the personal lives of Michiel and Anna. To give their emotional and political struggles justice, perhaps a mini-series would have been a more appropriate venue. You feel unsatisfied with the depth of their development. You are simply left wanting more from them.

While based on historical "fact", there are many aspects that needed further development. I wanted so much more background and detail on the characters and the political struggle that, again, a sense of rush was left and it left me sad about that.

When such an incredible production crew and and an insanely under- respected director (Roel Reiné) is given this type of budget and consulting, I feel like they were all let down by not being able to explore this topic and these characters further.

Overall, this film was absolutely spectacular! The brutal moments (for those who know) were almost too brutal to fit into the context of the rest of the story's examination. But HOLY MONKEY this film was a great breath of fresh air and and a great view inside the filmmaking from this part of the world.

A+ and huge kudos to all involved. You needed a better platform, but you made incredible value bleed from these limitations.

An emotional and thoughtful ride on a side of history that needs more exploration. Cheers to you all!

If you are a history buff, you'll get a lot out of this. If you are a film buff, you'll get even more. And if you're looking for some of the most under-appreciated talent in both screen and bts, then you've stumbled on a treasure-trove that all filmmakers should seek out.

Disturbingly well done.