Publieke werken (2015) User Reviews

A beautiful picture book of humanity, arrogance and fate

[Field78 · 8/10 · 10 March 2017]

The Dutch film industry always has trouble to keep pace with the technical level of the major film industries, so it usually takes some time before we see special effects in our movies of a quality that can compare to the stuff that Hollywood was producing years before. So considering this, it is probably a good thing that the movie adaptation of 'Publieke werken' took 16 years. Creating a period piece is no easy endeavor; on a small budget, it could easily look like an amateur history fair. Luckily, Roel Reiné had delivered sea battles in 'Michiel de Ruyter' that were on par with the ones from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, so it certainly showed that the time was right to make a period piece as the British usually make it.

Publieke werken tells the backstory of one of Amsterdam's most curious sights: the Victoria hotel, which has two small houses embedded in its exterior. It takes some creative license, but it is a fascinating and fateful story of two cousins who are getting way out of their league in their quest for recognition. Mr Vedder (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) and his cousin Mr Anijs (Jacob Derwig) are essentially small-time men who feel that they deserve to be higher up the social ladder. Both men have noble intentions in wanting to help their fellow men, but they don't know the extent of their limitations (Vedder even somewhat less than Anijs). Involved in a stalemate with a rich developer, Vedder makes a terrible miscalculation that may cause the demise of dozens of workers that they have sent to the USA in the hope for a better life. Then again, Anijs makes an illegal medical decision that may seem dubious, yet it probably saves the life of a young worker woman who was practically ignored by the town's elitist doctor. It shows that good intentions and desire for recognition may not always be the best combination, but fate (or coincidence) can always decide otherwise.

Praise to the director, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor for making this a morality tale that is pleasantly paced and constantly in motion, rather than a dull and dusty historical narrative that it could have been. Wide shots and lush camera movements, combined with great production design, beautiful costumes and superb visual effects create a convincing picture of a bustling and rapidly modernizing 19th-century Amsterdam, which is almost a character in its own right in the movie. The choice to use mostly modern Dutch (save for some expressions and words) is often controversial, but it helps the movie connect with a modern audience. Which is essential, because one theme of the book, the seeming futility of small men fighting against the arrogance of the establishment, may be hard for us to accept, as we live in an age where we are encouraged to express our talents, no matter where we come from.

The novel's structure isn't necessarily easy to translate to film either. A movie usually lacks the amount of exposition that a novel can employ to create a coherent narrative, so the separate story lines and subplots in the film seem somewhat disconnected at first. But gradually, they come together in a great finale that is both tragic and redeeming, due to a violin as an unexpected "Chekov's gun" (look that one up). The efforts of the two main characters may have been misguided, they have not been in vain. And it provides a wonderful anecdote about that hotel. Fictional or not: never let the truth get in the way of a great story.

Probably one of the best Dutch historical movies to date.

[vampierusboy · 8/10 · 9 September 2017]

Dutch cinema is always a bit of a hit or a miss. There are some great directors and actors (although most actors focus on theater, as with Gijs Scholten van Aschat who is mainly a theater actor), but the movies have little budget and tend to be bland comedy-dramas.

Having said this, budget is being a bit more generous in recent years. Most historical movies from the Netherlands in recent years have a tendency to be action flicks, as with the movies Michiel de Ruyter, Kenau and het Bombardement. Although the visuals due to the higher budgets are stunning (especially in Michiel de Ruyter) they lack a lot in historical accuracy and feeling. Michiel de Ruyter has little historical context and especially the behavior of the characters does not feel like the seventeenth century (children disturbing their father and jumping on his bed for example).

Publieke werken succeeds in grasping the stunning visuals used in those other movies but tell a much more layered and original story. Centered around two cousins (fictional characters to be precise) this movie gives them a lot more temporal feel. The dialogue and behavior of most characters is distant, which is in my humble knowledge mostly accurate and a lot of the feelings the characters are experiencing are oppressed and show just a little. This gives a certain historical distance and I find that praise-worthy. On the downside this makes the plot sometimes a bit hard to follow.

The effect I loved the most is the lighting in this movie. It felt very natural and accurate, scenes at night where mostly lit by oil lamps or candles and the scenes inside are mostly darker even when it is day. Although probably some effect was used to get this it felt as a very natural portrayal of a society where electricity was not readily available, although around the corner, as the movie is set in 1888.

The biggest downside to this movie, coherent to a lot of Dutch movies, was in the audio mixing. For some reason Dutch movies tend to mix the spoken lines softly and the music really loud. Maybe this is due to the reason I watched this movie on television, but still it is a trend. As a native speaker of Dutch this makes some lines for me hard to understand. If you are watching with subtitles this would probably be of no concern to you.

I give this movie 8 out of 10. A historical movie which let you experience the historical distance of his subjects, good acting, magnificent visuals, original plot and deep characters.

A noble intention provides a future where there was none

[the_oak · 8/10 · 31 March 2018]

I liked this movie because it is about two main characters with noble intentions. At times I wanted to shout out that they must stop being naive and not walk into obviously impossible situations but in the end these noble intentions provide a future and happiness where there was none. I also enjoyed the historical setting and I think dutch is a very interesting language to listen to.

A Noble Effort

[packmanproductions · 7/10 · 5 February 2021]

Visually stunning but with a story that presents a dreary view of late 19th century Amsterdam. A pharmacist and his cousin concoct a plan to emigrate poor peat workers to America when an investor decides to build a luxury hotel and buy up downtown properties. They see an opportunity to pocket some money and offer the peasants a new start in the land of the free. Things don't go well in negotiations lending to some tragic results. Slower paced but excellent performances keep A Noble Intention interesting if flawed.

Loved this movie!!

[Heddude · 7/10 · 7 August 2021]

Great movie!! My favorite part is when, at a funeral, you see a graveyard worker pulling a blanket from a caskit. Why i like this part so much you ask? Well maybe the fact that the person acting as graveyard worker is ME. But it's not a bad movie in general but not for brood audience cause it's a historical drama.

Scrooge in reverse

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 13 March 2023]

When you leave the Central Station of Amsterdam you see the Victoria hotel. This hotel was build at the end of the 19th century. When you look a little better you see there is something strange with the hotel, it has encapsulated a house.

The inhabitant of this house, the violin builder Walter Vedder (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) and his cousin Christof Anijs (Jacob Derwig) are the main characters of a novel by Thomas Rosenboom that Joram Lursen in 2015 adapted into the film "A noble intention".

The two main characters live in very different circumstances. One (Walter Vedder) lives in the big city of Amsterdam, the other (Christof Anijs) in the countryside of Hoogeveen, in the North of Holland. Amsterdam was growing again after the Golden Age of the 17th century and the city expended beyond the canal belt. Hoogeveen was on the decline as peat was substituted more and more by oil. One is speculating on the selling price of his house that must be bought (he thought), because otherwise the hotel can't be realised. The other is helping poor farmers that cannot pay the bill of the doctor. He works as a pharmacist, although without the necessary licenses.

Despite their differences the two main characters are not only cousins but also idealists working on a joint plan. The profit on the house of Vedder will be used to provide loans to poor farmers in Hoogeveen. With these loans the farmers can finance their emigration to the United States. With their earnings in the United States the farmers will amortize their loans.

This plan already goes wrong in the first step. Imagining that he is sitting on a mountain of gold, Vedder loses his grip on reality and overplays his hand. He becomes more and more of a recluse, wating on an offer that never comes.

The story thus takes on characteristics of both "Repulsion" (1965, Roman Polanski) with respect to the reclusion of Vedder, and the character of Scrooge (Charles Dickens) in reverse, with respect to noble intentions evolving into greed in stead of the other way round.

"A noble intention" was one of the most expensive Dutch productions ever. Integrating computer generated images of old buildings with material shot on location was one of the technical challenges. On close inspection some of these transitions are not completely invisible.

Beautiful and sad, violence and kindness...

[RosanaBotafogo · 9/10 · 22 August 2021]

What a sad movie, I sincerely hope it's just fiction, so much suffering, all in favor of a greater good that didn't come true (or did, the totally appropriate translation, rare thing, "A Noble Intent", the script, the story in itself is filled with good intentions, altruistic people, who for their good ambitions, fail, reconstruction of phenomenal historical photography... Beautiful and sad, violence and kindness...

Waste of talent and means

[info-101-895904 · 3/10 · 12 December 2015]

Despite an expensive production, the narrative is unconvincing. "Value of location" is one of the main topics of the film. Nonetheless, the film does not give the viewer a sense of place.

The choice and ordering of scenes undermine any tension to be build up. The different story lines do not support, but destroy each other. Important changes in the plot are not properly introduced or visually translated. As a result the gradual emotional breakdown of the violin maker, one of the main characters, is not convincing. The end scene of the doctor, the other main character, is so ridiculous and pathetic that it melts down the entire Hoogeveen storyline. Vital themes such as social injustice, or the arrival of modernity are treated as interchangeable backdrop. A relevant storyline is lacking.

By result the causality of the narrative breaks down and all events become arbitrary.

Pretty frustrating, as Rosenboom's success novel must have had all layers in place. A film can never be as rich as a novel, but a film must present those strings that contain the story. That is unfortunately not the case here.

Unsatisfying

[Arconada · 4/10 · 10 September 2017]

Three story lines, maybe effective in the book but not in this movie. The most interesting part, only 30 minutes, is the struggle between the protagonist trying to sell his shop and the investor who doesn't want to pay what the shop owner is asking. The rest seems only padding to fill it up to feature length. To bad, because the eye candy is satisfying, i.e. the image of old Amsterdam.

Posh broadcasting accents in Amsterdam and rural Holland...

[Uneken · 4/10 · 30 July 2018]

Very irritating: the diction of the actors, especially their accents, which is typical of people working for national radio and TV in the Netherlands. "Bekakt Goois". In Hoogeveen.

The precursor to the Up home, told in a sad Dutch drama.

[cgvsluis · 5/10 · 19 August 2021]

Based on a fictional Dutch book speculating on how the two 19th century homes that the Victoria Hotel was built around came to be. Amsterdam's Central Station is directly across the street from the Victoria Hotel, which was built in the late 1880's. If you look closely at the hotel you will notice that there are two single dwellings that the hotel was built around. This is the story of how that came to be and it involves three cousins and the attempt to help some poor peat farmers achieve a better life in America.

This is a very sad but well meaning drama. The letter from the peat farmers really saved this from being a total tragedy. I loved the images of the hotel then and the hotel now.

It is the precursor to my city's Up house (which sadly I witnessed the monstrous fitness center, etc being built around a poor old lady's home here in Seattle ), with the exception that in the modern build they made no attempt to make the building beautiful and the owner wasn't holding out for more money...she just wanted to live in peace in her home.