Ruud Lubbers was the Dutch prime minister between 1982 and 1994. Without doubt he was one of the most gifted prime ministers since WWII. He always had both feet planted firmly in the air (pun intended). Therefore the TV series "Land van Lubbers" deserves a warm welcome. The producers have decided to focus their narrative on four events, which are more or less typical for the career of Lubbers. They are the oil crisis in 1973, the placing of nuclear cruise missiles (1985), the foundation of the European Union (1992), and the failed election campaign in 1994. Of course this selection is somewhat arbitrary. But this is not a problem, since the producers choose to focus on the relations, not on themes. Politics consists of conflicts, where everyone shoots from the lip (pun intended). The plot concerns a series of lectures to students, given by Lubbers himself as an elderly statesman. The contents of his lecture is presented in the form of flashbacks. This is a witty find, because it means that Lubbers comments in retrospect on his own behavior. The quick-witted politician has changed into a thoughtful old man. And I mean really old, his blood type is discontinued. But OK, old age is not so bad, when you consider the alternative. The series is reasonably convincing in portraying the characters of Lubbers and his political entourage. Trust me, I know Dutch politics. However, a significant part of the story concerns his domestic life, and that is unfamiliar to me. These scenes may well be fictional. For instance, he is chasing women and does not remember why. Since the time period covers my road to adulthood, the pictures made me feel somewhat nostalgic. On the other hand, none of the scenes are truly impressive or emotionally stirring. There are no surprises, either pleasant or not. Still, the series probably deserves a recommendation, since it is entertaining from the beginning until the end. The subtitles are in Dutch, which is close to German. Don't forget to leave comments. I love it.
Review of Land van Lubbers
