French king Philip the Fair, and especially his vainglorious wife Joanna of Navarra, need money - again. Logically enough their attention turns to their richest vassal, the old count of Flanders. The venerable greybeard, who is not too pleased by the news, travels to France in order to make his case. He is accompanied by some faithful friends and by his son, a famous knight so brave that he is known as "The lion of Flanders". Contrary to the laws of hospitality and chivalry both, the little delegation is imprisoned by the king. Back home in the north, this fact strengthens the Flemings in their conviction that the French use them as slaves, work mules and whipping boys. Tensions grow and grow.
Soon the blood will run red through the streets...
Hendrik Conscience's book "The lion of Flanders" was so important, so crucial, so topical, that it changed the very course of Belgian history. (Do look up the story behind the book on internet, it's riveting.) Here we've got a movie adaptation made by author, poet and all-round celebrity Hugo Claus, who was in charge of direction, screenplay and dialogue. Possibly he also fetched the sandwiches and pizzas.
I'm not too fond of the movie : in my humble opinion, it does not succeed in striking the right note. On the whole it boasts an admirable narrative clarity, I'll give it that, but it breathes a very different sensibility from Conscience's novel. Hugo Claus - at least I suppose it was his doing - also missed some opportunities. In the book, the adventures of young Machteld make sense and are woven into the larger logic of the plot. Here, Machteld is an afterthought, and a pretty weird one at that. Also missing : the love between Machteld and her faithful admirer, which might have provided a touch of poetry or human sweetness.
Other shortcomings were not caused by Claus. The music, with the exception of some songs, could compete for the coveted "Worst Music for an Historical Epic" award. The viewer also meets a male character who is introduced, with complete seriousness, as the most handsome man in Christendom. The actor playing the part looks nice, in an unremarkable way. It's a moment of pure and unalloyed silliness - and what's more, a moment which might have been prevented by a minimum of care by Casting. (While we're at it, Philip the Fair isn't an Adonis, either.)
Still, the movie has qualities, too. Many of the locations are beautiful or historically important, creating a genuine sense of times past. The movie boasts an impressive cast and some fine acting, although not everybody works hard for his/her paycheck... It's a violent epic about violent times - no surprise there - and most of the fights, pursuits and battles are well-done. The finale consists of a striking depiction of the Battle of the Golden Spurs, complete with a large amount of extras, costumes and stuntwork. (And yes, it is indeed true that the Flemings won, against all established conventions of medieval warfare.)
Even if you're unfamiliar with Belgian or French history : it is very unlikely that, having seen the movie, you will ever forget the Battle of the Golden Spurs.
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