Every Thursday this summer, EFSP posts on a film book. This time we have a curiosity: Floris, a Dutch book by Jaap Kooimans about a legendary Dutch TV series. Floris (1969) was the screen debut of Rutger Hauer, but it also jump-started the careers of director Paul Verhoeven and scriptwriter Gerard Soeteman. With many fine anecdotes and details, fan Kooimans describes how it all began.
Book cover for Jaap Kooimans, 'Floris' (2018). Publisher: DATO.
50 years ago, television on the Netherlands was still in black and white. Every Sunday, the young Jaap Kooimans and millions of other Dutch kids and their families watched a new Dutch series about a knight. I was also among them. Kooimans and I were born in the same year.
We had all seen and liked Ivanhoe (1958-1959) with Roger Moore from England, and Thierry la Fronde (1963-1966) with Jean-Claude Drouot from France, but this was something different: an exciting tale about the Dutch Middle Ages with castles, horses, sword fighting and eastern magic.
How thrilled we were when the opening music started. The two heroes were a young blonde and athletic knight and his friend, a mysterious Indian fakir. At the start of each episode, Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman came galloping on their horses, rushing into the series. Laughing and courageously, they were looking for new adventures.
Floris (1969) was a smash hit. For instance, more than 3.5 million Dutch people watched the second episode. Imagine, there were less than 13 million inhabitants in the Netherlands at the time. And we all fell in love with the young Rutger Hauer. A star was born.
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 1, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 4, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer as Floris van Rosemondt in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 5 (?), 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Culeman as Maarten van Rossum in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 7, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Boskamp as Lange Pier in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 10, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Boskamp as Lange Pier in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 13, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Lex Schoorel in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 14, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Rutger Hauer made his screen debut as the exiled knight Floris van Rosemondt. How young he was in 1969, but his performance in Floris is unforgettable. The handsome and athletic Hauer is the ultimate knight.
With his Indian friend Sindala (Jos Bergman), Floris tries to get his birth right papers back from Maarten van Rossem (Hans Culeman), an evil lord.
During their quest they get help from Wolter van Oldenstein (Ton Vos), a noble man who offers them a place in his castle. They also meet the imposing pirate Lange Pier (Hans Boskamp).
Apart from Sindala and Floris, all the characters are based on historical figures. Scriptwriter Gerard Soeteman did an amazingly inventive job and it is one of the reasons why so many adults love to see this children's series too.
Jaap Kooimans describes that the original title of the series was 'Floris en de fakir' (Floris and the Fakir). During production the name changed in Floris. Rutger Hauer showed so much dynamism and charisma that he overshadowed his more introvert co-star. Hauer soon became an international star.
Jos Bergman disappeared from view. For this book, Kooimans interviewed the quite mysterious former actor. Bergmans tells he has happy memories about Floris. He later worked as an artist and appeared only one more time on screen, in the American film The Little Ark (James B. Clark, 1972).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 16, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 17, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 18, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 19, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 21, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 23, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 24, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 25, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Boskamp in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 26, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969). Caption: Soldaat van Gelre (Soldier Van Gelre).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 28, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 29 (?), 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Ton Vos als Wolter van Oldenstein in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
In 1967, the success of television series like the British Ivanhoe (1958-1959) with Roger Moore, the French Thierry La Fronde/Thierry the Sling (1963-1966) with Jean-Claude Drouot, and the Flemish Johan en de Alverman (1965) with Frank Aendenboom inspired Carel Enkelaar, manager of NTS Television to make a similar series, set in the Netherlands.
Hanne Aboe Derwort highly recommends the series at IMDb: "One of the first Middle Age series ever, the stories of the adventures of Floris in medieval Holland are also among the most funny TV-series ever.
The budget was very low, which can be seen, but the interaction between the actors is nothing less but wonderful. Floris and his trusty companion Sindala is in best Robin Hood style, but with the addition of Eastern magic to the sword fighting skills and sheer strength (and luck) of our hero. (...) The fact that the series is in b/w actually helps, no need to mess around with anything when somebody's wounded. If you can locate the tapes, watch it."
At the time, all kinds of merchandise were produced for the kids and of course these are cult objects now. There were three books with stories, a single with the title music and two LPs, a magazine, comics and a series of postcards by Unicef, which I've not discovered yet.
For this post, I uploaded a series of vintage collectors cards, published by the chewing gum factory Monty in 1970. Kooimans writes that they were sold in two series of 64 little cards. Children could buy them in grocery shops in little bags with three cards and a piece of chewing gum. The quality of these small cards is not exactly perfect. However, they are quite rare these days, so I am very happy I found these.
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 30, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 31, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Jacco van Renesse as Rogier in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969). Caption: Vaandrig Rogier (Ensign-bearer Rogier).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 32, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Ton Vos and Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 36, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 38, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 39, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969). Caption: Kanonnier van Van Rossum (Gunner of Van Rossum).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 43, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Culeman and Eric Herfst in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 44, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 50, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
In 1969, Floris was the most popular TV series in the Netherlands. The series had many reruns through the years. Floris has also been shown in East Germany (as Floris - Der Mann mit dem Schwert) and Scotland dubbed in English. In the UK, the series aired on Yorkshire Television in 1970 as The Adventures of Floris. None of the English dubbed episodes survive.
1975 saw a German remake of the series, Floris von Rosenmund (Ferry Radax, 1975), again starring Rutger Hauer, but with German actor Derval de Faria as Sindala. This version put much more emphasis on the comedic aspects of the stories. I saw some episodes and compared with the original series they 're mediocre.
The series also lead to the film Floris (Jean van de Velde, 2004) which features Michiel Huisman (known for his role in Game of Thrones) as the grandson of the original Floris. Some of the footage from the 1969 series with Hauer and Bergman is included. Rutger Hauer was originally asked to play the father of young Floris, but he declined.
In 2016 a small miracle happened. Nearly 47 years after the broadcast of the twelfth and final episode of the legendary TV series Floris, a hitherto unknown thirteenth episode premiered. The episode entitled Het gericht/Targeting was never finished for several reasons. The raw footage was owned by the writer of the series, Gerard Soeteman.
To get a full episode, artist Gerrit Stapel assembled black and white drawings between the images. Previously Stapel made the Floris comics together with Soeteman. In addition to the thirteenth episode, a documentary about the legendary series was produced, in which both Verhoeven and Soeteman provide insight into the development of Floris.
Both the 13the episode and the documentary premiered at Doornenburg castle, one of the locations of the Dutch television series. The recently deceased Rutger Hauer, then 72, was present at the belated premiere.
And of course, now there is this book by Jaap Kooimans, a kind of encyclopedia on Floris. My sister gave it to me as a present for my 58th birthday.
Floris is still the favourite series for many of my generation in the Netherlands and also in Belgium. To foreigners it must be a crazy phenomenon. But if you read Jaap Kooiman's enthusiastic book you will conclude that this certainly was a very special TV series. Strictly for the fans, but I am one and I loved to read it, every detail.
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 59, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 65, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 72, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 95, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Cor Witschge in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 101, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Cor Witschge in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 116, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Ton Kuyl as Jeroen Bosch in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 119, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Episode Het brandende water (The burning water). Sorry, no subtitles. Source: eikcid (YouTube). Enjoy the title music by Julius Steffaro (a.k.a. Jan Stoeckart. At IMDb he is also called Jack Trombley.)
Dutch TV documentary in the series Andere tijden (Other times). Sorry, no subtitles. Source: 192TVideo (YouTube).
Source: Hanne Aboe Derwort (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
Book cover for Jaap Kooimans, 'Floris' (2018). Publisher: DATO.
This was something new and exciting
50 years ago, television on the Netherlands was still in black and white. Every Sunday, the young Jaap Kooimans and millions of other Dutch kids and their families watched a new Dutch series about a knight. I was also among them. Kooimans and I were born in the same year.
We had all seen and liked Ivanhoe (1958-1959) with Roger Moore from England, and Thierry la Fronde (1963-1966) with Jean-Claude Drouot from France, but this was something different: an exciting tale about the Dutch Middle Ages with castles, horses, sword fighting and eastern magic.
How thrilled we were when the opening music started. The two heroes were a young blonde and athletic knight and his friend, a mysterious Indian fakir. At the start of each episode, Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman came galloping on their horses, rushing into the series. Laughing and courageously, they were looking for new adventures.
Floris (1969) was a smash hit. For instance, more than 3.5 million Dutch people watched the second episode. Imagine, there were less than 13 million inhabitants in the Netherlands at the time. And we all fell in love with the young Rutger Hauer. A star was born.
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 1, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 4, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer as Floris van Rosemondt in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 5 (?), 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Culeman as Maarten van Rossum in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 7, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Boskamp as Lange Pier in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 10, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Boskamp as Lange Pier in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 13, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Lex Schoorel in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 14, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Unforgettable screen debut
Rutger Hauer made his screen debut as the exiled knight Floris van Rosemondt. How young he was in 1969, but his performance in Floris is unforgettable. The handsome and athletic Hauer is the ultimate knight.
With his Indian friend Sindala (Jos Bergman), Floris tries to get his birth right papers back from Maarten van Rossem (Hans Culeman), an evil lord.
During their quest they get help from Wolter van Oldenstein (Ton Vos), a noble man who offers them a place in his castle. They also meet the imposing pirate Lange Pier (Hans Boskamp).
Apart from Sindala and Floris, all the characters are based on historical figures. Scriptwriter Gerard Soeteman did an amazingly inventive job and it is one of the reasons why so many adults love to see this children's series too.
Jaap Kooimans describes that the original title of the series was 'Floris en de fakir' (Floris and the Fakir). During production the name changed in Floris. Rutger Hauer showed so much dynamism and charisma that he overshadowed his more introvert co-star. Hauer soon became an international star.
Jos Bergman disappeared from view. For this book, Kooimans interviewed the quite mysterious former actor. Bergmans tells he has happy memories about Floris. He later worked as an artist and appeared only one more time on screen, in the American film The Little Ark (James B. Clark, 1972).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 16, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 17, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 18, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 19, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 21, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 23, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 24, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 25, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Boskamp in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 26, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969). Caption: Soldaat van Gelre (Soldier Van Gelre).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 28, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 29 (?), 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Ton Vos als Wolter van Oldenstein in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
In the best Robin Hood style
In 1967, the success of television series like the British Ivanhoe (1958-1959) with Roger Moore, the French Thierry La Fronde/Thierry the Sling (1963-1966) with Jean-Claude Drouot, and the Flemish Johan en de Alverman (1965) with Frank Aendenboom inspired Carel Enkelaar, manager of NTS Television to make a similar series, set in the Netherlands.
Hanne Aboe Derwort highly recommends the series at IMDb: "One of the first Middle Age series ever, the stories of the adventures of Floris in medieval Holland are also among the most funny TV-series ever.
The budget was very low, which can be seen, but the interaction between the actors is nothing less but wonderful. Floris and his trusty companion Sindala is in best Robin Hood style, but with the addition of Eastern magic to the sword fighting skills and sheer strength (and luck) of our hero. (...) The fact that the series is in b/w actually helps, no need to mess around with anything when somebody's wounded. If you can locate the tapes, watch it."
At the time, all kinds of merchandise were produced for the kids and of course these are cult objects now. There were three books with stories, a single with the title music and two LPs, a magazine, comics and a series of postcards by Unicef, which I've not discovered yet.
For this post, I uploaded a series of vintage collectors cards, published by the chewing gum factory Monty in 1970. Kooimans writes that they were sold in two series of 64 little cards. Children could buy them in grocery shops in little bags with three cards and a piece of chewing gum. The quality of these small cards is not exactly perfect. However, they are quite rare these days, so I am very happy I found these.
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 30, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 31, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Jacco van Renesse as Rogier in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969). Caption: Vaandrig Rogier (Ensign-bearer Rogier).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 32, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Ton Vos and Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 36, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 38, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 39, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Publicity still for the TV series Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969). Caption: Kanonnier van Van Rossum (Gunner of Van Rossum).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 43, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Hans Culeman and Eric Herfst in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 44, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 50, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
The most popular TV series in the Netherlands
In 1969, Floris was the most popular TV series in the Netherlands. The series had many reruns through the years. Floris has also been shown in East Germany (as Floris - Der Mann mit dem Schwert) and Scotland dubbed in English. In the UK, the series aired on Yorkshire Television in 1970 as The Adventures of Floris. None of the English dubbed episodes survive.
1975 saw a German remake of the series, Floris von Rosenmund (Ferry Radax, 1975), again starring Rutger Hauer, but with German actor Derval de Faria as Sindala. This version put much more emphasis on the comedic aspects of the stories. I saw some episodes and compared with the original series they 're mediocre.
The series also lead to the film Floris (Jean van de Velde, 2004) which features Michiel Huisman (known for his role in Game of Thrones) as the grandson of the original Floris. Some of the footage from the 1969 series with Hauer and Bergman is included. Rutger Hauer was originally asked to play the father of young Floris, but he declined.
In 2016 a small miracle happened. Nearly 47 years after the broadcast of the twelfth and final episode of the legendary TV series Floris, a hitherto unknown thirteenth episode premiered. The episode entitled Het gericht/Targeting was never finished for several reasons. The raw footage was owned by the writer of the series, Gerard Soeteman.
To get a full episode, artist Gerrit Stapel assembled black and white drawings between the images. Previously Stapel made the Floris comics together with Soeteman. In addition to the thirteenth episode, a documentary about the legendary series was produced, in which both Verhoeven and Soeteman provide insight into the development of Floris.
Both the 13the episode and the documentary premiered at Doornenburg castle, one of the locations of the Dutch television series. The recently deceased Rutger Hauer, then 72, was present at the belated premiere.
And of course, now there is this book by Jaap Kooimans, a kind of encyclopedia on Floris. My sister gave it to me as a present for my 58th birthday.
Floris is still the favourite series for many of my generation in the Netherlands and also in Belgium. To foreigners it must be a crazy phenomenon. But if you read Jaap Kooiman's enthusiastic book you will conclude that this certainly was a very special TV series. Strictly for the fans, but I am one and I loved to read it, every detail.
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 59, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 65, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 72, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 95, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Cor Witschge in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 101, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Cor Witschge in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 116, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Ton Kuyl as Jeroen Bosch in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Dutch collectors card by Monty, no. 119, 1970. Photo: Gerard Soeteman. Rutger Hauer in Floris (Paul Verhoeven, 1969).
Episode Het brandende water (The burning water). Sorry, no subtitles. Source: eikcid (YouTube). Enjoy the title music by Julius Steffaro (a.k.a. Jan Stoeckart. At IMDb he is also called Jack Trombley.)
Dutch TV documentary in the series Andere tijden (Other times). Sorry, no subtitles. Source: 192TVideo (YouTube).
Source: Hanne Aboe Derwort (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
1 comment:
Great pics of young Rutger
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