Surinamese-Dutch director Pim de la Parra (1940-2024) died on Friday, 8 September 2024, at the age of 84. The director of such films as Blue Movie (1971) and Wan Pipel/One People (1976) died in Paramaribo after a short illness. To commemorate him, we repost a film special on his directing debut, the Dutch-German thriller Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (1969), which premiered at the Filmweek Arnhem, the first Dutch Film Festival. This series of rare cards was published by Galeries Modernes, a Dutch department store chain, to promote both the festival and the film. Interesting Filmcredit is the name of one of the film's scriptwriters: Martin Scorsese.
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Dieter Geissler in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969).
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Alexandra Stewart and Dieter Geissler in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969).
In 1968, German actor-producer Dieter Geissler had a job for the young Martin Scorsese who was in Amsterdam and had recently filmed some scenes here for his debut Who's That Knocking at My Door (1968). Geissler asked the 25-year-old Marty to refine his Dutch Peeping Tom script, which he wanted to produce in the Netherlands.
A painting falls off the wall in a rented room in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969). The tenant, Nils (Dieter Geissler), a doctorate student in medicine, looks through the little hole in the wall to what is happening in his neighbour's room.
What he sees makes him forget his textbooks quickly. It's not just the sex that generates his curiosity. Soon he witnesses events that point towards a crime. As he becomes more and more entangled in the web of mystery, his fiancee, Marina (Alexandra Stewart), a young journalist, receives an assignment to report a murder case.
Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions is the first Dutch English spoken film, and the first German-Dutch co-production since the Second World War, in which Germany had occupied the Netherlands. It was called Besessen: das Loch in der Wand in Germany and quite a box office hit there. The sexy thriller was sold to 64 countries.
Dieter Geissler later (co-)produced such films as Ludwig (Luchino Visconti, 1973), Die unendliche Geschichte/The NeverEnding Story (Wolfgang Petersen, 1984) and Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton, 1999). Another remarkable credit of the film was the composer of the score: Alfred Hitchcock buff François Truffaut recommended composer Bernard Herrmann to director Pim de la Parra and the famous old maestro indeed wrote the score for this little and uneven thriller.
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Marijke Boonstra in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969). Marijke Boonstra(1949) also appeared in the Scorpio productions Blue Movie (Wim Verstappen, 1971) and VD (Wim Verstappen, 1972).
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Tom van Beek in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969). Tom van Beek (1931-2002) later also appeared in such films as A Bridge Too Far (Richard Attenborough, 1977) and Soldaat van Oranje/Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven, 1977).
Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions was written and directed by Pim de la Parra (1940-2024), a then young Surinamese-Dutch film director and producer. Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions, was his feature debut and he described his film as a 'sex and psycho-suspense mystery'. Between 1967 and 1976, De la Parra made a series of films with his companion, Dutch film director Wim Verstappen under their independent production company Scorpio Films.
Their next film, Blue Movie (Wim Verstappen, 1971) starring Hugo Metsers, created a sensation. It was one of the most erotic films of its time, showing nudity with a realism that confounded critics and censorship authorities. The film became a huge box office hit in The Netherlands and was exported successfully.
Their later films included Frank en Eva/Living Apart Together (Pim de la Parra,1973) starring Willeke van Ammelrooy, Alicia (Wim Verstappen, 1974), Dakota (Wim Verstappen, 1975) with Kees Brusse, and Mijn Nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra/My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie (Pim de la Parra, 1975). In 1976, Pim de la Parra directed Wan Pipel/One People, the first feature film from Suriname.
Filmweek Arnhem, where Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions was presented in 1969, was the first international film festival in the Netherlands. It was organised once every two years from 1955 by the Dutch Cinema Association. In the years following the first edition of Arnhem Film Week, several film festivals were established in the Netherlands. In 1983, Film Week Arnhem - which was biennial - was organised for the last time.
Galeries Modernes published the cards in this post to promote both the festival and the film. This department store chain in the Netherlands originated from the Grand Bazar Français. The last branches were closed in 1984, a year after the Filmweek Arnhem had stopped.
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Dieter Geissler in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969).
Sources: Eye, Wikipedia (Dutch) and IMDb.
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Dieter Geissler in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969).
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Alexandra Stewart and Dieter Geissler in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969).
A little hole in the wall
In 1968, German actor-producer Dieter Geissler had a job for the young Martin Scorsese who was in Amsterdam and had recently filmed some scenes here for his debut Who's That Knocking at My Door (1968). Geissler asked the 25-year-old Marty to refine his Dutch Peeping Tom script, which he wanted to produce in the Netherlands.
A painting falls off the wall in a rented room in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969). The tenant, Nils (Dieter Geissler), a doctorate student in medicine, looks through the little hole in the wall to what is happening in his neighbour's room.
What he sees makes him forget his textbooks quickly. It's not just the sex that generates his curiosity. Soon he witnesses events that point towards a crime. As he becomes more and more entangled in the web of mystery, his fiancee, Marina (Alexandra Stewart), a young journalist, receives an assignment to report a murder case.
Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions is the first Dutch English spoken film, and the first German-Dutch co-production since the Second World War, in which Germany had occupied the Netherlands. It was called Besessen: das Loch in der Wand in Germany and quite a box office hit there. The sexy thriller was sold to 64 countries.
Dieter Geissler later (co-)produced such films as Ludwig (Luchino Visconti, 1973), Die unendliche Geschichte/The NeverEnding Story (Wolfgang Petersen, 1984) and Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton, 1999). Another remarkable credit of the film was the composer of the score: Alfred Hitchcock buff François Truffaut recommended composer Bernard Herrmann to director Pim de la Parra and the famous old maestro indeed wrote the score for this little and uneven thriller.
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Marijke Boonstra in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969). Marijke Boonstra(1949) also appeared in the Scorpio productions Blue Movie (Wim Verstappen, 1971) and VD (Wim Verstappen, 1972).
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Tom van Beek in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969). Tom van Beek (1931-2002) later also appeared in such films as A Bridge Too Far (Richard Attenborough, 1977) and Soldaat van Oranje/Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven, 1977).
A sex and psycho-suspense mystery
Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions was written and directed by Pim de la Parra (1940-2024), a then young Surinamese-Dutch film director and producer. Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions, was his feature debut and he described his film as a 'sex and psycho-suspense mystery'. Between 1967 and 1976, De la Parra made a series of films with his companion, Dutch film director Wim Verstappen under their independent production company Scorpio Films.
Their next film, Blue Movie (Wim Verstappen, 1971) starring Hugo Metsers, created a sensation. It was one of the most erotic films of its time, showing nudity with a realism that confounded critics and censorship authorities. The film became a huge box office hit in The Netherlands and was exported successfully.
Their later films included Frank en Eva/Living Apart Together (Pim de la Parra,1973) starring Willeke van Ammelrooy, Alicia (Wim Verstappen, 1974), Dakota (Wim Verstappen, 1975) with Kees Brusse, and Mijn Nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra/My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie (Pim de la Parra, 1975). In 1976, Pim de la Parra directed Wan Pipel/One People, the first feature film from Suriname.
Filmweek Arnhem, where Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions was presented in 1969, was the first international film festival in the Netherlands. It was organised once every two years from 1955 by the Dutch Cinema Association. In the years following the first edition of Arnhem Film Week, several film festivals were established in the Netherlands. In 1983, Film Week Arnhem - which was biennial - was organised for the last time.
Galeries Modernes published the cards in this post to promote both the festival and the film. This department store chain in the Netherlands originated from the Grand Bazar Français. The last branches were closed in 1984, a year after the Filmweek Arnhem had stopped.
Dutch card by Galeries Modernes for Filmweek Arnhem. Photo: Scorpio / Centrafilm. Dieter Geissler in Bezeten - Het gat in de muur/Obsessions (Pim de la Parra, 1969).
Sources: Eye, Wikipedia (Dutch) and IMDb.
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