Rob Houwer died, the sharpened producer behind cashless successes such as ‘Turkish Fruit’ and ‘The Little Blonde Death’

The film producer Rob Houwer, who died last Friday, gained great fame for the films he made with director Paul Verhoeven. Their legendary collaboration started in 1971 with the spicy What do I see?after that, Houwer produced the blockbusters, among other things Turkish fruit (1973), Keetje Tippel (1975) and Soldier of Orange (1977). In total, the successful duo managed to attract 6.7 million people to the cinema with these films.

Robert Piet Houwer was born on December 13, 1937 in Hoogeveen. Because the Dutch Film Academy was not yet founded in 1956, he went to Germany, where he graduated from the Munich film academy in the directions direction, dramaturgia and camera. He also studied theater science at the University of Munich.

In 1959 he started as an independent film producer (Houwer film) and director. His first short film Hundstage (1959) Fell well, just like a few other short films he directed by him, but after the success of the he produced Mord und Totchlag (Volker Schlöndorff, 1967) Houwer focuses more and more on production. Especially since he saw that others had more talent as a director than he.

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Papas Kino ist tot!

With his German productions, he made an important contribution to the movement that is known as the ‘new German film’, in which the Oberhausener Manifesto from 1962 (‘Papas Kino ist to!’), That Houwer also signed, played a crucial role. A group of 26 German filmmakers then demanded more freedom, less commerce. The Houwer produced by Houwer OK (Michael Verhoeven, 1970) provided a riot at the Berlin film festival. Although the film about a group rape and murder was situated in Europe by a platoon of American soldiers, referred to OK To an incident in Vietnam in 1966. The jury wanted the “Anti-American” film from the competition and in the tumult all kinds of films were withdrawn from protest and the competition stopped.

In addition to authors’ films such as Michael Kohlhaas (Schlöndorff, 1969) The sharpened Houwer also produced soft sex movies, a genre that came up in those years and was very successful in the cinema. Titles if Engels Oder Die Jungfrau von Bamberg (Dutch title: Wild on love!and) and With white chest and pointed Degen speak volumes. Sex brought a lot of money into the drawer, so it was a small step to produce erotic films in the Netherlands, such as Paul Verhoevens What do I see?. This comedy (2.3 million visitors) was about the Amsterdam prostitute Blonde Greet (Ronny Bierman) who helps all kinds of strange types to their convenience. With the also produced by Houwer Turkish fruit (1973) and Keetje Tippel (1975) The film was at the cradle of what film historian Hans Schoots was in his book From fanfare to splashes ‘The sex wave’ in the Dutch feature films mentions. Where What do I see? Another high ‘o la la’ content falls, falls Turkish fruit Perfect along with the sexual revolution of the 1970s and the abolition of film censorship. The filming of Jan Wolkers’ novel is partly thanks to the open sexuality and the disarming lead roles of Monique van de Ven and Rutger Hauer, an unparalleled cash and scandal success.

War movie Soldier of Orange (1977), nowadays more famous of the long -term musical, was a relative flop for Houwer and Verhoeven with his 1.5 million visitors. Houwers plans to be with Jean van de Velde Soldier of Orange 2 stranded due to financial problems. In 2006, Weekblad accuses Free Netherlands Houwer of scams and claims to have evidence that he is making the follow -up to Soldier of Orange has pressed a million back.

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Flops

After a fight with Verhoeven – who went to the sea with Joop van den Ende with his film Spatter – Houwer went into the sea with other makers in the late 1970s. In addition to the one -off reunification with Verhoeven at The fourth man (1983) Houwer worked with a little less success with filmmakers such as Wim Verstappen (Grijpstra & De Gier1979), Dimitri Frenkel Frank (High heels, real love1981) and Pieter Verhoeff (Happiness1987). He also made an evening -filling cartoon: If you understand what I mean (1983), To Marten Toonders Olie B. Bommel strips. Sometimes – as Burning love (1983) or Golden Calf winner The little blonde death (1993) – He also did the scenario.

Houwer was also responsible for some of the worst films ever made in this country. In particular the miserable The mermaid (Frank Herrebout, 1996), About a boy who stinks of fish for fish, Hoon, just like the old-fashioned Maarten ‘t Hart-Filming The rags of the entire world (Guido Pieters, 2006).

The chance to go with Paul Verhoeven in 2006 Blackbook Houwer to make because he found Budget that Verhoeven demanded too high. The tough Houwer had the reputation to be rather on the money. So he didn’t want to pay tickets to Los Angeles then Turkish fruit For an Oscar it was nominated: the film did not have a chance in his eyes. Paul Verhoeven complained that a few months after every film hit he had to assist again, although archive documents in Eye Filmmuseum show that Houwer Verhoeven and the recently deceased screenwriter Gerard Soeteman paid quite well. But an intended exhibition in Eye about Verhoeven was canceled because Houwer wanted to see too much money for the display of film fragments, and he was also bothering with a prestigious Verhoeven DVD box and the restorations of Houwer productions. It does not mean that Rob Houwer was of Eminent Belang for the Dutch public film in the 1970s and eighties.

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