When Willy (Frits van Dongen), son of Baron Van Hegershuizen, married secretary Loes (Dolly Mollinger) his father promptly disowned him. So Willy gets an office job as an accountant. However, on their first wedding anniversary his father pulls some strings to make sure he loses his job. You see, the old Baron (Cor Ruys) is infamous for his bad temper. He has a tendency to fire members of his staff at the slightest discretion and demands to have final say in both his children's love live. Naturaly he also forbids daughter Mary (Mary Dresselhuys) to get engaged to lawyer Hans van Maren (Louis Borel). The only one who usually manages to escape his wrath is his live in brother Moekie (Louis de Bree) if only because Moekie is in charge of giving the Baron his medicine.
Based on the play by Reimann & Schwarz, this 1935 production is funny in an old fashioned kind of way, features a fine cast of distinguished thespians, some impressive photography and direction by German Hermann Kosterlitz and Dutch Ernst Winar. The reason for having two directors was that there were so many German filmmakers moving out of Nazi Germany in the Thirties that it was decided that each time one snatched a directing job away from a Dutch film helmer, a Dutchman was appointed as co- director to make up for it. In fact, there were more German/Dutch combinations in the credits to be found in several other professions.
Kosterlitz & Wimar auditioned a lot of experienced stage actresses for role of Loes, but found none of them to have the right screen chemistry to play the lead female. As such, Mary Dresselhuys was given the supporting role of Mary and soon to be a major star Lily Bouwmeester was flatly refused on account of her 'plain' looks. Instead, they picked the studio secretary Dolly, who had little acting experience, but did indeed look prettier on screen than both of the other actresses mentioned and managed to hold her own against professional stage actors such as Ruys and De Bree.
When Loes goes to meet the Baron to plead him to give her husband his job back, he mistakes her for the new housekeeper, a woman with a limp who used to be a lion-tamer (the only applicant butch enough to take a job for the Kribbebijter). Uncle Moeki takes advantage of the misunderstanding and lo and behold, the grumpy old Baron takes a liking to the young girl and slowly begins to mellow. Of course he still objects to the pairing of Mary and Hans and plans to marry her off to dimwitted (but wealthy) farmer Schimmelman (Chris Baay). However, thanks to another misunderstanding, Schimmelman thinks the Baron is offering him the services of his cook.
Not knowing where his wife has gone off to, Willy (one of the least developed parts in the play) goes back home to look for her and thanks to Moeki, starts playing along until everything is resolved in a happy end for all concerned. De Kribbebijter was a big hit with the Dutch movie going audience and stayed in theaters until for seven years, until 1942. And indeed it is still an amiable piece of entertainment, despite the somewhat dated humor and incredibly posh accents all round.
8 out of 10
Based on the play by Reimann & Schwarz, this 1935 production is funny in an old fashioned kind of way, features a fine cast of distinguished thespians, some impressive photography and direction by German Hermann Kosterlitz and Dutch Ernst Winar. The reason for having two directors was that there were so many German filmmakers moving out of Nazi Germany in the Thirties that it was decided that each time one snatched a directing job away from a Dutch film helmer, a Dutchman was appointed as co- director to make up for it. In fact, there were more German/Dutch combinations in the credits to be found in several other professions.
Kosterlitz & Wimar auditioned a lot of experienced stage actresses for role of Loes, but found none of them to have the right screen chemistry to play the lead female. As such, Mary Dresselhuys was given the supporting role of Mary and soon to be a major star Lily Bouwmeester was flatly refused on account of her 'plain' looks. Instead, they picked the studio secretary Dolly, who had little acting experience, but did indeed look prettier on screen than both of the other actresses mentioned and managed to hold her own against professional stage actors such as Ruys and De Bree.
When Loes goes to meet the Baron to plead him to give her husband his job back, he mistakes her for the new housekeeper, a woman with a limp who used to be a lion-tamer (the only applicant butch enough to take a job for the Kribbebijter). Uncle Moeki takes advantage of the misunderstanding and lo and behold, the grumpy old Baron takes a liking to the young girl and slowly begins to mellow. Of course he still objects to the pairing of Mary and Hans and plans to marry her off to dimwitted (but wealthy) farmer Schimmelman (Chris Baay). However, thanks to another misunderstanding, Schimmelman thinks the Baron is offering him the services of his cook.
Not knowing where his wife has gone off to, Willy (one of the least developed parts in the play) goes back home to look for her and thanks to Moeki, starts playing along until everything is resolved in a happy end for all concerned. De Kribbebijter was a big hit with the Dutch movie going audience and stayed in theaters until for seven years, until 1942. And indeed it is still an amiable piece of entertainment, despite the somewhat dated humor and incredibly posh accents all round.
8 out of 10