- Actors: Peter Faber, Sacha Bulthuis, Adendu Soesilaningrat, Maruli Sitompul, Krijn ter Braak
- Directors: Fons Rademakers
- Format: PAL, Import, Subtitled
- Language Dutch
- Subtitles: English, French, German
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: A-Film
- DVD Release Date: 2 Oct 2003
- Run Time: 170 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0002NCZGM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 81,887 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Netherlands released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: Dutch ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Dutch ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Dutch ( Subtitles ), English ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), German ( Subtitles ), Italian ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Posters, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: The exploitation of 19th-century Indonesia by Dutch Colonialists provides the basis of this historical drama that centers on a renegade officer who tries to change the rules. ...Max Havelaar ( Max Havelaar of de koffieveilingen der Nederlandsche ha )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Set in early 1900s Indonesia while it was under the oppressive Dutch colonial rule (and the equally sly rule of the indigenous upperclass, this is the story of Max Havelaar who is sent to an impoverished region in Java as the Dutch administrator. With his wife and son, Max settles in to life as the local ruler/administrator in a land which is quite alien to his Western eyes even though he has lived in the region for some time. An idealist, Max wants to make things better for the poor people under his care, especially the farmers who are so harshly treated, but he is at loggerheads with others in the Dutch bureaucracy - who see all Indonesians as little more than slaves - and also the Indonesian native Regents and other lords. Max is unprepared for the widespread corruption and his efforts prove fruitless against it.
This is an interesting view into the Dutch East Indies in the early 1900s and the widespread hypocrisy and corruption within the rule by both the Dutch and the higher levels of Indonesian society. The combination of Dutch bureaucracy with the self-serving Bupatis and lesser lords, still treated as descendants from the gods, left the poor natives with no chance in life. The film is in both Indonesian and Dutch, with English subtitles.
Worth a look - there is not much filmed about this period from such a perspective, and the slice of historical life is fascinating in itself.
But you will feel sorry for poor old Max. No wonder he gets mad.
This is an interesting view into the Dutch East Indies in the early 1900s and the widespread hypocrisy and corruption within the rule by both the Dutch and the higher levels of Indonesian society. The combination of Dutch bureaucracy with the self-serving Bupatis and lesser lords, still treated as descendants from the gods, left the poor natives with no chance in life. The film is in both Indonesian and Dutch, with English subtitles.
Worth a look - there is not much filmed about this period from such a perspective, and the slice of historical life is fascinating in itself.
But you will feel sorry for poor old Max. No wonder he gets mad.
Format:DVD
This cinematic masterpiece of Dutch colonial rule is based on the novel by Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known as, Multatuli, who actually acted as assistent-resident in the province of Ambon, the Moluccas in 1851. It is therefore a first-hand eye-witness account of the abuses of the colonial administration by the Dutch in Java and for this the author was dismissed from his post. The production is beautifully mounted and filmed on location amid the lush green scenery of South-East Asia. One sympathizes with the young Dutch idealist, Max Havelaar, in his endeavour to bring some form of justice to the local suppressed population, but the system he is fighting is simply too overwhelmingly powerful. The theme of this film is thus ageless: that the rich and powerful rule and plunder the suppressed and poor, and this is the way the world worked then, and now, and how it will also work in the future.
Though this product is expensive, I am now happy to have it in my collection.
Though this product is expensive, I am now happy to have it in my collection.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Greatest Unseen Screen Masterpiece
17 Jan 2008
Brute imperialism of the early 19th century exposed up close and personal. Based on revelatory "novel" of 1860, depicts the tensions created by Dutch exploitation of Indonesia at the height of the colonial era in the early 19th century. Shot in remarkable color with much footage of formerly undeveloped Indonesia. Film was made during the 1970's at the time of the massacres in East Timor and the destruction of Timorese society by the Indonesian military. Looks at representatives of every level of society and involvement in the tragic onslaught of the imperialist project and manages to evoke the largest questions concerning the human quest for fulfillment and the price we feel its worth. You will never forget it - if you chance to see it - a big IF - as the film was ruthlessly suppressed in this country after a brief showing at art houses and college/university venues.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Max Havelaar
22 Sep 2008
The film is based on a classic Dutch novel from the 19th Century by one who was disgusted with the way that his countrymen ran the colony of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and their treatment of the locals. The film succeeds in showing how the reality of what was happening there was oblivious to those at home. The scenery is beautiful and the director Fons Rademakers succeeds in bringing home the severity with which his countrymen treated the locals during that colonial period.
Rob
Rob
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