Forty Years

1938 1h 25m NL

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

This government commissioned film -- made on the occasion of the forty year anniversary of queen Wilhelmina's reign -- chronicles the lives of two Dutch families from 1898 to 1938 against the backdrop of the social and political events of the times. It shows the emergence of trade unions, the troubled years of the First World War, the development of aviation and Schiphol airport, the Dutch East Indies and the lives of the Dutch royal family.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Cees Laseur
Rolf van Meerle
Lily Bouwmeester
Annetje Maasdonk
Matthieu van Eysden
Frans Maasdonk
Ank van der Moer
Eline Verhulst
Eduard Verkade
Zijne Excellentie van Meerle
Adolphe Engers
Jan de Oude
Paul Steenbergen
Wim Maasdonk
Cor Van der Lugt Melsert
Dick Maasdonk

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Johan De Meester
Writers: Jo van Ammers-Küller, Ben van Eysselsteijn
Languages: Dutch
Countries: Netherlands

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

88 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jan Teunissen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cees Laseur and Lily Bouwmeester and Matthieu van Eysden carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0030927 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Johan De Meester directs. Jan Teunissen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Netherlands. Dialogue in Dutch.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
388 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Editor Jan Teunissen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Cees Laseur and Lily Bouwmeester and Matthieu van Eysden carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0030927 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.