Long Live the Queen
(LANG LEVE DE KONINGIN) ((DUTCH))
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The Queen Monique van de Ven Sara de Waal Tiba Tossijn Bob Hooke Derek de Lint The King Jack Wouterse Suzanna Lisa de Rooy Victor Rene Nijmen (Dutch and Afrikaans dialogue)
A smoothly directed kid yarn about a young girl whose chess sets takes on a life of its own, "Long Live the Queen" is an entertaining Dutch bauble with definite offshore chances as a dubbed TV or homevideo item. A success on home turf, where it widened from purely young people to adults, the film is an impressive first feature from smallscreen writer-director Esme Lammers, partner of B.O. champ Dick Maas ("The lift," "Amsterdamned," "Flodder"), who also produced. Pic is the Dutch submission in foreign-language film Oscar competition.
Sara (cute Tiba Tossijn), who lives with her mom (Lisa de Rooy) and grandfather, is introduced to the world of chess through young school friend Victor (Rene Nijmen). She's soon imagining a fairy tale world in which the Queen (veteran Monique van de Ven), bored with her marriage to an idle King (comedian Jack Wouterse), is mounting full-scale chess matches with her courtiers and friends.
Meanwhile, Sara's estranged father, chess celeb Bob Hooke (Derek de Lint), is on TV as part of a championship match. After learning the rules, Sara takes part in a demo playoff by Hooke against her school, and finally reunites her long-estranged partents.
Cast in depth on the adult side, with inventive sets and colorful, clean-lined costumes for the fairy tale sequences, pic is a well-paced ride up to its expected happy ending with good-natured comedy from the likes of Van de Ven and Wouterse, and unbrattish playing from the kids. Marc Felperlaan's glossy lensing (with a slight yellowish ting in print caught) and Paul M. van Brugge's symphonic score neatly package the whole thing, which is only a tad long at just under two hours.
Camera (Fujicolor), Marc Felperlaan; editors, Mark Glynne, Hans van Dongen; music, Paul M. van Brugge; art director, Dorien Folke rs. Reviewed at Dutch Film Festival (competing), Utrecht, Sept. 30, 1996. Running time: 115 MIN.
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