Tulip Fever (2017)

Directed by: Justin Chadwick | 101 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Jack O’Connell, Holliday Grainger, Tom Hollander, Matthew Morrison, Kevin McKidd, Douglas Hodge, Joanna Scanlan, Zach Galifianakis, Judi Dench, Christoph Waltz, David Harewood, Alexandra Gilbreath, Cara Delevingne, Sebastian Armesto, Michael Nardone, Richard Alan Reid, Cornelius Booth, Cressida Bonas, Michael Smiley, James Dryden, Daisy Chadwick

The tulip is one of the most Dutch symbols out there. And that while the flower does not originate from here at all. Traders brought the bulbs from Turkey from the second half of the sixteenth century, which heralded the beginning of European tulip cultivation. Decades later, in the Golden Age, the prices of tulip bulbs reached extreme heights. The record amount for which a single bulb was sold is 3,000 guilders for the purple-and-white parrot tulip Viceroi, in 1636. Of that money, the buyer also had “two cartloads of wheat, four cartloads of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat pigs, twelve fat sheep, two barrels of wine, four barrels of beer, two tons of butter, a thousand pounds of cheese, a bed, a silver chalice, a number of items of clothing and a ship”, the pamphlet ‘Claere ontdeckingh der dwaesheydt’ states. . In January 1637, tulip bulbs were worth about as much as an Amsterdam canal house! There was also speculation in options on tulips, which were still in the ground at the time. The tulip mania is now seen as the first economic bubble in world history.

This bulb madness from the Dutch Golden Age forms the background of the film ‘Tulip Fever’ (2017), a romantic drama by director Justin Chadwick, the man who has proven that he can handle costume drama with ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ (2008). can. The screenplay was written by Tom Stoppard – who has won an Oscar for ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (1998) – based on a novel by Deborah Moggach. In 1630s Amsterdam, the 17-year-old orphan girl Sophia (Alicia Vikander) is betrothed by the superior of the convent where she lives (played by none other than Dame Judi Dench) to the much older but immensely wealthy merchant Cornelis Sandvoort (Christophe Waltz). ). He longs for an heir, but Sophia refuses to get pregnant. To ensure a kind of legacy, Cornelis asks the young painter Jan van Loos (Dane DeHaan) to immortalize them and his beautiful wife on the silver screen. It never occurs to him that Sophia might fall head over heels in love with the painter and hatch a plan to escape her loveless marriage.

Meanwhile, Maria (Holliday Grainger), the Sandvoort maid who gets on well with Sophia, hooks up with fishmonger Willem (Jack O’Connell) and the two have big plans together. Willem speculates on the tulip market, and does so without merit; he hopes to have enough money soon to start a new life and marry Maria. Due to an unfortunate coincidence, however, things turn out differently and Maria is unintentionally drawn into Jan and Sophia’s plans.

‘Tulip Fever’ had been on the shelf for years and should have been made into a movie in 2004, starring Keira Knightley, Jim Broadbent and Jude Law in the lead roles, John Madden as director and Steven Spielberg as producer. However, a new tax measure in Great Britain, where the shooting was supposed to take place, threw a spanner in the works. Ten years later, it was the much-discussed Harvey Weinstein who breathed new life into the project. The film’s release was delayed several times, which is usually not a good sign; almost two years after its original release date, the film finally went into circulation. ‘Tulip Fever’ looks like it could be put through a ring. The costumes, hair and makeup, sets, production design and music; it has all been worked out with great care and an eye for detail. And even though the film was shot entirely in Great Britain, seventeenth-century Amsterdam is portrayed credibly. With three Oscar-winning actors on board – Dench, Vikander and Waltz – there’s little to complain about.

At least you would think so. ‘Tulip Fever’, however, has some serious problems, especially in terms of screenplay and casting. The biggest stumbling block is the total lack of chemistry between Vikander and DeHaan. The passion should splash from the two, but we don’t see any of that in the film. Since the romance between Sophia and Jan is the catalyst of the story, the film stalls before it has even started. Moreover, it is difficult for us to empathize with this couple; we feel more sympathy for Cornelis, who may be deadly dull – and addresses his genitals as ‘my little soldier’ ​​– but loves his wife dearly. For the romance, we prefer to look at Maria and Willem, who do create a credible couple in love. The screenplay also has some problems; the story does have a lot of coincidences and improbabilities and the plan of Sophia and Jan is rather ludicrous. The dialogues mainly explain a lot, while the images speak for themselves, and therefore do not add much.

‘Tulip Fever’ could have been a beautiful costume drama, in which a fascinating glimpse into the Holland of the seventeenth century is given and in which the very first economic bubble of all time has a prominent role. With top actors, including three Oscar winners, in the ranks in a beautiful, perfect production. Unfortunately, ‘Tulip Fever’ is not. Many conditions are met, but the most important – a believable plot and a compelling romance – is unfortunately missing.