Frank and Eve (1973)

Directed by: Pim de la Parra | 95 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Hugo Metsers, Lex Goudsmit, Helmert Woudenberg, Elsje de Wijn, Sylvia Kristel, Christina Cünne, Ronnie Bierman, Jan van Rooyen, Wim de Meyer, Dick Scheffer, Erik van Ingen, Maureen Renzen, Boy Edgar

Mediocre feature film by director Pim de la Parra about a couple, Frank and Eva, who cannot live without each other. There is a lot of experimentation on the sexual level, Willeke van Ammelrooy is already a beautiful appearance in itself, but the story of a man who goes in search of hamburgers, while he has a beautiful steak at home! is messy and won’t walk.

Van Ammelrooy, wife of singer Marco Bakker for years, is Eva, the steak in question. Not a completely female-friendly name for a woman who does indeed evoke erotic tension, but who is also just a great actress. When she has the clothes on in ‘Frank and Eva’, she is a burly woman who runs her own business (a sewing workshop). She drives confidently through the streets of Amsterdam in a striking old-timer. It’s clever how Van Ammelrooy remains gracefully upright in ‘Frank and Eva’, despite the acting performances of others, for example. The actress wanted to succeed in the film world anyway, but was on welfare for a while after ‘Frank and Eva’!

Frank (Hugo Metsers) is a good-for-nothing and a parasite. He doesn’t want to commit to Eva and fucks like crazy. A lovemaking at the beginning of the film immediately leads to lumps. He’s a big kid who wants his freedom and stamps his feet when he doesn’t get his way. Metser’s role isn’t exactly great, but he must have had fun shooting the movie with women like Sylvia Kristel and other beauties on set.

Another criticism is that there is little line in the story, but maybe De la Parra didn’t have that pretension either. The film music is also downright bad a few times. An uncontrolled medley of shrill guitars and indistinct whimpers must pass for accompanying music: irritating! Frank & Eva is also a tragicomedy, but the humor is very dark at times. Metsers, for example, pretends to take his own life a few times and suddenly jumps up when he sees Van Ammelrooy.

No lack of nudity. Van Ammelrooy often walks around without clothes, but Metsers also seems to feel comfortable walking naked. In addition, there are quite a few bare breasts to be seen, such as with Metsers’ neighbor across the street, a girl who comes to visit and, at the beginning of ‘Frank and Eva’, during a sex scene in a beautiful so-called pike of car brand Citroën. No wonder Metser’s credo in the film is: The more, the better!

However, the freedom of the individual does not automatically lead to more happiness in life. At some point, Van Ammelrooy and Metsers decide to have a Lat relationship, but their relationship is in a downward spiral. Metsers likes to put the flowers out with the ladies, but when Van Ammelrooy also has a boyfriend, he explodes. The mutual jealousy is not conducive to their relationship, yet both are increasingly clinging to what they have left.

For true lovers of the Dutch film ‘Frank and Eva’ is a pleasant feature film. It is not for nothing that the film is one of the forty most visited films after the Second World War. The humor is sometimes hilarious, sometimes inappropriate. The story offers little solace, but the many nude scenes provide a good portion of entertainment. It is Willeke van Ammelrooy who gives color to an otherwise mediocre whole.